It happened. I was right!!

[jiminoh]

I don't even care if it's made of rubber or some composite material. If it looks like a firearm, I inspect it thoroughly and make damn sure there's not a live round close to it until I'm 100% ready to fire. I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to firearms, but had some good RSOs and tactical firearms experts etch it into my brain to do this every. single. time.

Hell, they could've put a shock collar on me every time I even looked at/held/pointed the firearm wrong, but I still got the message. Not pulling a Baldwin.

Yeah, I agree 100% I've had guns all my life (mostly handguns). It's so easy to screw up with them. Utmost care is required always.

One thing you may not have been taught is that if you're handling a loaded handgun and somehow lose your grip and it goes to hit the floor, let it hit the floor. The act of trying to catch it could pull the trigger. I was taught that among other things by a very respected, nationally known instructor. Some might say if it hits the ground it'll go off, but he would say don't buy a cheap POS gun - the reputable mfg's are designed so they are less likely to do that.