Firearms Safety Thoughts
Thoughts
Thursday there was a tragic accidental shooting on a film set in New Mexico during the course of filming, the details of which are yet unclear and will be investigated in coming days. Our thoughts go out to all impacted.
This tragedy is forefront in our minds because we have a history of working in the entertainment industry and, of course, work with firearms everyday at Range Arts.
In relation to this, it’s hard for us not to think about how we ensure nothing like this could ever happen in the course of our regular training:
Permanently deactivated firearms
All of the firearms used at Range Arts are permanently deactivated. This means we’ve taken them to a gunsmith and asked the smith to ruin the firearm.
A gunsmith has altered each firearm to render it incapable of firing live ammunition forever (or at least without significant investment of time and money in restoration). They are permanently useless in terms of actually firing anything, however mechanically they have all the function required to teach you how to operate them and handle them safety.
We are not taking these training firearms out hunting or to the range on our off days. We are not simply pulling the firing pin and putting it back at the end of the day. There is a small chance we could forget to do that… and we are not willing to take that small chance with your safety. Our training firearms occupy the sole purpose of being training firearms.
Using only permanently deactivated firearms exceeds our safety requirements for delivering Canadian Firearms Safety Courses. We made this decision for our own peace of mind and for your safety. Safety first.
No live ammunition allowed
At the beginning of each course your instructor will ask you if you have any live ammunition in your pockets. While this might seem like a laugh - you might wonder, “who would carry around rounds in their pockets?” - it’s a serious precaution.
We don’t want any live ammunition mixed in with our inert training ammunition. Our inert training rounds are either solid brass or hollowed out casings. They have no primer and no propellant. Even though we train with only permanently deactivated firearms, this is an added precaution.
Inspections
Our training firearms are stored securely per the law (they may be deactivated by they are considered real firearms). This means they are inspected when each course is set up and inspected again at the end of each course when they are packed up for storage.
Assume every firearm is loaded (and dangerous)
The first tenet of firearms safety and the A in an acronym anyone who has taken our courses will never forget, ACTS: Assume every firearm is loaded.
Add, and dangerous. If it’s loaded, it’s potentially dangerous.
You’ll notice our instructors do this. They also control the muzzle direction at all time, even though our firearms are deactivated. They will also PROVE each firearms safe before and after handling. They err on the side of caution.
Again, we do this despite all the firearms are permanently deactivated. Why? Because it’s a good habit to form and we’re teaching by example.
Film production safety
We don’t know what the particular rules governing the film production in New Mexico were (or what went wrong), and Canadian rules differ based on the law here. As people who are involved in entertainment and firearms safety (but not currently supervising on sets), it’s hard not to ruminate on the precautions we hope were being followed.
We also don’t want to jump to conclusions about what might or might not have happened Thursday. That’s not our intention.
Our list here is not all-inclusive. Productions should seek qualified firearms supervision (ie. armourers or gun safety supervisors) with a mandate to first and foremost ensure the safety of the entire cast, crew, and the public:
Treat every firearm as loaded and dangerous at all times.
No live ammunition on set (even in private vehicles in crew parking).
PROVE each firearm before being loaded and after use.
A designated firearms supervisor should never let a firearms out of their sight, nor should cast be entrusted with care of a particular firearm. Chain of custody should never be broken.
Discharge should not be towards anyone. Anyone within a safe zone of fire should be behind ballistic proof glass and wearing protection (and additionally not be near the line of fire).
If discharge is towards the lens the camera should be remote operated.
Proper safety briefings of all involved should be conducted ahead of any firearms being used on set.
Again, this is not all-inclusive… just the key thoughts that come to mind today.
Safety is serious
The tragedy is a stark reminder of just how seriously firearms safety needs to be taken. “We are a safety focused business, so we take safety very seriously.” We’ve been saying this in relation to covid rules for a while, but it’s our mantra well beyond that.
It’s not always easy to put safety first - sometimes it’s harder work - but it’s worth it to protect ourselves, protect our clients, and ultimately, we hope, lead by example so you will protect yourselves and your families, friends, and colleagues.
Furthermore being safe represents firearms owners and the shooting sports in Canada as safe, responsible, and enjoyable for all - the way they generally are.
Stay safe please.
Our thoughts go out to the cast, crew, and their families affected. It is a sad day for our industry.