re: WWTOBD? One in the chamber edition

One of the primary rules of firearm safety is to ensure the firearm is cleared and unloaded at all times unless you're on target and ready to squeeze the trigger.

Even if you watched him clear the mag and rack the slide, the first thing you should do when anyone hands you a firearm is check for a round in the chamber (who's to say the extractor isn't broke and even with racking the slide, the round could still be in the chamber, right?)

You did the right thing by checking for yourself. I kinda believe that moments like that are self-teaching. Even if you hadn't berated him in any way, I can pretty much guarantee that he will always remember the day he handed a loaded firearm to someone when he thought it was unloaded.


One of my stupidest mistakes in handling firearms was when I was a young boy and my dad took me and a buddy plinking on the levee in lower St. Bernard. We were all in the truck bed. I had turned around to reload my Nylon 66 and when I went to turn back to continue shooting I muzzle-swept both my dad and my friend. Dad took the gun from me and calmly pointed out my mistake. I actually had nightmares for several months about shooting my friend in the head because of that, and that scenario literally runs thru my head every time I go to the range to either shoot or work my Range Officer shift.

Moments like that stay engrained in one's brain(usually/hopefully) and should make ones safety awareness level even that much more heightened.