Muzzle awareness

[3lixer]

Just to clarify, we were standing inside the yellow line of the firing line and I was pointing the pistol downrange...

Much safer to discharge downrange then directly down at your feet IMHO. Plus it was verified empty. By 2 people. Some people take these things too far.

[Javi]

I, too, would rather the muzzle face down range then the ground inside an indoor range.

[Onlyincali]

That's good you're smart enough to ask such questions. Some people would just think "what a jerk" and not realize that there is a possibility of doing wrong themselves. Well done. Safety first. Gun NEVER pointed in unsafe direction.

[Blackrain7557]

In hindsight I wish I had asked about it. I just assumed that I was doing something wrong and didn't want to be confrontational - after all he was sharing his pistol with me...

I think you answered yourself here, we can only speculate and share personal experiences. I would hope most firearm owners are happy to explain their personal preferences in that situation or maybe there was a rule, too late to know now.


At the range I attend we leaved all equipment on a shelf directly behind us with only one firearm and loaded magazines in the lane. So when I transfer one pistol to start using a second one I point the muzzle at the ground, slide locked to rear.

[crud]

If he felt an unloaded gun pointed downrange was dangerous, then a loaded gun pointed downrange must be more dangerous.
I wonder if his targets were taped to the ground?

[cwilliams]

Downrange was the safest direction in this case as far as I can tell. I would have expected an RO to have scolded you for pointing it down when you were at the firing line. There are also different kinds of "down" - low/ready (at an angle), and straight down. Which was it?

[Redlinegts]

It really doesn't matter what direction you point the gun when not shooting, as long as it is in a SAFE DIRECTION.

[Advocate]

As always when handling a weapon system, it is best to point it in the most safe direction given the circumstances. If you are at a range, and you verified the gun is in a safe condition and that you will not muzzle anyone while presenting the weapon, I don't see the necessity of pointing it to the ground.

If I were handling someone else's gun, and had verified that it was in a safe condition, and that I was not muzzling anyone while pointing it down range, and he then pushed the muzzle in a downward direction, I would hand him his gun.

No more issue.

[hambam105]

Control fre..I mean, Control Person.

Stop! Stop! You are pointing a unloaded pistol down range. Jeeze-La-Weeze. Oh, I must not have been on station.

[hambam105]

On the Range, pistols are holstered, in the low ready, or on target.

If you want to do a function test or evaluation and you are at the Range coincidentally then by all means have the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

Look, Maw, the pistol's slide comes off so you can inspect the front sight.

[someoneeasy]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=915281&highlight=muzzle+awareness

OMGosh! I just figured out what happened! OP, you were at an outdoor range and cease fire was called by the RO. You were pointing down range at an outdoor range when people were down range changing targets. You kinda left that part out.

All this time, I thought you were at an indoor range

[retired]

That was an attempt at a joke thread someone easy, per the OP of that thread.^^^^

[RobertMW]

In hindsight I wish I had asked about it. I just assumed that I was doing something wrong and didn't want to be confrontational - after all he was sharing his pistol with me...

Probably a good thing to do, it's his, he wants to be very safe with it. There are much worse things in the world. Also a chance that he has had run-ins with the RO about handling his firearms before.

It really doesn't matter what direction you point the gun when not shooting, as long as it is in a SAFE DIRECTION.

This is what really matters the most.

Just to clarify, we were standing inside the yellow line of the firing line and I was pointing the pistol downrange...

I would only say, even though you are inside the firing zone, were you far enough away from the shooting bench that a complete moron could have walked in front of you, MAKING it an unsafe direction? That would be the only way I can see a true justification of what he did, other than being extra extra careful.

[someoneeasy]

That was an attempt at a joke thread someone easy, per the OP of that thread.^^^^

Looks like I fell for it.... That's what I get for staying up late on calguns...

[JTROKS]

Knowing your audience is also a good thing to be aware of. Some of the peeps that wants to see my gun I have to tell them not to drop the slide from slide lock by activating it. Some just don't get it so I take out the mag, make sure no round in the chamber then put the gun on the table or bench pointed in a safe direction. I'm comfortable with them picking it up to look at it as long as they don't start cycling the action and dry firing it without getting permission. If they pick up the gun with finger on trigger and pulling it, then the gun show is over.