# So... a couple of weeks ago at a gun range nearby (a true-life American horror story)



## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

There I was, with 2 hours to kill before the event I was attending started. I had visited a local gun range in that town (I'd been there a couple of times to test-fire guns I was trading for so I knew where it was). Since it was a lovely fall day, I decided enjoy the great outdoors my favorite way (surrounded by powder smoke) and to pop off a box or two with my carry gun to fill the time (I always carry a complete range kit including targets, ammo, etc). 

It was a Saturday afternoon, there were people at every single bench at the 25 and 50 yard ranges... since I pack a .357 Ruger LCR snubby there isn't that much point in putting up a target at 100 yards away, so I sat there in the car and just watched the folks shoot for a while. 

One group (the one at the far left end beyond whom there was nothing but woods) was obviously a family, two teen boys (guessing 13-16ish), a mom and a dad. Dad was sighting in his deer rifle at 50 yards (no idea why, he was well on the paper but that's what he was doing), and it was making a hell of a boom (I picked up his brass later, 7mm WinMag). Mom was blazing away with an iron sighted 30-30 Marlin lever gun, and kiddos were popping mags full of Golden Bullet out of a pair of 10/22's. 

The concrete shooting benches all were each covered by a beach towel, and the area is entirely open.

Mother inserts several rounds into her 30-30 and father squeezes off another round. Mother fires & and jacks another round into the chamber, which also cocks the gun. Boys are standing there blazing away.

Father says something to mother, who pulls the gun off of her shoulder and drops it onto bench from about 8 inches up, with the barrel pointed directly at her two sons. She dropped the gun so hard that it bounced.

The gun did not fire. 

I just about wet my pants.

I was sitting there thinking "surely to GOD she had activated the hammer block safety", and as they all walked downrange to check their targets, I grabbed my empty pop bottle, got out of my car and walked to the trash can that sits behind the benches. I looked, and could clearly see the "red" part of the safety, and that the hammer was, indeed, fully back and not at half-cock.

It must not have been one of both of those boy's time to die, because God only knows why that gun didn't go off.

Now I was struck on the horns of a dilemma, what (if anything) do I say? 

They were walking back and the boys were going back to where they would be in front of that loaded gun cocked and locked... so I HAD to say something. Dad kind of nodded at me and I simply said "Excuse me sir, but before those boys step in front of that 30-30 you probably want to engage the safety and decock the hammer...

Dude took one look at the gun, at the position it was pointed, and turned to the wife.

I made my exit. Rather than watch the drama, I went ahead down to the other side of the range and proved that it is actually pretty pointless to shoot a Ruger LCR .357 snubby at a target 100 yards away... 

We have a local gun range (private) at the town I live in where my wife and I go all the time... but we never go there if anybody else is there, and we leave if somebody joins us. You just never know about people.


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## A J (Oct 16, 2014)

Yikes. I've seen stuff like that and it still scares the hell out of me. When I take someone to the range, if they are at all a noob or are a child. I never ever shoot when they are shooting. I hover over/behind them and make sure nothing happens. Thank God everything turned out for the best.

AJ


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

I once watched a gun owner give his handgun to a person who had clearly never shot one.
The newbie pointed the gun down-ish range(thank the Lord), and the gun fired at about a 45 degree angle into the ground about 5 feet ahead of him.

I'll take this opportunity to reiterate...
YOUR FINGER SHOULD *NEVER* TOUCH THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE *BOTH* ON TARGET *AND* READY TO FIRE!!!

I watched another assclown do something similar while clearing a jam.
That one was pointed almost exactly at his feet if I recall, and nearly took off a toe.
He immediately realized how much of an idiot he just was, unloaded the gun, stuffed it into his case, and left as quickly as possible.

Be careful out there folks. Anybody can be an idiot.


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## hansonb4 (Aug 17, 2014)

Good story S&P.


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

I was at a national forrest range one day and a guy from the next bench came up to talk to me about the FAL I was shooting. I could smell the booze on his breath from several feet away. I figured I had shot enough and left.


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## 7515 (Aug 31, 2014)

Good story and you did the right thing by saying something.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

God was over seeing that incident. It could have real been bad.


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

The one truth in shooting...the very moment you become over confident in handling weapons is the moment an AD/ND occurs. I have seen the most experienced among us have a very bad day or cause a very bad day...or very nearly. It doesn't make them bad people... or stupid people...it only reiterates to never, ever take safety for granted. As has been said in the military...No one out ranks safety!!!


