The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-17
HOW 10 HANDLE a GUN.
It Doesn't Pay to Play Monkey Tricks
With firearms.


bearded Sportsman Of ~ walked into q big
gun store on Broadway and asked for some
22-calibre cartridges. A box was handed
out to him and he examined it leisurely
with the eye Of an exper..
"The last bought didn't fit very well, II
he observed. 81 think III try these and
with the familiarity OF an old customer he
reached 10 take gun down from the rack.
Don't, sir, please" said the proprietor,
you're an old customer and good one.
but its the rule OF the store never to let a
gun or pistol be loaded in It."
"Bosh." said the sportsman, q tFiie test
lily; 'lve handled guns before you or any
Of your clerks were born. | only want to
see If they will DC. The last ones l had
were tribe too tight to work easily in my
target rifle Aud the old sportsman shook
two or three cartridges out Of the box he
had just bought. Perhaps he did IL trihs
more hastily because of the gun sellers pro-
testations.
"It's against the rule" repeated the lat
ter hastily. II really CANT"
Bangl Thud
He mover finished tbs sentence. The man
had dropped the cartridge into the gun and
closed toe breech and something had mex
plicably gone wrong for the first time in his
half century Of experience. The gun went
or, the little bullet whizzed the length Of
about the door, not half yard from where
a man sat loading cartridges.
Ny Godlp said the old sportsman, az
never had q thing like that happen before.
His cheek was white and his hand trembled
like q leaf in the wind. The man who had
been loading cartridges showed a sudden
pallor, and all the clerks came running up
with CONSERVATION i'll their faces
After the trouble was we'll over the pro-
TriQfnF-ha Harry
in mood to talk about the sate-handling of
guns. Yes, he said, ''it's the rule of the
store 70 let no arm be loaded in it, We
simply won't load gun or a pistol for a
man and let him take it away. The fool
who didn't know it was loaded isn't patch
to some OK the people who como ia here.
They will grab the guns of the racks or
counters and point them at each other and
play all sorts OF monkey tricks OF course
they're never loaded, but It isn't safe TO
presume upon that. People come in here
with pistols to be repaired "Is it loaded ~
we always ask. 70, no. will be the reply.
But We don't take it for granted. 1t is the
tnvariable rule in receiving an an arm to
look first for cartridges; and you'd be sur
prised to see how often we find them, all
rusted in soneti mes sure not to go Off when
burglars are Ground and quite apt to ex-
plode when they're not wanted tor
Cant you give me few sensible rules
about handling gunW / asked.
"rbe one important rule is never, under
any circumstances, to point the muzzle OF a
gun OF pistol at yourself or anybody else,
Ii makes no difference whether 1t is loaded
or not. Everyone who has anything to do
with firearms ought to MAKE this sort of
second nature, SO that he will, without
thinking about 1t, always observe this rule.
When carrying a gun in the field most
sportsmen either carry 1t over the left arm,
with the muzzle pointing up and to the
left, or uEder the right arm with the muz.
Gle forward and down. The second posi-
ton is tho more convenient for quick
firing, ami on the whole bstter.n
"How would you get over fence carry
ing gunP
"That depends on the fence. wouldn't
set the gun over the fence with the muxzle
up and get over on top of it, aud wouldn't
crawl through and pull the gun after me by
the muzzle. Anything but q barbed wire
fence would climb over carefully, holding
the gun in my hand and always aimed away
from any human being, preferably at the
How early Is it proper to give guns to
boys."
"Under careful instruction, any time after
they are IL years old boys can carry light
l6-gauge or 22-calibre guns. bat it Is wrong
to arm them with heavy rifles whose balls
Garry long distance. OF course any boy
should be taught 10 handle gun properly"
The season is just beginning when militia-
men are practicing rife shooting at num-
bers of field ranges, and in few weeks the
state camps will be under way with sham
battles and held word OF all sorts. Usually
some men get hurt during this mimic war
fare, and went from the gun store to ask
a Creedmoor marksman, who has won lots
OF badges for rife shooting, if there was any
way of avoiding such accidents.
THE military rule" he said, sis always
to hold the piece with the muzzle elevated.
The men are so close together that il a man
were to carry his rifle muZzle down like a
hunter he'd be plugging the legs OF the man
ahead OF him full OF lead. The safest mill
tary pose is the familiar one with the rifis
over the shoulder, muZzlO slanting up. OF
course, you know the four shooting posi-
tons, standing at 100 yards, sitting or
knseling at 200, lying down at 800 to 600.
Then in the long range matches they some
times lie fat on their backs with the gun
resting upon the legs. That's hardly mill
itary posture, though. Now. when l won
the maTksman's--h
How would you get over fence with
gunF'
The marksman seemed little staggered
and didn't return a very satisfactory
answer. He seemed TO think, however, that
IT. Wouid De D pretty 9ooQ plan co carry the
gun over fence precisely as if on parade.
l am myself Of opinion that this wouldn't
always be easy. Imagine q man going over
a high barbed wire fence with his rife in
prime military posture. Probablyit would
ne o good plan for militiamen to remsnber
MIR. Squires' rule Of not pointing q gun at
anybody while struggling with the barbs
and uttering appropriate remarks.
It's the disregard of this rule that ac-
counts fer the accidents at sham fights.
How blank cartridges get mixed up with
loaded ones is a mystery, but they do, some
times. Perhaps the armorer is in too great
hurry aud makes a mistake or perhaps
one or two of the men happen to have
loaded shells in their pockets and put them
ia by mistake Ia the excitement which even
sham fight always causes. Then when the
opposing forces get at close quarters and
there is tremendous racket III the air and
guHs are going of at close range and with
deadly aim some one is apt to get hurt. This
happens even with the blank cartridges
sometimes, the mere blaze and shock of the
report making ugly burns at close quarters.
Making it the invariable rule to fire in the
air would obviete any possibility OK acct
dent
Two ladies once lived as close neighbors.
Both had cherished sons, until one dav the
son OF Mrs. A. got hold Of gun on the sly
and by careless management blew his brains
out, SO soon as Mrs. b. learned Of the nc,
cident she bought her boy a gun and ar
ranged to have him taught to use il prop
erly. The Mortified remonstrances of the