Shooting: How to Avoid Negligent Discharges

By now you have probably heard actor Alec Baldwin shot and killed his director of photography and wounded the director on a movie set in New Mexico.

The news media is calling this various versions of the phrase "accidental discharge". For example, a spokesperson for Baldwin said there was an accident on the set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.

Negligent Discharge vs. Accidental Discharge

The term "negligent discharge" used to be called "accidental discharge". It describes anytime – any time – you shoot your firearm when you did not intend to -- or should not have. The term was probably changed because firearms rarely discharge accidentally. They don't just "go off ". The overwhelming cause of a negligent discharge is caused by you or something pulling or pushing on the trigger.

In this video we are going to discuss why our basic reflexes can cause us to unintentionally fire a round from a firearm. This is important because self-defense scenarios are chaotic and highly stressful. We will show a real life example of a negligent discharge in which the police officer who fired around wasn't even aware that he did it.

Then we are going to talk about how to mitigate the natural tendency to pull the trigger when startled or in the middle of a fight.

Gun safety is paramount as you train for self-defense or your CCW.

Your safety and the safety of those around you count on your actions.

Get more in-depth information on this at the TSG blog at www.tsgdefense.com.