Stop touching it
Some churchgoer in Tennessee decided, in a discussion about arming parishioners, to whip out his gun and show it to everyone. Then he shot himself and his wife. This line, though:
He removed the magazine, cleared the chamber, and showed the gun to some of the men in the church. He put the magazine back in, apparently loaded a round in the chamber, and returned the gun to its holster, Parks said.
“Somebody else walked up and said, ‘Can I see it?’ ” Parks said. “He pulled it back out and said, ‘With this loaded indicator, I can tell that its not loaded.’ “
Oh, really?
November 20th, 2017 at 7:52 pm
Ouch.
That would fall under “situational awareness” I reckon, to say nothing of the Three Rules. That, and; “But for the grace of God go I”.
November 20th, 2017 at 9:11 pm
And THAT is the difference between a gun one carries every day without thinking about it enough, and the gun one carries to a church social after careful selection from one’s collection.
November 20th, 2017 at 11:05 pm
I’m not a fan of loaded chamber indicators. I think they encourage stupidity. All guns are always loaded. Period.
For those who do like them, I say this: it’s like the safety: Use it, but never rely on it (i.e., never let it be the only thing that keeps you from having a bad day).
November 20th, 2017 at 11:42 pm
@Publius, yep. It’s like vehicles these days, too much gadgetry and too many features. Keep it simple with manual control. Re-check and double check.
November 21st, 2017 at 4:51 am
“Re-check and double check.”
Better yet, keep it in the holster. It aint something that one whips out for show and tell.
November 21st, 2017 at 1:41 pm
@Huck, yeah, that too! Never know when some busybody bystander may call LEO’s and accuse you of “brandishing a weapon”.
November 21st, 2017 at 3:06 pm
Dumbass. Over-confidence and a lack of attention to detail will get people killed or injured. Every time I’ve had a negligent discharge, I’ve failed to follow procedure or was overly confident.
November 21st, 2017 at 4:29 pm
LCIs are useful for “did I remember to load this”, but never for “did I forget to unload this.”
November 21st, 2017 at 6:08 pm
As Jeff Cooper said, “A safe gun is a holstered gun.”
Don’t go showing your CCW gun around.
November 24th, 2017 at 12:25 pm
A pox on all loaded chamber indicators.