Where debating everything under the sun is only the beginning

Good training can help--- at least a little-- with that "careless" part.

If you get a gun for protection, realize what this is all about. Take the time to learn the piece you have, taking it apart and putting it back together. Especially important to learn how to check the gun to be sure that it is indeed empty before dis-assembly and cleaning-- just taking the magazine/clip out doesn't mean the gun is empty, there could still be a round left in the chamber. Learn how to check.

Spend time at the shooting range. Can you hit the target-- reliably? Not if you haven't practiced. Learn gun safety from the experts--these things ain't toys.

Something I've been learning recently (I've had to adjust my view to compensate) is that you never-- ever-- draw the gun in a dangerous situation unless you intend to destroy whatever caused you to draw the gun in the first place. Seems that "flashing the gun" as a warning and firing a warning shot only escalate the situation, if you DO pull the gun out--- shoot to kill (sorry, RJHowie--- that's just the way it has to be). Shoot-to-wound is next to impossible to reliably get right, and in a tense situation--- well, it's dark, somebody is rummaging through your place, that person's intentions are unknown but up to no good, you don't know if the other person is "heeled" or not-- when you turn on the lights to identify the intruder you want to be ready-- to kill if need be.

Non-gun-owner but learning how this stuff works "just in case".

I'm impressed with your clear & organized thinking there MJM.

Well said .......

You've embarked upon a learning curve I feel confident you will easily master ....... Good luck .... God's Speed!   

And don't forget about where you keep it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/31/the-inside-story-of-how-an-idaho-toddler-shot-his-mom-at-wal-mart/

Walther PK 380:

The barrel is only 3.8 inches long and the gun weighs only 1.2 pounds.

Here’s how Walther describes this gun on its web site:

“The PK380 is not just good looking. It is small and good looking. That makes the PK380 excellent for concealed carry. Its small grip is ideal for shooters with small hands. The slide is easy to operate, making it a good choice for women. The light weight goes unnoticed in a pocket or purse. Credit Walther Performance Design for another hit. Small is indeed beautiful.”

“. . .ideal for shooters with small hands . . .”

While Walther enthusiastically markets this gun to women on one page of its web site, a separate page on the same web site has this sobering information:

“Walther has identified a condition that may exist in certain PK380 pistols which may permit a round to be discharged if the trigger is pulled, despite engagement of the manual safety. Walther has found that engagement of the manual safety may not prevent firing of a chambered round when the trigger is pulled. . . “

“Walther has identified a condition that may exist in certain PK380 pistols which may permit a round to be discharged if the trigger is pulled, despite engagement of the manual safety. Walther has found that engagement of the manual safety may not prevent firing of a chambered round when the trigger is pulled. . . “

(CNN) -- The police chief in an upscale community outside Atlanta said he was sleeping when he moved a gun in the bed and accidentally shot his wife in the back, according to a 911 tape released Friday.
"Who shot her?" the 911 operator asked William McCollom, the police chief in Peachtree City, Georgia.
"Me," McCollom replied.
"How did you shoot her?"
"The gun was in the bed, I went to move it, put it to the side, and it went off," McCollom said.

A woman fires through a closed bedroom door as the burglar alarm sounds, hitting her soldier husband in the chest.

A North Carolina man who planned to treat his wife to breakfast in bed was himself surprised when she mistook him for an intruder and opened fire.

Tiffany Segule, 27, inadvertently shot Zia Segule in the chest at their home in Fayetteville on Friday.

The 28-year-old Fort Bragg soldier had just returned home shortly after 10am to surprise her with a morning meal.

Police said Mrs Segule fired through a closed bedroom door after the burglar alarm sounded.

The husband had entered the house through the front door, police said.

He luckily avoided a more serious injury and was discharged from hospital after receiving medical treatment.

The opposite is most certainly the case, as attested to by all those that actually knew this woman, & her responsible firearms safety awareness.

The weapon, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired, & is highly suspect.

Quote from: SmileyFaze on 2015-01-13, 23:52:02

The opposite is most certainly the case, as attested to by all those that actually knew this woman, & her responsible firearms safety awareness.

The weapon, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired, & is highly suspect.

I read the article I linked, but I'm not really sure what you're trying to say.

And don't forget about where you keep it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/31/the-inside-story-of-how-an-idaho-toddler-shot-his-mom-at-wal-mart/

Quote from: SmileyFaze on 2015-01-13, 23:52:02

“Walther has identified a condition that may exist in certain PK380 pistols which may permit a round to be discharged if the trigger is pulled, despite engagement of the manual safety. Walther has found that engagement of the manual safety may not prevent firing of a chambered round when the trigger is pulled. . . “

So it sounds like that model should be recalled. Manufacturers have recalled other products for less dangerous defects. However, do we if in that particular incident the safety was engaged?

A man who police say was attempting an armed robbery was shot dead in a Pompano Beach Taco Bell parking lot Tuesday.

