Begging the Question!
Nearly all “gun accidents” do not involve some “mechanical failure” on the part of the gun itself. I’ve been involved in the investigation of many such “accidents!” The gun itself, in virtually all these cases, functioned normally and as designed.
In rare cases, there have been “defective guns,” defectively designed, and/or defectively manufactured. The vast majority of these are long-since out of production, and the companies that manufactured them, long-since out of business.
SIG’s flagship 320 Pistol is currently at the center of one of these alliaceous debates. I’d comment further if I knew for certain what is going on (if anything) with the 320, but I don’t.
Discounting the foregoing, two human factors, always in concert, are at the root-cause of the vast majority of “gun accidents,” (1) ignorance, and (2) carelessness, both on the part of the person handling the gun.
With competent training, most gun-owners can be adequately prepared to own, handle, carry, and use guns with as high a degree of “safety” as is possible, given normal human limitations.
I tell my students, “safe gun-handling” is probably impossible, but “careful gun-handling” is surely within the ability of nearly all of us.
Yet, there is another human factor. The National Association Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) has coined the term, “willful blindness,” that is, “the willful ignoring of substantial and obvious risks”
We might call it “begging the question” Such people apparently look upon “playing with sharks” as “cool!”
There is no possible “benefit” associated with careless gun-handling, so deliberately ignoring risks so involved would appear to be a form a mental illness.
That is, until you add “arrogance” to the equation!
I’m reminded of the self-appointed Apostle who blithely handles poisonous snakes with his bare hands, because he is persuaded that God has selected him for special protection.
Of course, he is promptly bitten by one of the snakes he is annoying, and then dies!
His “famous last words” are inevitably:
“I had no idea…”
“God must have me mixed-up with someone else”
“This is so unfair”
… ad nauseum
“Who sets himself up as judge of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by laughter of the gods.”
Edmund Burke
/John
