Ladies & Gentlemen:
PLEASE follow these rules and make it your PRIORITY to teach EVERYONE who is old enough in your homes about the proper loading and unloading of a firearm. To this day, I wear a wristband that reminds me of how a second of negligence can turn into a lifetime of pain. The night was August 18th, 2006. My younger brother and his friends were all gathering at a friends house getting ready to head out for the night. My brother's friend Eric lived there with his mom and step father. Eric owned several handguns and as the son of a local police officer, was "well trained" on proper firearm safety. Anyway, while waiting for the last member of the group to get there, they were all messing around with Eric's Glock G27. My brother, responsibly took the gun from them and properly unloaded it and refused to hand it back to them stating "Guns aren't toys."
Apparently Eric's gun cabinet was open OR someone opened it. I can't be sure what was the case because I wasn't there. They were messing around with another one of Eric's guns (A Sig P229 I've been told). My brother tells me that he was at the computer checking some e-mails when all of a sudden he hears "click" right next to his ear. When he turns, he has a gun in his face.
He is upset, tells all his friends once again that guns aren't toys and leaves the room. It was a decision that ultimately may have saved his life. My brother goes to open the front door of the house for the last member of the group who was arriving and hears a gun go off. He rushes back into the room to see one of his best friends laying on the floor shot in the head. Alex didn't make it.
What drives me NUTS about this whole thing is that I had taken the whole group shooting with me less then 2 months prior to this and had drilled in them the rules of proper gun safety. I didn't let them even touch a firearm before they could recite the rules back to me and demonstrated (with an empty magazine) that they knew how to load and unload a firearm. I also made sure they understood that if they rack the slide then they are loading a round in the chamber and hence they now have a live round and that if they pull the trigger the GUN WILL GO OFF!
Thank you once again for reminding us all of the proper rules for gun safety. I, for one will not be "tired of hearing it." Ladies and gentlemen PLEASE put safety above all and PLEASE teach as many people as you can the rules. It may save a life and save you from the pain and guilt that I have had to go through.
Rest In Peace Alex Fernandez - 03/27/1985 - 08/18/2006
