Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-05-19
HOW TO HANDLE A GUN.
u Doszn's Pay 20 Play Monkey
Tricks with FirsasuA
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fcoFxkfSdf III.
A brouxed and bearded sportsman OF
seventy walked into big gun store on
Broadway and asked for some s2-ealiber
cartridges. A box was handed out To
him and he examined them leisarely
with the eye of an expsrt
The lAss / bought didn't d. very
well" he observed 81 think III try
these" and with the familiarity of an
old customer be reached 10 take gun
down from the rack
Don't. sir. please" said the propric-
cor. You're an old customer and
good one. but it's the rule Of the store
never 10 let a gun or pistol 10 loaded In
&C."
''Bosh," said the sportsman. a trihe
testify; "rve handled guns before you
or any Of your clerks WAS born only
want 70 see II they viii 1T. The last
ones had were . trifis too tight 10
this make" And the old sportsman
opened the oreech Of the rife he had
taken down and shook two or three
cartridges out Of the box he had just
bought. Perhaps no did II a tribe more
hastily because OF the gun sellers pro-
testations.
Its against the rules" repeated tho
latter. hastily. II really can't"
Bang! Thudi
He never finished the sentence. Tho
man had dropped the cartridge into tho
gun and closed the breech and some
thing had inexplicably gone wrong for
-. Ill -
psrtence. The gun went of. tho little
bullet whizzed the length OF tho store
and buried itself IN the woodwork
about the door. not half yard from
where man sat loading cartridges.
my Cod" said the old sportsman, 81
never had . thing like that happen be-
fore" His check was white and his
hand trem bled like Leaf in tho wind.
The man who had been loading cart
ridges showed . sudden pallor, and all
tho clerks eamo running up with con-
gserration In their faces
After the trouble was well over the
propristor-ho was Mr.. Henry c.
SQuirss-was In a mood TO talk about
the safe handling of guns. Yes" he
said, Its the rule Of tho store 70 let no
erin be loaded in II. We simply won't
load run or . pistol for . man and let
him take IL away. The fool who didn't
kpow Il was loaded isn't q patch to
some of the people who come In here.
They will grab the gums OF the racks
or counters and point them at each
other. ard play oil sorts Of monkey
tricks. OF course they're never loaded,
but 10 isn't safe to presume upon TINT.
People come in here with pistols to DO
repaired Is il loaded? we always ask.
ooh. no. win be the reply. but we
don't take IL for granted. 1t Is the in
variable rule In receiving an arm to
look first for cartridges; and you'd be
surprissd 70 SEQ how often we find
than, al rusted in sometimes; sure not
to 60 on when burglars arc around and
quite apt 70 explode when they're not
wanted to-"
Cant you give me q few sensible
rules about handling gum" asked
The one important rule u never,
under any circumstances. to point the
muxsle Of gun or pistol at yourself or
anybody else. IL makes no difference
whether it's loaded or not. Everyone
who hes anything to do with
firearms ought to mako this .
sort Of second nature, so that