Think of hot brass like this. Brass comes out of a AR at about 170F, third degree burns occur at 155F. You get one of those on your neck or down your shirt you are likely going to be doing something like a native dance and if you have a weapon in your hands where the design tends to keep the firing hand in constant contact with the grip and your finger is on the trigger naturally in a one hand carry position you are a prime candidate for something to go South quickly.
When we are subjected to pain the normal reaction is to clinch your fists and if you have a weapon in your hand with your trigger finger in contact with a trigger the odds of a discharge goes way up. Ever saw a wreck coming, did you clinch your hands on the steering wheel? I was in a head on last June and I had a death grip on the wheel, got rolled as I was heading off the road to avoid a head on and I was just able to turn it into a glancing blow. Both of us were running 55 when she crossed the center line on a curve and got me.
For instance you have a semi auto pistol in your hand while walking along and you trip.
I have talked with several that have seen troops killed on the range. One was I think it was Ft. Sill they were shooting the reduced range qualification targets from the prone position and a guy got a hot case down his neck and he started screaming and writhing around on the ground and lost muzzle awareness and trigger got pulled and shot the guy next to him.
I have a retired Lt. Col friend here who was at Ft. Jackson at the hospital getting his physical to go in the Army and a nurse runs in and tells the Doc they have a shooting vic inbound from the range and the Doc asked the nurse how that happened and the nurse told him a guy got a hot case down in neck and pulled the trigger shooting guy next to him.
Army ranges used to have guys on a line shooting about six feet apart. Footage I see now is they now separate shooters much further apart on the pop up target ranges.
The worst one I heard was a guy told me they were on a KD range and they were shooting standing and all of a sudden a cease fire was called and he heard screaming from down the line. He was the only one in his unit designated to go to medic school after basic and a DI grabbed him and took him down range where another guy in his unit was on the ground bleeding and the DI handed him a battle dressing and told him to apply it to the wound.
As the story came together the shooter got a hot case down his neck and he shot the guy next to him. Both the shooter and the shootee grew up next door to each other since they were infants born days apart. The graduated HS together and joined the Army on the Buddy Plan. The shootee died right there and the shooter was last seen being put in a ambulance grieving, screaming and crying that he had shot his best friend.
He told me the shooter was given a discharge and sent home a couple days later. You know there isn't a day passed since he does not think of that event half a dozen times a day
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First time I got burned was I was on a range and it was hot and I was shooting by myself and I shot three shots from the hip left handed and all of a sudden I look down and all three cases were stuck to my stomach burning themselves in and I had to pull them off. Had the scars for many years. I can tell you I had no idea where the muzzle was pointed in those few seconds and I may have pulled the trigger, don't know as there were only three rounds left in mag to fire and the bolt was to the rear.
On the High Road forum a guy reported a AD happened on the range at Ft. Benning.
This was posted on the Army Safety Center website a few years back.
Hot Brass
in the Summertime
“Put the weapon down and step away!” You usually only hear that phrase on television cop shows late at night, and if you hear it in real life, you’re probably in big trouble. But these words don’t apply only to criminal situations. Many a negligent discharge might’ve been prevented if someone had spoken up when they saw a comrade acting in an unexpected or less-than-safe manner. Such was the case in a recent negligent discharge accident.
After 30-odd pages of analysis, the local and centralized accident investigation boards came up with a recommendation for live fire ranges. When something unsafe or unexpected happens on the range, the person(s) involved should put the weapon down and step back before doing anything else. The chance for error and a negligent discharge is greatly reduced when the most dangerous object around is removed from human hands.
Before this particular accident, some Soldiers and Air Force members were training perimeter defense techniques. Two Airmen situated side by side fired their M16s over a wall at moving targets downrange. Hot brass from the left Airman’s weapon landed on the other Airman’s neck and rolled down his back. The burned Airman jerked his left hand up and pivoted his body to the left as he tried to brush away the scorching metal. However, his rifle was still in his right hand, and he didn’t remove his finger from the trigger as he turned toward the other Airman. The M16 slipped off the table support, and its falling weight applied pressure to the burned Airman’s trigger finger, causing the weapon to fire and hit the Airman to the left. He suffered extensive abdominal injuries but fortunately survived the incident.
