Safety question - handing someone a gun...

[MTechnik]

I keep reading "always unload a gun before handing it to someone" and "if you get a gun handed to you, always presume it is loaded, and try to unload it again."

Is it bad form to be at the range and hand someone a loaded gun, if it is pointed safely downrange, and you tell them it's loaded, and it is for immediate shooting downrange?

Just making sure I'm not somehow being idiotic in handing someone a loaded gun.

[Nic]

I keep reading "always unload a gun before handing it to someone" and "if you get a gun handed to you, always presume it is loaded, and try to unload it again."

Is it bad form to be at the range and hand someone a loaded gun, if it is pointed safely downrange, and you tell them it's loaded, and it is for immediate shooting downrange?

Just making sure I'm not somehow being idiotic in handing someone a loaded gun.

I assume by "loaded" you mean one in the chamber. It's not idiotic, but it is bad form. Passing a handgun with a loaded magazine is one thing, but I would not hand it to anyone with one in the chamber. Too many variables that could lead to a discharge.

[TonyF]

I keep reading "always unload a gun before handing it to someone" and "if you get a gun handed to you, always presume it is loaded, and try to unload it again."

Is it bad form to be at the range and hand someone a loaded gun, if it is pointed safely downrange, and you tell them it's loaded, and it is for immediate shooting downrange?

Just making sure I'm not somehow being idiotic in handing someone a loaded gun.

I wouldn't recommend handing anyone a loaded firearm.

You'd be doing them a greater benefit if you walked them through the entire process of loading / shooting / unloading.

[Gunny1969]

This is how it should be done:

1. Verify the firearm is unloaded.
2. Hand them the firearm in a safe manor
3. Have them check again to see it's unloaded
4. Hand them a magazine or the ammo to load themselves.

[cigarmanpa]

shawn.l yelled at me for not checking his rifle when he handed it to me when i saw him clear it 3 seconds before he handed it to me with the mag out.

always hand the gun to someone empty and make sure they know how to use it IMO

[MTechnik]

thanks for the replies... I guess I'll try a bit harder to stick to that maxim.

[stephpd]

I'm kinda anal about handing off a gun. For me it depends on the weapon. But I'll drop the mag and clear the chamber.(pointing in a safe direction). And the slide locked back, cylinder or bolt left open. Gun handed off with the barrel pointed in a safe direction.

[levib]

When I hand someone a gun, after it is unloaded, I tell them "Check it's unloaded" if they don't right away. It's good practice, and I've seen my brother eject a chambered round from a gun he was just handed by my dad even though both were sure it was unloaded--my dad pulled the slide back on a new gun, but not quite far enough to eject the round, so it just got pushed back into the chamber.

The previous posters are right. Hand them an unloaded gun and a loaded magazine and show them how to safely insert the magazine and chamber a round. If the gun loads otherwise, show them how to do things safely, and tell them why they are doing it such and such a way, or they're liable to forget.

While you can likely hand someone a loaded firearm 99 times without incident, on the hundredth a finger is liable to hit a trigger or the gun will hit the ground or something else which could be catastrophic. You'll be thankful at that point you were following all the rules of gun safety so that one small accident doesn't leave to a negligent discharge. It's always good to explain to a new shooter why you have multiple layers of protection from firing a firearm!

[d90king]

As a rule with handguns... I unload and lock the slide back then hand both the mag and pistol to the new shooter.

On a rifle I do the same except I lock the bolt back so the chamber is open and empty....

[Kimba]

There have been a few times when I am using a gun unfamiliar to me that the the owner of the gun walks with me up to the firing line, and hands me the weapon. They give me the mag and instruct me on where the safety is, what to expect for the recoil, etc.

Sometimes after inserting the mag, I was unable to rack the gun. They had to rack it for for me and hand me back the loaded weapon.

This has happened on more than one occasion so now I know what guns that I cannot operate on my own.

I thank them for letting me try out their gun, but if I can't operate it, it is of no use to me.

So yea, I've done it.