ND - The Negligent Discharge

The creation of this page was prompted by a post on X by someone else actually about mammograms (don't ask 😕), so I never have to write it again. I can just give folks the link. The other purpose is to demonstrate the lapses in judgement of myself and others that could have been more disastrous than they were.

 

A true statement; "What is normally referred to as an accidental discharge is actually caused 99.99% of the time by NEGLIGENCE." 

It would take an actual firearm malfunction verified by investigation and thorough testing to be truly called "accidental." A loaded gun secured in a holster firing with no one touching it for example. Or a loaded gun inside a locked container. How about a loaded SIG P320 knocked off the table by an earthquake... etc.

I have been involved in two ND's. The first one was all my fault. I was young and cocky and did several very bad mistakes with a Colt MKIV Series 70 Government Model. It was 1984 or 1985 because it occurred in our first apartment. The house was brand new and built into the top of a hill. We had the "illegal" walk out basement apartment. The house was permitted to be built the way it was with a legally binding stipulation that the basement apartment could only be rented to family, like an in-law apartment. The apartment was illegal because she advertised it in the newspaper and we were not in any way related. Of course, we had no idea. She lied and told the town officials and other residents I was her son. When people said, "Oh you're the guy that lives on XXXXX XXXX with your mother," I set them straight and told them my mother lived in another town and that their friend was a liar. We were not on good terms with the owner then and they just worsened until we moved out.

Anyway, I don't remember everything except I had just come home, my gun was loaded, and I needed to unload it to put it away. 

1). I wasn't very careful at that time about muzzle discipline. The owner was home upstairs and I probably had it pointed at the ceiling at some point.

2). I racked the slide to pop the round out of the chamber

3). I then removed the magazine

4). I pointed the gun at the floor and pulled the trigger to drop the hammer 

As you can figure out from my foolish actions, the gun went off and scared the living shit out of me. I was carrying full power JHP rounds. The floor was a concrete slab covered with high pile (not shag) carpeting. I examined the hole in the carpet and found concrete dust and an indentation in the concrete, but no bullet. I guess it completely broke up because there was no lump under the carpet. The owner must have heard the shot but she went to her grave without ever mentioning it. I refer to that incident as my "ONE" as in "everybody gets one" but we all know sometimes that "one" ends in a fatality. I swore I would never cause another one and in over 40 years haven't even come close. I always maintain muzzle discipline, keep the booger hook off the bang switch unless I plan on sending a projectile (except when disassembling a Glock), and check/re-check/triple-check the chamber and mag well to ensure the gun is clear. After it's clear it either gets stowed or a chamber flag.

The second one was caused by someone else, and took place inside my just a few months old 1988 Subaru GL Wagon. I should be dead or a paraplegic. Instead I walked away uninjured saved only by God Himself. So I actually got "TWO." Here's what happened:

We had only been in our house less than a year and were finally getting out own washer and dryer, but had to do some plumbing and electrical work first.  Therefore, every weekend we went to my parent's house or the in-laws house with all the laundry and our young daughter to do our laundry. The day always ended with us going out to eat. This particular day, I called my Dad and asked if he wanted to go shooting that afternoon. I had permission to use some property on a large farm near his house that had a dirt berm for a backstop. The rule was no shooting glass and cleaning up after ourselves. I would only bring guns and ammo if Dad was up for it and he was. It was decided we'd go after lunch.

My Dad's neighbor Russ was a WWII Vet that used to take my brother and I fishing when we were young. He had befriended a guy that needed help, and in turn that guy broke into his house and robbed him. After that he decided to buy a gun for protection. He bought a brand new Beretta Bobcat 21A in .22LR. This was 1989 after all and that's what he chose to get. I knew he had probably never fired it, and suggested my Dad call him and invite him along. I guess this was the beginning of my firearm safety consciousness though I still had a ways to go. He was glad for the invite and would join us.

My shooting stuff was already in the back of the car, Dad added his, and we drove over to the neighbor's house to pick him up. I drove, my Dad was in the front passenger seat, and Russ sat in the back behind me with his pistol in a case and a box or two of ammo on the seat next to him. My parents lived on a dead end so we headed out to the main road. As I pulled away from the stop sign on the state highway towards the farm, there was a loud "BANG!" inside the car. I swear it was as loud as a howitzer. I immediately pulled over and looked at my Dad whose face I will never forget and asked if he was alright. He said he was and then he asked if I was alright. I replied that I was. We turned and looked at Russ in the rear seat. There he was.... mouth agape, gun in one hand and magazine in the other. There was an empty Federal shell casing on the floor. How do I remember it was a Federal? Because I still have it. We asked if he was hurt but he replied he was OK.

As we left Russ' house he realized his gun was loaded, and thought he should unload it. Remember my blunders with my Colt? Yup, he did the same thing inside my new car! So now on the side of the road we're trying to figure out where the bullet went. HOLY SHIT!!! there's a bullet hole in the center of the driver seat. LOOK!! there's another bullet hole in the interior door panel and a huge pimple pushed out the exterior door sheet metal.They all lined up with my body in the middle but I wasn't hit... what the hell??? Further examination told the story. The bullet hit the adjustable lumbar support inside the driver seat, deflected down to the floor pan, and back up into the door. Luckily the window was up or it would have smashed the glass. Russ apologized over and over and said he would pay for the damages. I made sure his gun was clear, stowed in the case, and told him not to touch it until we got to the shooting area. The rest of our shooting outing was uneventful. We headed back to Dad's.

We brought Russ home and returned to Dad's. We told my wife and my Mom what happened. Boy were they pissed, but not because of the damage to the car... because we went shooting instead of turning around and immediately coming home! To this day I can't figure that one out. I mean, the incident was over, let's salvage the day, amiright?

The damage to the seat and the door came to a little over $1000 and true to his word, Russ paid for it.

If not for that lumbar support, that bullet would have hit my spine. Who knows what condition I would be in today. 36 years as a wheelchair bound paraplegic comes with a whole host of other medical problems. Russ has passed away long ago and that Subaru is long gone, too. However, for those times in the past and those in the future that I, as a certified Range Safety Officer have to correct someone at the firing line, know this... I've been there and done that, and I'm not doing it again! Listen to my commands and don't get pissy, or just get the fuck off my firing line.