Investigators said 21-year-old Rontavis Holton confronted Ronald Farmer, 37, just after 6 p.m. in the restaurant parking lot near West Atlantic Boulevard and Northwest 6th Avenue.

Holton, wearing a ski mask and sunglasses, told Farmer to pull down his pants during the attempted robbery.

Detectives said Farmer was able to reach for his own gun and shoot Holton. Holton was rushed to the hospital where he died.

Farmer was questioned by police, but no charges were filed as of late Tuesday.

Just another case of a gun being used by a legal firearms owner to stop a crime, rather than a firearm being used by a criminal to commit a crime.

One more criminal never to victimize another citizen ever again.  

Guns are good.

Guns prevent crime.

OK. You don't like us much. Noted.

I'm not so sure he's anti-American. I see truth in what he says about America's love affair with guns. You have to go to South American and African countries to find a higher rate of gun-related deaths, murders and otherwise. There isn't one European country that comes close.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

She didn't forget where it was.

Under normal circumstances, in the condition it was stored, it shouldn't have been able to discharge --- but it did.

Yes I get the impression that if apples were discovered to be the root cause of cancer, then anyone posting here that said Apple Pie was bad for you would be accused of being anti-American.

Yes I get the impression that if apples were discovered to be the root cause of cancer, then anyone posting here that said Apple Pie was bad for you would be accused of being anti-American.

Quote from: string on 2015-01-15, 18:56:20

Yes I get the impression that if apples were discovered to be the root cause of cancer, then anyone posting here that said Apple Pie was bad for you would be accused of being anti-American.

PS Most apple pie is bad for you (albeit because of the copious amounts of sugar).

In this household the apple pies contain no sugar or sugar substitute.
They are superb.
I don't know how she does it.

According to the FBI statistics on murder victims for 2013, the number of gun-related homicides reached a five-year low, dropping eight percent since 2009.

The FBI reports that roughly two-thirds of the 12,253 people murdered in America in 2013 died by firearms. The total, 8,454, was down 9% since 2009, when it stood at 9,199. A large majority of gun-related homicides (5,782) were killed by people wielding handguns. The next largest category, “firearms, type not stated,” totaled 1,956. A far smaller portion were killed with rifles, shotguns, and “other guns” (285, 308, and 123, respectively).

As Lachlan Markay notes, the number of people killed by rifles also hit a 5-year low last year and more than five times as many people were killed with a knife (1,490) than with rifles..............   

The number of women owning guns and using them on a regular basis has increased dramatically over the last decade, with the number of women who target shoot up 67.4% from 2003 to more than 6 million and those who hunt up 43.5% percent to 3 million.

The trend is so strong even traditional media outlets like CBS and The New York Times are feeling the need to report it. Thursday, CBS aired a special report (above) on the rise in female gun enthusiasts, a follow-up to a report they published a few years ago in which they found that not only had female participation in sports shooting almost doubled in ten years, but the profile of the female participants was anything but stereotypical:

   Pistol-shooting mommas and rifle-wielding yoga instructors may not be the type of woman who comes to mind when you hear about female shooters, but they're dominating the sport.

Many of these new female gun advocates aren’t just learning to shoot for self-protection—though that is certainly a factor for most—but, as CBS discovered, because they found that shooting “relieves stress, helps them find peace and concentration and - feel feminine.” 

One shooting coach, Jim Arnold of Brays Island, SC, described to CBS the cathartic and empowering experience many women have the first time they fire a gun:

    "I've taken them out and they're so afraid to shoot that gun, for fear, and it's just lack of education and understanding. I've had them literally almost in tears until they shot it. And then they shot it and you can see their face light up."

Last year, the New York Times begrudgingly reported the trend as well, saying that while gun advocacy has traditionally been a male issue, more and more women are picking up guns and adding their voices to the pro-gun movement.

The trend has had a dramatic impact on gun sales, gun marketing campaigns, and women’s shooting clubs. The National Shooting Sports Foundation found in 2012 that 73% of gun dealers and a majority of retailers experienced an increase in female customers from previous years—and gun manufacturers have noticed the trend, too:

   Manufacturers have increasingly geared advertising toward women, marketing special firearms models with smaller frames, custom colors (pink is a favorite), and accessories like the “concealed carry” “salmon kiss” leather handbag offered by Cobra Firearms or the leopard shooting gloves and Bullet Rosette jewelry sold by Sweet Shot (“Look cute while you shoot!” is the company’s motto).

    Women’s shooting clubs have also proliferated — not just in small towns like Painesville, but also in Atlanta, Houston, even Manhattan, where a women’s gun club meets regularly at a firing range in Chelsea, a neighborhood better known for art galleries.

The growing number of outspoken female gun enthusiasts—seen more and more at shooting ranges and sports shooting events and featured in magazines like Garden & Guns—advocate for the importance of gun education and the positive aspects of gun ownership, and their voices are being heard even by some in the gun control-crusading media.