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Scary story. And why I built my own range on my own land. People, be careful and THINK when around firearms. Keep your head about you and safety, safety, safety, safety
*RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY 
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET
*


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

It was the summer of '83, I was 14 and visiting my uncle on his ranch in Montana. We headed to a big Rendezvous on the outskirts of town where my uncle broke out his flintlock and proceeded to embarrass everyone there shooting the gong. He was a member of the Int'l Muzzle Loading Team and competed around the world, taking several medals at various matches. He was good.

I was bored standing behind the shooters on the line, watching, and started talking to some guy that was an acquaintance of my uncles and noticed the outline of a small pistol in his coat pocket. Interested, I asked if I could see it and he said "Sure". He pulled it from his pocket and removed the magazine. It was a little .32 semi-auto and at 14, had a certain cool factor.

I said "Is it loaded?", he said "Nope." I said "Mind if I pull the trigger?". "Nope. Go ahead."










My very first "HOLY ****" wave of terror poured over me as the dirt kicked up about five feet in front of me. Guys on the line swung around and as I looked up, there was my uncle glaring at me from me about 20 feet away. A distance he covered in exactly two and a half steps. The "responsible adult" who had given me the gun, quickly took it from me, stuffed it in his pocket and made a b-line for his car. Thanks Bro...

I was not so fortunate as to be able to vacate the area. I don't think my feet touched the ground on our way to the Jeep. Where I sat for the rest of the day. That day was my first introduction to PROPER gun safety. I learned that day that a gun is always loaded. I learned that day that I would be taking a Hunter Safety course in the fall and would not touch another firearm until I successfully completed it.

I learned years later that after my uncle dropped me off at the ranch and drove back into town, that he beat the absolute dog shit out of that guy.

God is watching...he has to be.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

I have an aversion to public ranges. Other shooters, range masters, encroachment...i just cant stand em anymore. Even indoor ranges or clubs. I just prefer to go to the ranch and shoot at the wood pile.


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## Sockpuppet (Sep 6, 2014)

Last summer I was alone at a public range. I took my time and set up my bench, and then proceeded downrange 100 yards to place my target.

Whilst downrange and unbeknownst to me, this moron arrives........he loads, chambers, and begins to fire his AR15 downrange. I dropped everything I had, pulled my sidearm and pointed it right at him, and started screaming obscenities at this d*******.

The look on his face was, "Duh. What did I do, Bro?" 

I kept my handgun trained on him, and ordered him to place the rifle on the bench. It was fortunate for the both of us that he complied with my command. He would have been dead, and I would have likely been at risk at losing my liberty for a few years, as well as out a few thousand dollars in legal counsel fees.

I walked over to him, holstered my weapon, unloaded his rifle and verbally bashed him for the sheer stupidity that placed my life at imminent risk. I walked over to my bench and quickly packed up and left......taking down the tag number of the guy's truck as I left. I immediately drove over to the park office and filed a report with Park Ranger.

I held my breath for some time after that, expecting some form of legal process for pointing my handgun at him.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

Range Master sure dropped the ball on this one. Can't wait to build my private range on my land.


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## Sockpuppet (Sep 6, 2014)

csi-tech said:


> Range Master sure dropped the ball on this one. Can't wait to build my private range on my land.


There are a lot of ranges, both public and private, that don't have one.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

Sockpuppet said:


> There are a lot of ranges, both public and private, that don't have one.


None of them around here have range masters


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## SoCal92057 (Apr 12, 2014)

Back in the 70's, I was alone at my local range shooting my revolver when another guy arrived, walked up to the shooting bench, unpacked and loaded the magazine belonging to a small semi-auto. He was very nervous and had jerky motions about all that he was doing. I decided to leave and started towards my car and then it happened. He pulled the trigger and managed to tear the flesh between his thumb and index finger on his support hand. Seems he was using a two handed grip and the support hand was in the way of the recoiling slide. He yelled over to me to ask if I had a bandage. As I did not I replied no and departed. I always watch other shooters to check out their demeanor on the range. If it does not look safe, I'll leave. Even shooting with friends on my own property, everyone gets a safety brief before the shooting begins. I prefer to have only one shooter on the line at a time. When on a public range, I usually will take a moment to discuss with the other shooters what they are using for range commands, etc. Thankfully, public ranges do not see me very often as I live in the wooded mountains.


