Do you think most accidental shootings aren't really accidental?

Question

Every time I hear that some guy was cleaning his gun or whatever and 'accidentally' shot his toddler or his wife or whatever.. I think they are full of it. Guns don't accidentally go off. The guys we have require that more than one part be pushed, turned, or pulled all at once in order to discharge. I think they are lying murderers, most cases.

Answer 1

I don't like the term accident, since even if the event was not intended it was caused by someone, either their carelessness or lack of knowledge.

Guns do not go off without some outside force.

Whether or not most of these cases are murder I don't know, but they are not acts of God.

Answer 2

Only when d**k Cheney is involved.

Answer 3

I think most people would call these not accidental but negligent...not paying attention or skipping safety procedures.

I worked with a man who 'always' crimped blasting caps onto fuzes with his teeth:

"It's OK if you know what you're doing."

Well,no - he blew off his jaw and died later that year.

Accident or negligent?

Answer 4

I think what most of your answers have came from persons that forgot that not everyone is as intelligent as them or safety-conscious with weapons.

I have learned safety with firearms and can preach it all day, but that is not to say that the guy that knows nothing cannot go buy a weapon, load it, and know nothing of safety, firing it in the direction of some poor innocent, usually being a family member.  

Just as we don't require that much intelligence to drive in america or make parents have intelligence before having kids, we don't require it of people buying guns.

I find guns all the time in my job, and more often than not, they are in the hands of idiots.  Idiots that shoot there own feet and shoot people because they fail to hold the weapon right.  

So, yes accidental discharges can, do, and will happen irregardless of how many people disbelieve it.

Answer 5

youre right its negligence and should be prosecuted everytime

Answer 6

Accidents happen. They are also easily avoided by being extra careful.........you never were in a rush or distracted? You never broke a glass, or bumped into something? Im not making excuses, Im merely saying that things happen in this life, sometimes the end result can be minor or tragic. That doesnt make a person a murderer.

Answer 7

Well, my husband thought it was an accident when he fired a shot through the ceiling. Sure didn't intend to do that!

Perhaps you should be asking if most accidental DEATHS from firearms are truly accidental.

Answer 8

I agree. I would be willing to bet maybe one in 300 thousand claims were truly accidental.

Answer 9

I think you answered your own question. Good job.

Answer 10

I'm kind of suspicious every time I hear of an incident where "I was just cleaning my gun and it went off"!  

When I learned about handling guns the first thing I was taught was how to properly clean a gun.

STEP 1:  Remove any detachable magazines.

STEP 2:  Open and lock the action, visually inspect the chamber for ammunition.

STEP 3:  Disassemble the firearm according to manufacturer's instructions or your own training.

If these people are cleaning their weapons ... why the heck are they loaded!  Why is the chamber closed?  Why is the safety not engaged?  Why didn't they disassemble the weapon so it can be cleaned properly?

I just don't understand how you can properly clean a gun with the action closed and a round in the chamber.  If anyone can explain this, please do!

I tend to agree with the assessment that these excuses are covering up criminal or extremely negligent activity most of the time.  Cleaning a loaded weapon would be about as stupid as changing the sparkplugs on your car's engine while it is running!

Answer 11

You may not believe how many "trained" law enforcement officers pop off rounds at the range while trying to clean their guns.  They get lazy and/or complacent and just do stupid stuff.  I've seen tons of pictures and read safety bulletins.

Sad, but true.

Of course, there are a lot of suicides that are just attempts at getting a nice insurance pay out too.

Answer 12

No,

they're due to careless firearm handling. People don't follow basic firearm safety rules. Your statement about a gun not going off if it's dropped is false, some handguns will go off if dropped.

Answer 13

I believe that you are correct for some situations. One an almost smell bad intent in some situations. But then again, if they are going to commit the crime, any item can become a weapon in a moment of rage.

Now, Trouble is some guys get to confident about their guns. They fail rule #1, and that is treat every gun as though it is loaded. You'd be surprise how many guns are loaded.

When I clean my gun, I do so in a part of the house that becomes off limits to all people living in my home. They know I am serious that I don't want anyone under any circumstances around me. Secondly, I make sure magazine is removed from the gun. I check and recheck chamber that it is clear. Then I proceed to clean gun. Once it is clean, the magazine does not go into the gun until I am ready to carry it again. Never ever does a round go into the chamber, even with magazine in gun unless I am at the gun range, or if I feel that need to use it. So far I have not felt the need to use. The chamber is clear. And these principles I highly stress to all the people I know that own guns. Also, I never store a gun loaded. magazine and ammo are stored in different places in the house and out of reach from all in my home. Only I know.