Oregon hunting guide killed by accidental discharge

[EastHumboldt]

It depends on what you mean by the word “is”. Quote from Bill Clinton trying to explain.

In my experience, people who regularly muzzle flag others are oblivious thoughtless A holes in general. So in addition to being unsafe they’re often not that fun to be around.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

My definition of an accident is when a 80 year old craps their pants.

 

[flyfisher117]

Not convinced this group is any worse than the old hats.

Been around a lot of older generation hunters with WAY worse firearms safety habits. Muzzle control being a standout.

8 times out of 10, every time I have been flagged or seen someone flagged it's an older gun owner. Unsure if its complacency or just mental fog and the inability to think.

 

[TripleJ]

Lots of hunters out there these days who weren't raised by hunters. Many just don't know any better. Never attribute to malice what is easily explained by stupidity. Take the time to educate those who need educating.

The client who fired the shot was 73 years old. Age doesn't necessarily mean experience and proper training.

My cousin was a close friend of the guide who died. I was discussing it with one of my sons a couple days ago when I first found out, and just the pure avoidability of it is so heart wrenching. As stated above, guns can and will go off unexpectedly. Where they are pointed when they do go off is almost 100% controllable, outside of a violent fall or something similar. My 3 sons have had firearm safety drilled into them since they were 3 or 4 years old, starting out with their chipmunk 22's. They understood muzzle control from an early age. I assume most everyone on this site is the same. With proper muzzle control, everyone walks away from an accidental discharge. It's an absolute shame for someone to lose their life this way, and a complete tragedy for a family to lose a loved one.

 

[R7RMag]

Sounds like you should hit him and never associate with him again.

People like that should have their ass beat until they get un stupid.

I agree. I chewed his ass every time I saw him do it, but the friendship saved him from any well deserved ass beatings. Although I kept waiting for him to intentionally point a gun at me to try to make a point and that “get out of jail free card” was getting tore up on the spot.

 

[*zap*]

I think this is a who’s on first and what’s on second…

Someone said this could be solved with proper firearms safety, which is a fact. Indisputable.

But you said he was incorrect, because apparently you’re referring to yourself as the victim having firearm safety but another party NOT using proper firearms safety. The crux is that the poster is still right…IF ALL PARTIES INVOLVED USED PROPER FIREARM SAFETY THE GUIDE WOULD BE ALIVE. View attachment 790382

So, this cannot happen to anyone at anytime?
Which the person you referred to said was incorrect.
If the statement that this can happen to anyone at anytime is not correct how is the guide dead?
I think he is a victim also.
I stand by my original statement. Because it is 100% correct.

 

[Loo.wii]

there’s no such thing as an accidental discharge. It’s a negligent discharge

 

[GSPHUNTER]

No matter how well versed you are in safe hunting/gun handling, mistacks happen. Take for example a guy leans his long gun on the side of the truck or on the tailgate and the truck gets bumped and it falls and discharges. Granted at that point the gun should be empty, but that is not always the case. I have seen several pictures on Rokslid with the gun leaning on the truck, which by the way is against the law in many states. You have always be thinking. Bad things can happen in the flash of a eye.

 

[wyosam]

I bet the guide followed basic safety rules.

I bet he wasn’t correcting a clients bad behavior though. Chances that this guy was following basic firearm safety up until the point he killed his guide are really, really small. Nobody should tolerate even a little unsafe firearm handling. Shame them. Tell them they will not be hunting with you. Don’t let it slide, or you or someone else might die. Letting others around you do stupid things is not following basic firearm safety. You are correct, doesn’t help much for the idiots looking at you through a scope. But if you are with someone who starts to do it, feel free to slap some smart into them.


