General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Man Accidentally Shoots 12-Year-Old Driving By His House, Immediately Shoots Self [View all]Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)He was definitely dangerous and needed to be shot. After all he had just shot a teenage girl.
Once again, you CANNOT "accidentally" shoot yourself while cleaning a firearm. You can only shoot yourself by reckless negligence.
Instructions for cleaning a gun:
Step 1 - Engage the safety
Step 2 - Remove any live ammunition from the weapon.
Those are the first two steps to cleaning any firearm. If you follow those two steps you CANNOT shoot yourself or anyone else (this is assuming you are using a properly manufactured firearm, and not a zip gun turned out in a jail cell).
"The gun went off while I was cleaning it." is a "The dog ate my homework" excuse. It is invoked when you did something stupid instead of what you were supposed to do.
What "The gun went off while I was cleaning it." really means is "I was playing with a loaded gun without a single regard for anyone's safety."