Gun Ownership FAIL of the Day, Redux

When you violate 3 of 4 of Jeff Cooper's gun safety rules, you may confidently predict that a tragedy will happen:

YORK, S.C. A father accidentally shot his son at a firing range in York this weekend, police say.

Billy Ray Stephens, 51, accidentally fired his weapon, striking 28-year-old Billy Joe Stephens in the chest, according to a York County Sheriff’s Office report.

The men, from Crouse, N.C., were target practicing at the shooting range on Sharon Road in York around 7 p.m. Saturday.

Billy Ray Stephens thought he had fired all the bullets in his weapon. He turned back to reload when the gun went off, shooting Billy Joe Stephens, the report said.

After the son fell, his father said “I’m so sorry, it was an accident. I thought it was empty,” according to the report.

Here are the rules:

1. All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (For those who insist that this particular gun is unloaded, see Rule 1.)
3. Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 60 percent of inadvertent discharges.
4. Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.

Mr. Stephens violated rules 1, 2, and 3. We can only hope that Mr. Stephens' son doesn't pay the ultimate price for his father's negligence.