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Not really. Base on years of using and cleaning guns for hunting and target shooting and from reading several hundred reports of gun cleaning "accidents", "gun

Not really. Base on years of using and cleaning guns for hunting and target shooting and from reading several hundred reports of gun cleaning "accidents", "gun cleaning accident" is polite fiction for "I shot myself (or someone else!) playing with my gun". Although, to be fair, some of them are suicides and possibly the occasional murder. Normally guns only need cleaning if they have been fired or have somehow gotten wet or contaminated. The procedure to clean a gun goes like this: 1) Remove ammunition 2) Partially disassemble gun (depending on model) 3) Scrub a cleaning rod and brush through the barrel and chamber 4) Reassemble Removing the ammunition has to happen, otherwise you cannot run the brush though the barrel because the ammunition is in the way. So shooting yourself while cleaning a gun because you didn't know it was loaded is like driving off without your car keys. Not too plausible. On the other hand, it's pretty easy to have an accident playing with a gun, and apparently shooting yourself is deeply embarrassing so it's not uncommon to lie about "I was cleaning it". I don't know why the police accept this story, just a social nicety I guess. Of course this story works best if the "accident" happens in the home. A surprisingly common variation in cases where the gun owner shoots themselves in a parked car or suchlike (often with a newly purchased gun) is that a "black man ran up/drove by" and shot them for no reason. Sometimes the assailant was "wearing black clothes" and/or "driving a "black SUV". The police tend to be more skeptical about this although not always. [0] [1] [0] http://www.startribune.com/wounded-st-kate-s-security-officer-who-lied-about-being-shot-said-gunman-was-black/444452013/ http://www.startribune.com/wounded-st-kate-s-security-office... [1] https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Police-White-Man-Blamed-Self-inflicted-Gunshot-at-Virginia-Motel-on-Black-Men--479895953.html https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Police-White-Man-Bl...

daveFNbuck 8y ago
I agree that shooting yourself while cleaning a gun sounds impossible, but there are enough guns in this country that the occasional absurd mistake is going to happen. You could accidentally shoot yourself before completing step 1. You could accidentally shoot yourself during steps 2 or 3 if you skip step 1. The brush won't go through the barrel if ammunition is in the way, but that doesn't mean the cleaner won't keep trying.
- vsl 8y ago
  Nope. Unloading is a separate step from cleaning, and shooting yourself during it would be incredibly hard (shooting something else may and does happen after a series of serious mistakes). The gun is physically incapable of shooting beyond commencing step 2. If the brush can’t get through due to being loaded, the obstacle is at the very beginning of the barrel and visible by eye. Even if you were a complete moron and kept pushing at it, that simply can’t fire the bullet. It’s basic mechanics of how a gun works. I agree with OP: this is polite fiction. You can hurt yourself during cleaning with some guns (a spring snapping on your fingers, for example), but shoot yourself? Nah.

daveFNbuck 8y ago

I agree that shooting yourself while cleaning a gun sounds impossible, but there are enough guns in this country that the occasional absurd mistake is going to happen. You could accidentally shoot yourself before completing step 1. You could accidentally shoot yourself during steps 2 or 3 if you skip step 1. The brush won't go through the barrel if ammunition is in the way, but that doesn't mean the cleaner won't keep trying.

vsl 8y ago
Nope. Unloading is a separate step from cleaning, and shooting yourself during it would be incredibly hard (shooting something else may and does happen after a series of serious mistakes). The gun is physically incapable of shooting beyond commencing step 2. If the brush can’t get through due to being loaded, the obstacle is at the very beginning of the barrel and visible by eye. Even if you were a complete moron and kept pushing at it, that simply can’t fire the bullet. It’s basic mechanics of how a gun works. I agree with OP: this is polite fiction. You can hurt yourself during cleaning with some guns (a spring snapping on your fingers, for example), but shoot yourself? Nah.