Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-01-26

Use Of Fire Arms.
EDGE HILL School.
Caroline Co., Va. Jan. u. ~.

Caroline Co., Va, Jan. -. I,Il
The great increase in the number NJ d.
accidents, resulting from the carcc,.
percussion guns, has induced me o. ,..
little space in the columns of your -,
known and deserycdly popular iourr.
the purpose of calling the attention Fl,
readers TO the very great danger which ma.
o. them incur in the use of the or;,..
fowling piece. And beg you, for the So,
of humanity, to request your brethren Did
press to give this article as wide cr,r-.
as possible.
Almost all of the dcplOrablc ca>ual,;..
the kind mentioned, and with which tIa,.
pers are filled, result from either k,epi.,
carrying a percussion gan ~th lie ban.
dorm on the caps.
Before say anything further, let Neon.
4 from the last work Of the late Mr.. II a
HERBERT, who was certainly entitled To- -,
{ ser cat4edra" on all subjects rclatng,o,-.
and shooting. In his "Compietc Nqma,,
loung Sportsmen," IA most delightful
by-the-by,) after giving general directions.
to the position in which the gun shou.i
carried, he says, up. -: ct seq
Next, as to the condition of the lock, F.,
carrying gun. When piece is IoaicI ,.
capped, the strikers mist necer. Ua,i,g n.
/ possible circumstances, be lfdo,ca. mari
/ carried dorn on tie cups. This is IN. M,
to be observed, because it is by far the d..
common, and generally conceived to hr..
safest way to carry gun. | do not thin,
ever saw countryman carrying his gun
erwise. until indoctrinatcd, with much a',
into doing SO.
1t il infinitely the most dangerous way
which a gun can possibly be carried fer tn--
reasons:-First, any blow on the back 9th.
striker while it is down, will explode I,
cap, and explode the gun. as may easily bar
pen from fall on stone or on hard groul.
| without either raising the hammer or tog.t
ing the trigger. Secondly, IA branch or lra.
catching the hook of the striker, drawing
back anywhere short of the halt.cock not,
and then releasing it-as it will do twice %,
of three times-wil iniallibly fire the gun
At halfcock. in nine y-ninc cases out %.
| hundred. the same brier or branch will hrr,
the striker to tull-cock, and then no harm
done In the hundrcdth instance the pi,
would be fired.
From personal experience. may say. ,h..
| have, probably, in the course Of my she.
a. l.,r -
had my locks full-cocked from halt-cock iron
fifty to hundred times--fred tiom hlr
cock. nerer.
At tuil-cock, a gun can he discharged o..
by Il brier or branch catching the triges
then. it must invariably be discharged y
catch of the striker can do any mi>chi-'
Consequently, the comparative safety stan.
thus, viz :--Theye are tlro accidents by whr
the locks riM tie strikers on tie nipples wr
be discharged, anil By either Of these h'yr.
be discharged nine times IF tem There
one accident by which lock on ttd'-
may be discharged. and by that it vii.
inrayia6iy. There is oniy one dcc"i'W b.
which the lock at halt:cock can be disrhar
ed, and by that IL ~iU not, ninety times irt
hundred.
never, to conclude. object 10 shoot VII.
persons who habitually carry their gun,
full-cock. Most quick shots do 50, and -
argue, though don't agree, that it Is SAT-.
to do so. have shot for years with me-
who do So and never saw an accident Occur
besides which, they are, Of necessity, ear,
full. With no man, ,cho carries has S'rik,'
on his caps, ,contd waik IN compang hr
minutes. much less hum a day ruth him.
| have known many accidents to oc'a'
and have seen many others reported. j.
ereyy ease, the hammers were down. Awe,
ago, man was killed by suddenly rai,iD.
his gun, the hammer Of which caught 30
barrel hoop, and fired the piece. Ano'h
was shot by using his gun n II pole To kn"k
down persimmOns. Some years since. on" "
my pupils, a promising boy. the son o! ja'
Lyons, esq, was killed, by attempting
open a gate with his gun. Several OF d.
ncighbors have been shot, or had narTof
escapes, by hastily lifting guns from brhl
tables, desks, &c; and yet people persist '
their criminal rcckcssness, In my vrIn'
two persons have been killed. and two ta.
gerOusly wounded besides numerous cscai
Still, some rifles are made 50 that they har
no half-cock notch.
The only possible advantag" in the pr.
tice which have adyerted to, Is that th" 9
cannot be lost; and for cap, people da
peril their own lives and those %! their irrn.'
Let me beg all persons who have pcrcu,'
guns, First. never TO keep them loaded. ifl.'
sible, while in the house II Injuries h" 2.
seriously. and is dangerous. But If +
necessary, keep the caps on, HI,i the gnu %.
cooked; thus showing every sane person ,La
the gun is loaded. ana dangerous. second
do not. from mistaken economy, buy ta"tI-
miserable. French or American cap- Ii..
often fire by very slight jar, from IT,
thinness and the imperfect mixing 81 p.
illuminate of mercury, with which they 30.
prmed. Moreover. they frequently ~ .l'
a thousand pieces. as many n lost eye ''.
attest and, lastly. they rarely fire wh'r ~.
are mamted 10 do so. Get ''Elry'. Wa
proof Caps" lined with India Rubber Ia.
Arrays fire at the proper time, ami g'"'
Lastly, nerer carry gun othrrwI'' '.'
halfcocked, under any circumstance VII.
ever.
Though | fear that have tre>pa','! ,.
valuable space, and know that hn'" %.
made my communication very nt"T'''''-
vet know that il is somcbodg's duty o. VS.
the public Of the pcrils they run dai.S,
no other person having seen fit to DO
have, myself, endcayored to explain ''''.
what ought to be known to every ma" '..
boy who handles a gun.
With great respect, am your-: Truly ,,.c
SAMUEL SCllOOLkh
lHnMun-NI-A If--