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## PossumPie (Oct 2, 2014)

Not as dramatic as some stories, but I "always" store my guns unloaded. A few months ago I grabbed for my Shotgun, and took it downstairs to put in the car. I raked back on the pump and a loaded shell flew out onto the floor. It had been in the chamber...All feeling left my knees and I was glad that I treat all guns as if they were loaded....that one was.


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## Meangreen (Dec 6, 2012)

Let’s face it, guns attract idiots. They’re not just at the range but usually holding up the counter at your local gun shop quick to add their two cents whether you want it or not. They are the ones that make the responsible gun owners look like idiots by leaving all their trash and targets on public land. They make the news for shooting themselves or others. Or even worse they become active shooters.
As a founding member of the DHS, and a firearms instructor for my agency I have trained literally thousands of new shooters in the proper use of pistol, rifle and shotgun. Yes I have seen a lot of idiots doing really stupid stuff but for the most part, teaching is the highlight of my career. I have never had a negligent discharge and it’s not luck but conscious thought every time I handle a firearm. 
When I see unsafe actions whether at work or at the range I say something but I’m not a dick about it. We need new shooters to keep our rights and we need the younger generation to get active in shooting sports to save our very existence as a nation so encourage people don’t belittle them at the range.


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

That's why I like to shoot at private locations. 
Someone actually shot themselves in the hand a couple months ago at a local indoor range.


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## Zed (Aug 14, 2014)

There was an incident in our bank..
The Guard on the duty are always armed. There was a cash transfer process going on between Base Vault and Head Cashier Desk. The Armed Guard was accompanying the cash transfer. I guess the gun was loaded. The guard mistakenly shot the gun. The bullet went right over the head of (1 foot above) Senior Officer...Damn...all the customer and officials ran out of the office. Later the cops came and investigated and found the Guard was drunk!! :shock:


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

PossumPie said:


> Not as dramatic as some stories, but I "always" store my guns unloaded. A few months ago I grabbed for my Shotgun, and took it downstairs to put in the car. I raked back on the pump and a loaded shell flew out onto the floor. It had been in the chamber...All feeling left my knees and I was glad that I treat all guns as if they were loaded....that one was.


That reminds me of something that happened last year. I went out, by myself, to sight in one of my Glock 17's after I installed some Tritium night sights (I use tritium night sights on all my self-defense weapons when possible). Turns out the gun was on-the-money so I didn't have to adjust anything, but is still ran 100 rounds of 9mm through it.

Cleared the gun, popped out the magazine, put it in a case, and took it home to clean (I was just shooting at a creek so there was no bench to clean on at the range).

Got home, went to my work bench, and got ready to clean the gun. The thing about Glocks is that to disassemble them, you have to pull the trigger first.

Completely out of habit and without thought, I did what I ALWAYS do with a semi-auto handgun (it's a habit), I checked to make sure the mag was out and began to rack the slide 3 times (I always rack it 3 times, and hold it back on the third to visually inspect the chamber to make sure the barrel breaching is clear of a round).

Out popped a FMJ round onto the bench.

I am sure I turned white.

I would have told you then, and I will tell you now, I DISTINCTLY remember checking that gun to make sure it was empty when I got done firing it. I KNOW I did.

But you know what? My memory is wrong, because I was the only person to touch that gun, I was the only person to load and fire it, and their ain't no such a thing as a bullet gnome.

Even though I was (and AM) sure I didn't miss that round... I missed that round...

Fortunately, the safety procedure that I've drilled into myself to become second nature saved me from a really embarrassing moment. My last-step safety procedure would have insured there was no injury (I have a sandbag/bullet trap set up near the bench, every trigger pull is done with the barrel of the gun pointed at the bullet trap) but I really, really, REALLY have no desire to have my wife come running from the other room with an IFAK and her cell ready to call 911... nor trying to "explain myself" as she stood there giving me "the look".


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## TLock762x51 (Nov 14, 2012)

Okay, so THAT reminds me of something that happened to me quite a few years ago. It was about 1988, I was in my second hitch in the AF, and I had been "into" guns for about 3 or 4 years. My folks were visiting me here in AZ, and I really wanted to take my Father out shooting. So, we jumped into my car, and drove out into the desert.

