ALWAYS in a safe direction, UNUSUAL or funny stories

[Mike AKA Bandaid]

I was going through the Appleseed Academies "Essential Reading" and found this gem:

Golden Rule of Safety

We all know, of all the safety rules, the most important is Rule #1.

Therefore, we need to beef it up as much as possible, so the message rings loud and clear for our students: NEVER let that muzzle get in the wrong direction.

So here's some language I suggest you add in your final review/summing up of the safety rules during the Saturday morning Safety Briefing:

"What's the first rule of safety?"

[audience shouts Rule #1 back at ya]

"Folks, it means what it says, especially that part about ALWAYS."

"Which means when a piece of hot brass lands on your back, and you can feel it burning, what do you do?"

[audience: "KEEP THE MUZZLE IN A SAFE DIRECTION!"]

"RIGHT! And what do you do when a bee stings you? BEFORE you even think of saying 'OUCH!'"

[audience: "KEEP THE MUZZLE IN A SAFE DIRECTION!"]

"RIGHT! And what do you do when a piece of the firing line cover overhead falls on your head, and it hurts?"

[audience: "KEEP THE MUZZLE IN A SAFE DIRECTION!"]

"ABSOLUTELY! All those things have happened at Appleseeds. When they do, there's only one thought which should be in your head – and what is that thought?"

[audience: "KEEP THE MUZZLE IN A SAFE DIRECTION!"]

By illustrating concrete examples, it may bring it home to the shooter better than simply restating the rule over and over. In other words, when something happens that's surprising or painful, there's one thing, and only one thing, the shooter should be aware of – keeping that muzzle in a safe direction.

I have personally seen canopies fall on shooters, a bee sting during a course of fire, hot brass go down a woman's PANTS (GlockGirl!), as well as the usual dust in the eyes, forgot my mag, etc.

Got any funny, humorous, scary, or strange stories where shooter did keep their muzzle in a safe direction?

[Mike AKA Bandaid]

I'll start us off...
We were at a 25m event. There was this very good shooter, a woman named Nadia. I instantly knew I liked her because she had a Dallas Cowboys sticker on her water bottle. Clearly a woman of great knowledge and an amazing shooter to boot.

She was already a rifleman, and was at this event going for her Distinguished. I, being charming and well spoken, took it upon my self to make sure this woman took an orange hat. My dreams were shattered when she told me she was ALREADY an orange hat. 

End of the day, last AQT. She has been circling 240 all day, not quite able to break through to distinguished. Prone position. Slow fire. As I watched, I noticed the .223 rifle on her left was dumping the brass directly on her back. Sure enough, in slow motion. a brass arched up from the rifle, and landed right at her belt-line. Being in prone, the back of her pants had pushed up a TINY amount. The brass bounced right into the cleft of her buttocks.

I was READY! I knew the rifle was about to go haywire and flag all of us. The rifle didn't move. In what can only be described as amazing, she VERY CALMLY performed the 6 steps to making her rifle safe, and then carefully got up from the line and relieved herself of the offending brass. She had second degree burns where the brass had touched.

Now, many years later, she is still a good, close, personal friend. She and my wife are self described "Besties". Although family obligations, kids, and work do not let her participate in Appleseed as much as she would like... She is still an amazing shooter.

I tell this story, as a humorous reminder that we should all strive to be this "in control" in any emergency, and of course, "ALWAYS KEEP THE MUZZLE IN A SAFE DIRECTION!"

[Smallbore (Timothy_D)]

At our first Appleseed, my M&P 15-22 had an out of battery discharge during the standing portion of an AQT (due to out of spec ammunition, CCI Real Tree, .225 diameter coating - do not use that ammo, ever).
Brass blew apart out of the ejection port and nailed my wife in the bicep.
She said, "ouch!" made her rifle safe, and proceeded to bleed on her mat.

She still has a piece of brass in her arm.