Dumb Gun Owner Creates Group Silly Moment
Moises Zambrana is a licensed security officer who should know better. While showing a semi-automatic pistol to two prospective buyers, he ejected the magazine and thought the pistol was safe. Then, as Fox reports: “The gun went off and fired through a wall,” striking 20-year-old Hannah Grace in the head.
And then the media “went off” and misfired.
The New York Daily News called the gun a “Reuger 9mm” and said “Zambrana had removed the clip. [emphasis added]
ABC got the “magazine” part right, but called it “Reuger 9mm,” too.
They probably mean Ruger.
As a public service to fellow journalists, the following copy is to help you sound more intelligent when reporting on gun stories.
Gun parts for silly media denizens
Wikipedia has a picture of an M1 Garand en-bloc clip, and here’s a magazine. Modern semi-automatic pistols used magazines, which are first loaded with ammunition and then inserted into a well in the pistol grip. Clips like the Garand’s feed groups of ammunition into a fixed magazine. In both cases, the magazines then feed individual ammunition cartridges into the firing chamber.
Negligent discharge for silly media denizens
(For those still laboring under the illusion that Fox is some sort of conservative media outlet, understand that FOX “has banned advertisements featuring firearms and ammunition.” Considering all the T&A on their web site, I’ve always thought of Murdock as Benny Hill starring as a media mogul.)
For somebody to be shot, they must be in front of the muzzle. First safety rule broken: “ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.”
For a gun to go off on modern semi-auto pistols, the trigger must be depressed. This means that somebody had their finger in the trigger. Second rule broken: “ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.”
For the gun to go off, it must have ammunition chambered. Third rule broken: “ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.”
There are a number of other safety procedures broken here. For example: “Know how to use the gun safely.” With semi-auto pistols, that means you check for a chambered round after removing the magazine.
“Know your target and what is beyond.” These guys thought doing business in a closet was safe. But at KR Training we teach that most modern ammunition will go through many layers of sheetrock, wood, and even brick, and still maintain enough energy to be dangerous.
To keep it really simple, assume every gun is loaded until you verify otherwise.
This shooting was negligent, not “accidental.” A number of safety rules were purposefully ignore to create this tragic outcome.
Finally, let this be a warning to all gun owners. The media is imbecilic regarding firearms. Add this to their anti-rights bias, and any opportunity like this only feeds their fear-driven desire to disarm us all.
I couldn’t find a Monty Python skit for stupid, so the Silly Party will have to do.
My first rule of gun safety is, “It’s loaded. It always was loaded and always will be loaded.” Keep that in mind and your chances of negligent discharge are reduced to almost nothing. Also, a closet is no place to display or handle a weapon. Zambrano is an idiot.
It is not the time to complain about how “stupid” the media is.
Pray for Hannah Grace.
Yes the guy screwed up the safety rules. He dropped the clip. Next step is lock open the slide,, inspect the chamber to be sure it is empty keeping barrel pointed in safe direction at all times. Then hand the gun over.
Why there was any ammunition in the thing at a gun show is the first mistake. You don’t need any to show the gun.
People screw up basic stuff all the time. Let us be honest. I support the right to have them and do. I know that there is risk in that. There is risk in all kinds of stuff we do every day.
I think those of us who favor gun rights should use this as a teaching case. The safety rules are not just nanny rules. There is no room for mistakes. This innocent was shot in the head because someone was irresponsible.
Howard,
This is not silly. What is silly is concentrating on how to spell Ruger or whether it is a “clip” or “magazine” in the face of a terrible accident. You are not helping anyone here.
Heh.
So you think you’re sounding good to others when you say “He dropped the clip”?
yeah
“Dropped the clip” sounds like something out of a rap song…
As a well trained operator I was trained on the premise that my finger is my ‘Safety’, simply your finger should never be inside the trigger guard unless your intention is to pull the trigger, and if your intending to pull the trigger then the weapon should be pointed downrange safely away from others or at the scumbag you intend to shoot… as Spindok said some people as just plain stupid, can’t do much about it, we use to let ‘Darwins Law’ sort it out but sadly they are now protected from themselves and allowed to breed… Sadly its idiots like this that give the gun control nutjobs ammuntion.. yeah pun intended..
Doc… Somali Basin
Idiots with guns or idiots with cars, the outcome is the same. I raised 3 kids by myself in a house with loaded guns and never had a discharge. Those same kids have a combined 27 years driving now with one fender bender between the 3 of them. It’s all in the training. I think the NRA should be allowed in the public schools and teach short courses like driver’s ed.
The NRA ‘Eddie Eagle’ program has been in schools since 1988. As a female certified pistol instructor specializing in teaching first-time women shooters, I emphasize teaching the ‘Eddie’ basics to all women. The number of lives saved by this program? Uncountable. Value? Priceless.
(from the site)
“Eddie Eagle is never shown touching a firearm, and he does not promote firearm ownership or use. The program prohibits the use of Eddie Eagle mascots anywhere that guns are present. The Eddie Eagle Program has no agenda other than accident prevention — ensuring that children stay safe should they encounter a gun. The program never mentions the NRA. Nor does it encourage children to buy guns or to become NRA members. The NRA does not receive any appropriations from Congress, nor is it a trade organization. It is not affiliated with any firearm or ammunition manufacturers or with any businesses that deal in guns and ammunition.”
http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/
I know that program exists. I don’t recall any of my kids being exposed to it in Virginia or Arizona schools. Just from my own experience, allowing my kids to actually fire the guns was the best deterent to having any accidents. It makes a lifelong impression on a 3 year old when you put on the ear protection ,prop him up against the porch with a 12 guage under his arm and let him pull the trigger.
Ruger and Clip are incidental. Accidents do happen but the reason the NRA created those three primary rules are to emphasize the steps necessary to ensure safety. You have to break ALL the rules to hurt someone accidentally. The fourth rule not mentioned is know your backstop…where will the bullet stop if fired? As a CCW if I were confronted by thugs with my life threatened and I had no where to go; would I fire if there were a bus full of kids in the background? Personally, I would not but how many think of that ahead of time?
Saying Moises (or anyone else) should know because he is a security officer is just plain silly. Search on utube for the accidental police firings and see where they even shoot themselves! These guys get group instruction on a range where a Safety Officer monitors every action. The number of times they handle a gun off the range is minimal! The number of times they go to the range are minimal! The number of times they actually move with the gun in their hands and make continual thought processes on using the gun are minimal! They should be required to do the equivalent of a IDPA match monthly but thats not in todays ciriculum.
The question I have is did they get a NRA certification? No one leaves any of the NRA classes (if taught properly) without being able to know, repeat and live those basic safety rules. People need to think! Educate – Dont Regulate! What is not stressed is how few of these accidents happen because of the proliferation of NRA classes available these days.
My heart and prayers go out to any and every victim of a shooting accident, thank God they are so few. Todays media makes sure we know of them all.