We shot a variety of stuff that day. At one point, I loaded up my HK91 for him to try. I remember it as if it were yesterday...I had a partial box of some surplus .308, and I had previously marked the outside of the box, "13 rounds", because that was how many were left. I remember counting the rounds as I loaded them into the 20 round mag, yep...13. I gave my Father a quick rundown of the operation, and handed it to him. I remember counting as he slowly and purposefully fired off 10 rounds. He started to hand it back to me, and I said, "Go ahead, there's 3 more rounds", and he said, "No, I'm done...you finish it.". So, I shouldered it and let fly 3 more rounds. Of course, the HK91 has no last-round bolt-hold-open. I lowered the rifle, and we were chatting a bit, walking back towards my car. I was about to case the rifle, when I decided to dry-fire it, as I hate leaving the hammer cocked in any of my guns when it's not necessary. I shouldered the rifle, aimed at the targets we had just been shooting at, and pulled the trigger.

Yeah...there was an earth-shattering *KABOOM*!

I felt so embarrassed. I hating screwing up like that in front of my Father. (Not because of any rules he'd taught me...even though he had several pistols, rifles, and shotguns around the house when I was a kid, he'd never once given me 2 seconds worth of instruction on them. My Mother's Father had committed suicide when she was very young, and she was not too "keen" on guns, so no instruction for me. Uncle Sam was who introduced me to guns.) I was all flustered, saying how I'd counted the rounds, and I thought for certain it was empty. He just smiled and said, "Well, at least you pointed it in a safe direction before you pulled the trigger". Yeah, it felt like a small consolation to me, just then.

To this day, I still have no idea where that "14th" round came from. I don't know whether that qualifies as an "AD', or an "ND", or what...but it's been my only one...so far. *Raps on head*

Tim


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Wow... stories like those scare me.
The "magic bullet" theory crops up yet again.

Every time I read/hear one of these stories, it just reinforces my safety protocols. Now that I've got my first Glock, even more so.
Always follow the 4 cardinal rules, always check and double-check before storing/disassembling.
My wife knows, and I'm teaching my kids the same, that ALL guns in my house are loaded... period.
No ifs, ands, or buts. I'm instituting it as "Dad's law".
I will *NEVER* allow "_is is loaded_" to be uttered in my house. Punishment will follow.
Either *YOU KNOW* it is loaded, or *YOU KNOW* it is unloaded. There is no questioning.
If you do not know, then you damn well already know how to safely find out. Asking someone else is not an option.
If you don't know how to safely find out, you don't lay a finger on it.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

Salt n peppers story is why i no longer visually check the chamber...i insert a pinky to be 110% sure. Low light and old eyes can get you into serious trouble. 

And never trust a tube fed 22, especially if it has a wood stock. Dunno where the rounds hide in there but i have seen bullets fall out of so many 22 cal rifles uexpectantly. 

I recently had my first AD, after 40 years of guns, writing about guns, certified for police n security in 2 states, ccw since they came out, etc,. Serves me right for carrying a Ruger 3 screw with one under the chamber. I had dropped my drawers and the holstered gun hit the floor hammer first. DOH! I almost shot off Stanley.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I was shooting at a public range once with one other older man. He was using what looked like a compact .45, and making very small diameter holes center mass and center head on the target during his Mozambique drill. Obviously an expert. As he was packing up to go, I walked over to chat with him. Turned out he was an ex-LEO and was working private security. I asked what type of gun he used, and he turned back to pick it up off his jacket, racked the slide, and a round fell out. He was a little embarrassed. Even a expert can make a mistake. By following the four rules, however, no one got hurt.


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

I have one other thing to add thats gotten me before. I did'n have an AD or anything but in shooting some portuguese milsurp 7.62 nato in my fal I was having fun just banging away at sticks and trash on the berm at the range. I wasn't counting rounds or anything just enjoying myself. I discovered some of the old rounds had dead primers by thinking I had emptied the mag. I always drop the mag and clear the gun pointing down range. If there had been a hangfire and not following safety rules it could have been a bad day.


