AD shooting accidents in hunting situations occur when firearms handlers THINK the chamber is empty and they either act carelessly or violate safe firearms handling procedures..esp muzzle direction-control, identification of target and background for the shot.
That and poor transportation procedures.
IF one conducts himself properly and considers the firearm hot, he will either make good judgements in carrying hot or unload and positively verify safe.
There is no wiggle room on safety... Every 'accident' is preventable even when we know the risks and take them intelligently.Jim
Most accidental shootings, as near as I can ascertain, involve shotgun hunters unintentionally hitting bystanders. Fortunately, many of these cause little if any injury, although the potential is certainly there serious injury and death do occur as a result. The second most common cause appears to involve rifles and mistaken target identification. Accidental shootings do occur outside these situations but they seem to be a small percentage overall. In other words, the vast majority of 'shooting accidents' occur with guns that are known to be loaded and are intentionally fired.
One might rightfully consider that ALL accidental shootings are the result of poor gun handling technique and a loaded chamber. All other conditions are incidental, including slips, falls, weapon drops and so forth - the risks are always there, as anyone that has tripped over their own feet can attest. Its just that sometimes the risks are significantly greater than at other times.
The only way to positively prevent accidental shootings is to maintain an empty chamber, which works 100% of the time. People 'wiggle' on safety every time they load the chamber.
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
