Keep your finger off the trigger! (Powerful lesson learned)

[BenGoodLuck]

I took my two sons paintballing the other day and during one of the matches, one of my teammates asked me to cover him as he ran from one barrier to another. As he ran, I got up, intending to fire towards the opposing team. Instead, as I stood up, I was watching my teammate run and I began to fire, thinking I was pointing my gun towards my opponents.

I hit my teammate twice.

Two lessons learned:

1. Keep your finger off the trigger until you intend to fire your weapon.
2. Never point your gun at anyone or anything you don't intend to destroy.

Simple lessons and I know them by heart. But putting lessons learned by rote into practice is another matter.

Thank God it was only paintball!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Harryball]

Its paintball. While in a match if you are not on the trigger, you are not winning.

[BenGoodLuck]

The lessons I learned were not regarding paintball, but regarding handling my gun in everyday situations.

[MattInFla]

Target focus - you will unconsciously aim at what you're looking at, especially under stress.

[357and40]

Target focus - you will unconsciously aim at what you're looking at, especially under stress.

A great point that is often overlooked. Thank you for bringing it up.

Ben, good thread. Thanks for sharing the experience. I will echo you: Thank God it was only paintball. Definitely taught you a valuable lesson.

[Hiram25]

I played paintball once. I was on my son's team, I know most of the boys on it. They blew the whistle and the opposing team and my team shot me good. That's my boy!

[claude clay]

Target focus - you will unconsciously aim at what you're looking at, especially under stress.

good point....and you will look at who is talking

thus allowing his flankers to slowly change position. which will seldom be to your advantage.
so when peoples' on the street engage you in 'converstaion'.....feeling you out so to speak, look at the end people while center man talks. they will find this disconcerting and
perhaps notice that your hand is in a vest pocket that may have a gun in it....

mine does, perhaps yours should have a 642 also.

-------------------

paintball missed me by a few decades, my youth was with BB guns and SpaceMan X helmets
to protect the eyes. i've noticed that those with a paintball background take to real guns pretty well---

but need close attention to safety/ muzzle control. and they tend to like large cap guns...

[gottabkiddin]

I gotta couple of so called friends that I wouldn't mind tagging a few times with a paintball..


Seriously though, good points being made here. Also, a lesson learned the hard way, always leaves a lasting impression.

[BenGoodLuck]

I played paintball once. I was on my son's team, I know most of the boys on it. They blew the whistle and the opposing team and my team shot me good. That's my boy!

This is probably good fodder for another thread (being a good father makes you good fodder...GROAN!), but I think paintball is the best way to practice real-world gun handling and scenarios in a relatively safe and fun way!

[Elk Hunter]

With friends like you who needs........

My two boys wanted me to play paintball with them, when I said I didn't have a paintball gun they said thats ok you don't need one. Didn't take long to figure out I was the target. I told them I would get my bow and put a blunt on an arrow and they could play "run from the blunt."

[paaiyan]

Its paintball. While in a match if you are not on the trigger, you are not winning.

I *always* practice safe gun handling techniques while paintballing. Whether I'm waiting for a match to start or I'm buried in leaves and brush waiting for an enemy to cross my line of sight, my finger is off the trigger until I'm ready to take a shot.

[mano3]

My 12-year-old son almost learned this lesson the hard way. He mis-counted the rounds in our .38 revolver and had the hammer cocked and his finger on the trigger - BANG!

Thank God he remembered to keep the muzzle down range...

[JaySkiBum]

I was playing paintball and I made a bee-line for a barrier my cousin was hiding behind, I dove in, and shot him right in the leg. That was in high school, and I think that was actually the last day I played paintball. It was a lot of fun, but expensive for a kid who bought his own stuff.

[Cook74]

Ah, isn't that the definition of "friendly fire"?

[Yankeejib]

I need to buy a paintball gun before the RNC comes to town. You just know there's going to be some deserving dung heaps up to no good. Tag 'em.