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## SDF880 (Mar 28, 2013)

I was at our local indoor range last year and checked in and went on to the pistol range. It was a very busy day and this was before they assigned lanes so I decided to get a few mags out of my bag and load 
a few well away from the lanes which was about 12 feet and I was beside the back wall. I loaded 3 or mags and none of my favorite lanes opened yet so I went into my bag one more time and then...there was a young couple
in the lane about 11 oclock to where I was standing and the man was obviously showing his girl how to shoot a Glock 19 for the first time. She fired off a shot and got so damn excited she turned around pistol in hand and finger still on the trigger and it was pointed right at me! I freaked out inside I knew she was going to have a ND right at me as she was hopping around all excited. 5 seconds seemed like 5 minutes and the guy quickly saw what was going on and turned her around then pointed downrange as if to say keep it pointed this way! I went on and shot some and kept an eye on them and everyone near me. Unreal! I still get a little freaked just thinking about that and I learned a little lesson to never do anything behind the shooters always stay in the lane where there is at least bulletproof walls between lanes.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> ...he turned back to pick it up off his jacket, racked the slide, and a round fell out. He was a little embarrassed. Even a expert can make a mistake. By following the four rules, however, no one got hurt.


Whenever I hand a gun to someone, I always act as if the gun *is* loaded. (in my mind, it always is)
I make a purposeful show that I am clearing the weapon and fully expecting a round to pop out. (pointed in a safe direction)
I actually feel uncomfortable when one doesn't... like I lost one somewhere.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

One horror story for me.

Mrs Slippy, myself, Dipshit Brother in Law and Sister in Law, we're all shooting semi auto handguns. The ladies are getting tired of me constantly reminding them to KEEP THEIR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER AND HOLSTER THEIR WEAPONS when they are finished firing. When its me and Mrs Slippy all is good, but for some reason the DipShit Inlaws just put me ill at ease when shooting.

So I'm getting more and more nervous and I decide to stop shooting and just keep an eye on everyone. Sis In law is making me the most nervous and the little voice in my head is urging me to shut everything down. 
But I don't, so Sis In Law finishes her turn and damnit, puts her finger on the trigger as she's waiting her next turn. Dumbass me doesn't remind her because I counted her rounds...or so I thought.

Her gun is pointed at the ground, I'm behind her about 3 feet and KA FREAKIN BOOM!!! Her gun goes off, dirt flys and everyone jumps. I reach over and take her gun, drop the mag, rack the slide and and more calmly than I ever thought, I tell everyone that we're done for the day. Sis in Law and Mrs Slippy quickly agree, Dipshit just stands there. My heart was jumping thru my chest and I still kick myself for not shutting things down when tensions were getting a bit high. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS.

I cannot post this enough;
*RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY 
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET
*


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## SoCal92057 (Apr 12, 2014)

As in the military, whenever a firearm changes hands, the firearm should be unloaded and have an open action with the magazine removed or open cylinder. Both parties individually ensure the weapon is unloaded before it is passed on and after it is received.


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## DWSinTXS (Nov 30, 2014)

a couple months ago, I was at a coffee shop when I spend time often, and I had my range bag in the car and also a Sig P238 on my hip in a IWB holster. I got to talking guns with a good friend who frequents the same place. I was telling him about my new carry gun and he asked to see it.
I have shown him my guns before, and the way we do it is we go out into the parking lot and sit in my car and I show him the gun and we always hold them down so that a passer-by can't see that we have guns in our hands. (I have a CHL, but my friend doesn't, and we don't want some passer-by thinking we're about to walk in the coffee shop and rob it or shoot it up)
I do NOT carry this particular gun with a round chambered. When I get home every night, I always lay this gun out on a coffee table or counter and when I sleep it is on my bedstand next to the bed in case of emergency. I do however, ALWAYS rack a round into the chamber before I go to sleep.

The reason I don't carry with one in the chamber is that this gun is so easy to rack a round into that I carry it unchambered, b/c I know how fast I can get a round in and downrange. . . 
But, if I were to wake up with someone breaking in, I dont want to have to rack it, because if I am waking up, I can just grab it and one-hand shoot it at the threat.

Anyway, I pull the Sig from my holster and drop the mag and hand it to him, and confidently tell him, 'there's no mag in it, you can pull the hammer, it's unloaded, check out that sweet trigger pull on it!'
He gives me a look and says 'you're sure it's unloaded?'
I answer, 'yeah, I'm positive!'
and then I thought for a second and said, 'hold on, let me double check it' and he handed it back to me. I racked the slide back and a round popped out!

Damn I felt like an idiot and I suppose I was. 

But ever since then, I TRIPLE check it. No matter what!


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