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[*zap*]

I bet he wasn’t correcting a clients bad behavior though. Chances that this guy was following basic firearm safety up until the point he killed his guide are really, really small. Nobody should tolerate even a little unsafe firearm handling. Shame them. Tell them they will not be hunting with you. Don’t let it slide, or you or someone else might die. Letting others around you do stupid things is not following basic firearm safety. You are correct, doesn’t help much for the idiots looking at your scope. But if you are with someone who starts to do it, feel free to slap some smart into them.


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So, basically what I said is correct and the people who criticized what I said were wrong and should be called out on that.
I agree this certainly can happen to anyone at anytime.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

there’s no such thing as an accidental discharge. It’s a negligent discharge

Unless you own a sig.

In all seriousness we need to call this out. I just watched some mule deer video where the guy had the rifle slung in a holster pointed directly at the guy walking in front of him. Very popular hunting YouTuber and no one mentioned it.

 

[IDVortex]

Ban guns, then we wouldn't have to argue about if it was a accidental discharge or not. Simple solution.

 

[MoeFaux]

This a part of the life of a professional guide that I don't envy. The last guide I met had a scar on his back from a client absent mindedly walking right into him with an arrow and broadhead on his string. Needless to say, he had plenty more stories about people's incompetence with firearms.

There are plenty of people who buy hunts without first knowing anything about hunting, shooting, or basic safety. That leads to plenty of wounded animals and lots and lots of spooky stories about muzzles pointed in the wrong direction.

 

[TaperPin]

These stories remind me of taking a bunch of 14 year olds deer hunting for the first time. They all have their own rifles and have shot things like prairie dogs for a number of years, but they are green green green. It’s good to have a plan before this comes up, because it never fails one kid is coming along, then last minute his two buddies ask if there’s room for them.

Every family handles it differently, but what I like is for all of them to show their chamber is empty and agree only one kid will shoot at a time, and they have to wait to be told it’s ok to chamber a round. I let them follow at times, and go ahead at times to get a good feel for their muzzle control and correct them as needed. It sucks for the two not shooting, but that’s the price to pay for tagging along. It doesn’t take long for them to want to be more independent.

I can’t hardly watch the charge-the-hill leader type, charging up the hill with gun toting kids behind, all the while never looking back to see how they are doing.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Take for example a guy leans his long gun on the side of the truck or on the tailgate and the truck gets bumped and it falls and discharges.

When I set up the triggers on my rifles I make sure I check them by dropping the butt of the rifle directly onto a hard surface from at least 1-2 feet with the safety off. Are you saying a bunch of guys are running around with rifles that are so unsafe that they'll fire from falling over? Ignoring the fact that in that scenario the chamber should be empty and/or the safety should be engaged anyway.

 

[TaperPin]

^^^^^ everyone who adjusts triggers should learn that!

 

[Fogger]

So unfortunate

 

[Habitat#1]

I 100% agree that if the barrel was pointed where it should have been it wouldn't have happened. One thing that happened to me was on a very cold morning wearing heavy gloves I loaded a shell in at daylight and the gun went off.I couldn't figure out why. I first thought firing pin must have froze sticking out or something.What happened was I had on heavy gloves and the little finger is almost the same length as the index so when I shut the bolt the material hit the trigger.I actually know 2 other people this happened to , all with the same model of gun. They were Remington 700s. Reason is you have to take them off safety to work bolt.I found out later that you can send them in and they will fix them to where the bolt will work while on safe.I just mailed 2 of them by UPS to Remington after I found out and they corrected them. No rifle should have to be off safety for any reason unless you are going to shoot.

 

[hunterjmj]

If I'm hunting with anyone I never load a round. I teach this to my kids as well. It's never cost me an animal. I also teach my kids to imagine a laser beam coming from the muzzle so they have a different perspective of where a bullet can go.

 

[hikenhunt]

Put me down as a critic then *zap but with basic firearm safety (never point your muzzle at anything your not going to shoot), this is preventable. This is the #1 rule we teach in our hunters education class. Yes, this assumes all parties are adhering to it, not just you.

I think what you are getting at is what is in your control.