An article about a Muzzle Loader and an accidental death. 
http://www.freep.com/article/20090114/NEWS06/90114123/1001/rss01
http://www.freep.com/article/20090114/NEWS06/90114123/1001/rss01
Muzzleloader discovery leads to Michigan man's death
- Thread starter Rich Parsons
- Start date
"Always assume the weapon is loaded."
Tragic but stupid.
Just like the Darwin Award winner I read about a few years ago. He was cleaning out a muzzle loader and decided to look into the barrel while holding a bic lighter at the other end to see if he can spot any more dirt that he might've missed. There was no ball but the resultant blast still killed him.
People should have a healthy respect for the muzzleloader... they helped kill hundreds of thousands in the Civil War, slaughter millions of buffalo and protected families out on the prairie plains for years until the advent of the cartridge rifle.
They should've taken the rifle to a reputable gunsmith. After it was professionally cleaned they would've had hours of enjoyment with it.
Just like the Darwin Award winner I read about a few years ago. He was cleaning out a muzzle loader and decided to look into the barrel while holding a bic lighter at the other end to see if he can spot any more dirt that he might've missed. There was no ball but the resultant blast still killed him.
People should have a healthy respect for the muzzleloader... they helped kill hundreds of thousands in the Civil War, slaughter millions of buffalo and protected families out on the prairie plains for years until the advent of the cartridge rifle.
They should've taken the rifle to a reputable gunsmith. After it was professionally cleaned they would've had hours of enjoyment with it.
Great advice in retrospect. What a shame.
Do we need mandatory firearm education in the public schools? Would it help?
Sure we do... I'm all for it and I'm sure there are dozens more here on this forum alone that are as well... but the anti-guns in this nation wouldn't allow it. They'll fight awfully damn hard against it.
thardey
Master Black Belt
"But kids are going to play with guns anyway, so we need to teach them how to do it responsibly."
sgtmac_46
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There are worse ideas about what needs to be taught in public schools.
sgtmac_46
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We need to provide them safe guns to play with.
sgtmac_46
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We had firearms courses when I was in school......it was part of PE......a hunters ed/safety course and archery.
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Deaf Smith
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Now and then they find old civil war cannon balls that are still live. One was killed about a year ago when he used a grinder (yes grinder) on a live Civil War Naval cannon ball. The sparks set off the primer/powder and just blew him to pieces.
Same goes for old muzzleloaders. The black power, if dry, will be good for hundereds of years.
And like others have said here, "all guns are loaded" even when unloaded (that is we treat them as if they were loaded.)
Deaf
Same goes for old muzzleloaders. The black power, if dry, will be good for hundereds of years.
And like others have said here, "all guns are loaded" even when unloaded (that is we treat them as if they were loaded.)
Deaf
grydth
Senior Master
Given that people have found ways to kill themselves with an amazing number and array of objects, I honestly wonder if this really is even about firearms.
Unmentioned so far - who was the idiot who disposed of a loaded rifle at a common trash bin? What kind of sense does that show?
The two men who found the gun apparently never considered consulting anyone from a police officer (it may have been stolen) to a gunsmith.
What academic course would have helped here? How do you teach common sense or concern for others?
Its a shame that the young man died this way... but the least a father should teach is to either leave the thing alone or get somebody who knows better.
Unmentioned so far - who was the idiot who disposed of a loaded rifle at a common trash bin? What kind of sense does that show?
The two men who found the gun apparently never considered consulting anyone from a police officer (it may have been stolen) to a gunsmith.
What academic course would have helped here? How do you teach common sense or concern for others?
Its a shame that the young man died this way... but the least a father should teach is to either leave the thing alone or get somebody who knows better.
That makes a great deal of sense to me. It's certainly a practical education...and most of what we had for PE when I was in school could most charitably be described as 'useless', unfortunately.
Skpotamus
Brown Belt
Actually, I've used a blowtorch to help get a breech plug out of a muzzle loader before. We've used that method at work to get parts unstuck in machines. The heat makes things expand and if heated differently (breech plug and barrel), it can make it much easier to get out.
My gunsmith actually showed me to use it with firearms. Of cource, that was after we'd cleared the gun and made sure it was empty, including firing a cap through it into a snail to make sure it was unloaded.
Personally, as a NRA instructor, I think firearms safety should be taught in schools to children as young as possible. And kept up on during each year to make sure kids know how to handle a gun safely and what to do if they find one.
They teach sex ed in schools to kids as young as 10 in some places. Why not teach them to responsibly handle firearms at the same age?
My gunsmith actually showed me to use it with firearms. Of cource, that was after we'd cleared the gun and made sure it was empty, including firing a cap through it into a snail to make sure it was unloaded.
Personally, as a NRA instructor, I think firearms safety should be taught in schools to children as young as possible. And kept up on during each year to make sure kids know how to handle a gun safely and what to do if they find one.
They teach sex ed in schools to kids as young as 10 in some places. Why not teach them to responsibly handle firearms at the same age?
sgtmac_46
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I couldn't agree more! That's why my daughter has her first .22 rifle at age 6......and she's going to learn how to start shooting safely and responsibly as soon as the weather stops being sub-zero!
It would seem that way. If taught and adhered to, it would alleviate a lot of the crap we read or hear about in the news.
Deaf Smith
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I feel the same way. We teach them how to drive a car, 'safe sex' (is there really such a thing?), and run a computer. So why not teach them how to handle a gun safely? It's not like they are rare.
Oh wait, I know why. To teach them how to handle them safely will destroy their fear of guns, and any good anti-gunner sure would not want that. This is expecially true for schools since the teachers unions are pretty anti-gun! No gun safety, more of them fear guns. If a few kids get killed, well that's the price to take guns out of society.
Deaf
