July/August 2006 Editorial
Have you got your guns ready? The next big match is almost here and it is time to play! Sixguns, rifles, shotguns, side match guns, what do I choose? Calibers, models, barrel lengths, and more, so many decisions to make! Don’t forget the clothes and gun rigs. Should I shoot cross-draw or straight-draw? Should the calibers of my sixgun match the caliber of my rifle? Maybe I should see if I can buy that new Cimarron 1876 for side matches available this fall. What class should I shoot – black powder cartridge, traditional, duelist, gunfighter, classic cowboy, etc., etc.? There seems to be decision after decision. This was starting to become very confusing!
I spent some time thinking about all of these items and then realized that maybe I better check my guns and make sure they are clean and ready to go with smooth actions, no burrs, and full hammer impacts to ignite the primers. While doing this along with some shooting in the months before and talking and observing fellow shooters, I began to realize something else. We were becoming complacent about the most important item of all. What is that you say? Yep, you guessed it – SAFETY! We talk about it at the safety meetings, we try to ensure it on the line, and think about it while we are shooting. But what about when we get off the line? What about when we are sitting around the camp fire talking with our buddies or showing someone our new sixgun? I’ve got to tell you, I am concerned. Being complacent when it comes to gun safety is not a good idea. More and more I see people that should know better when handling firearms. While they are looking at them or showing them off, they have the muzzle of the firearm pass over a person. When you do this, you are breaking one of the most important safety rules of all – never point a gun at something you don’t want to see destroyed! It should not matter if you just checked the chambers and the person you handed the gun to did the same. Make sure that when handling the firearm the barrel never, ever points toward another person!
I know people who are around guns all of the time that know gun safety and yet they continually forget about this fundamental aspect because they checked the firearm to make sure it was safe. How many times has a gun gone off that was supposedly unloaded? Not only is letting the gun barrel point at another person unsafe, it is also rude.
Lets play it safe - don’t get complacent when it comes to gun safety.
Visit the Shoot Magazine website at www.shootmagazine.com
I spent some time thinking about all of these items and then realized that maybe I better check my guns and make sure they are clean and ready to go with smooth actions, no burrs, and full hammer impacts to ignite the primers. While doing this along with some shooting in the months before and talking and observing fellow shooters, I began to realize something else. We were becoming complacent about the most important item of all. What is that you say? Yep, you guessed it – SAFETY! We talk about it at the safety meetings, we try to ensure it on the line, and think about it while we are shooting. But what about when we get off the line? What about when we are sitting around the camp fire talking with our buddies or showing someone our new sixgun? I’ve got to tell you, I am concerned. Being complacent when it comes to gun safety is not a good idea. More and more I see people that should know better when handling firearms. While they are looking at them or showing them off, they have the muzzle of the firearm pass over a person. When you do this, you are breaking one of the most important safety rules of all – never point a gun at something you don’t want to see destroyed! It should not matter if you just checked the chambers and the person you handed the gun to did the same. Make sure that when handling the firearm the barrel never, ever points toward another person!
I know people who are around guns all of the time that know gun safety and yet they continually forget about this fundamental aspect because they checked the firearm to make sure it was safe. How many times has a gun gone off that was supposedly unloaded? Not only is letting the gun barrel point at another person unsafe, it is also rude.
Lets play it safe - don’t get complacent when it comes to gun safety.
Visit the Shoot Magazine website at www.shootmagazine.com
posted by SHOOT! MAGAZINE | 11:16 AM
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