Sad story. A similar thing happened to a father/son hunting combo in a neighboring town a few years ago. They were out hunting and somehow ended up on opposite sides of a clearing, the father shot at a deer in the clearing and the bullet ended up missing the deer but hit and killed his son instead.
http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermai...24/011117.html Quote:
Originally Posted by redthirst  when i got my concealed carry permit, the officer in charge of the class told us to always carry with a round chambered... to not do so would be like buying a six pack and pouring the fist beer out. |
This is true for concealed carry where the gun is going to be kept secure in a holster of some sort, but while out hunting its safest to only chamber a round when you are ready to take a shot (or in imminent danger from big game). Many bolt action rifle safeties are pretty crude (especially older rifles) lots of them are just trigger blocks that may still allow the rifle to fire if dropped or if the safety mechanism is worn.