Dead Buff Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 I have watched the Olympic shooting events last weekend (the Swiss might have invented the watch, but we in Africa still own time.... ) and have notice some very disturbing gun handeling and safety practices. Some examples that come to mind: Womans trap, the winner (what was her name...), pointing the still closed shotgun at the shooter to the right of her after missing a clay with 2 shots.... Mens trap, guy misses with both shots, swings gun upwards through the 180deg pointing it at the crowd.... Mens 10m air pistol, shooter points gun at competitor to the left after bad shot.... General gunhandeling of .22/air rifles and pistols after the events...no safety consideration at all.... I know the guns are safe (both or the only shot fired, barrels broken open, etc), but our guns are just as safe, yet we enforce very strict safety rules. I think some other shooting sports have a great deal to learn still w.r.t. safety..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 DB, during the years I have spent comparing IPSC shooting with other kind of shooting, discussing it with other shooters from several different disciplines, I have come to this conclusion: in practical shooting the competitor has a focus (I beg your pardon BE, for borrowing this term) on the gun and its relationship with the target(s) all the time. We engrave (or try to) this concept in each and every shooter that wishes to get started in practical shooting. Other shooting disciplines are (I'd say only, but that might hurt someone's feelings) far more focused on the target(s) alone. They do not ingrain gun awareness in the shooters, only target awareness. This leads to a more relaxed behaviour while handling guns before or after the target has been presented and shot. Disclaimer: I know I'm kinda generalizing, and that there are safe shooters in all shooting disciplines, but my feeling (along with DB observation) is that the general average level of gun consciousness and safety in practical shooting is higher than in other disciplines, hence my statements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Boit Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 I think that the other sportsmen generally view their gun as a tool to accomplish a goal : Break a clay pigeon, make a hole in cardboard, period. Just like a golfer or a tennisman . We are more aware that a gun is potentially dangerous and we pay a lot more attention to it. My .2 cts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogmaDog Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 Wow. I didn't see any of the Olympic shooting, but those are all pretty horrendous safety violations! I had thought "Treat every weapon as if it were loaded" and "Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot" were universal gun handling rules, regardless of the discipline. When I shot Highpower Rifle, I never witnessed a violation like you have described, even though that discipline could be regarded as more "target focused" than "gun focused". We would, for example, not rest the butt of a rifle on our shooting stool (muzzle pointing straight up, but lower than your head) with the bolt closed. I've never seen careless gun handling during the Winter Olympics biathalon, either...of course, they don't have any time to stand around resting after they shoot--sling that rifle and start skiing! DogmaDog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sweeney Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 Mas Ayoob describes it as learning to treat the firearm as just another piece of sporting equipment: "Fluffy the target gun." Years ago, one of the IPSC clubs here in MI was the red-headed stepchild of a Skeet and Trap club. I never felt so unsafe in all my life, surrounded by skeet and trap shooters (some of them drinking their lunch) as they handled shotguns like inert objects. When we heard the door to the next room open and close, and then a pump action open, to be followed by the clatter of an empty shotgun hull across the floor, the group of IPSC shooters I was in left the building to eat lunch outside. (At least we could see them coming.) The only group worse than that are some police officers, depending on the attitude of the Chief or Sheriff. If the top cop is a gun guy, habits are good. If not, my only advice is "Run, Forrest, run!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eye Cutter Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 IPSC's safety record is top notch, but accidents can and do happen. One member of our local Modified shooting team had an AD and shot himself in the foot yesterday during practice for an upcoming Level 3 match this weekend! We just can't keep our guard down! Stay safe people! Safety's between our two ears! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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