Could this type accident happen on your range? The odds of this exact incident happening again are phenomenally small, but there’s always a chance when live ammunition is involved. Hot brass is a fact of life on live fire ranges, and it’s also a common problem in close combat and military operations in urban terrain environments. But anything from a bee sting to a lightning strike or just a good scare could cause any Soldier to react in the same manner as the Airman in this accident, regardless their operational location.
Leaders and individual Soldiers applying Composite Risk Management (CRM) to their live fire training should automatically identify negligent discharges as a primary hazard on the range. But it’s important not to discount the other events and circumstances that might result in an accident. A good resource for leaders preparing for a live fire exercise is the lessons learned from other units that have either recently completed similar training or conduct it on a regular basis. Identify what their problems were, assess your unit’s risk, and mitigate accordingly.
The unit in this accident had the required officer in charge (OIC) and range safety officer (RSO) on the range that day, as well as additional safety officers who were acting as observers/controllers (O/Cs) during the exercise. Although not a contributing factor, it’s possible the O/Cs could’ve missed an unsafe act because they were preoccupied with their controlling responsibilities. When training Soldiers or Airmen who aren’t accustomed to live fire ranges, leaders must assess their safety officers’ duties to ensure they aren’t overtasked. For units that regularly train on these ranges, leaders should assess the need for safety mechanisms above and beyond what’s usually required.
Before they take over the range, OICs and RSOs are required to attend training with their local range control, and there are several vital questions that must be asked during this interaction. What are the steps for medical evacuation? What is the fastest and safest route to the nearest treatment facility? How will range control assist the unit with evacuation operations? These are important issues that must be discussed and planned for before the first shot is fired. When an accident or other injury occurs isn’t the time to figure out the actual execution of a medical evacuation.
It’s as simple as this: Put some thought into planning your next training event. CRM isn’t just a paper drill for the operations order. Rather, it’s a tool to help leaders identify how their Soldiers are at risk and how they plan to mitigate it. Visit the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center’s Web site at https://crc.army.mil to find out more about CRM and how you can Own the Edge both on and off the range.
Comments regarding this article may be directed to the USACRC Help Desk at (334) 255-1390, DSN 558-1390, or by e-mail at helpdesk@crc.army.mil. The Accident Investigation Division may be reached through USACRC Operations at (334) 255-3410, DSN 558-3410, or by e-mail at operationssupport@crc.army.mil.
A guy told me about another incident that happened on a Army Range in Korea and a number of people were shot but he did not know the details.
In competition where you have guys with lots of experience you see folks burned but not shot. Then you get guys who their entire time with a weapon has been gaming on a TV who grew up in a city and never held a gun and has had a sheltered life and something happens you don't know how they will react.
I had a former Marine tell me he was on embassy duty in one of the sand box countries and he was in the SGM office and there was a magazine on a table showing a Marine holding a M4 pointed kind of toward the camera and there was a article inside that detailed a hot case going down inside clothing and the result was a AD and Marine next to him got hit. It was not Leatherneck Magazine as I called them and they never had a pic of such. That was about 2007 time frame when he told me that but he saw the mag in the 90s IIRC.
Just remembered a accidental discharge I saw at Camp Perry maybe 35 years back. I was watching a 45 match and they were getting ready for a rapid fire string and this guy was loaded, in position and 45 in his hand was resting on the table right before firing and it went off and blew a hole in the shooting bench. Guys on both sides of him jumped away of course but amazingly their guns were left laying on the bench.
There has been a reg for many years that while firing on military ranges a medic must be present and in their bags they carry wound dressings. If they are not expecting folks to get shot why are they carrying wound dressings?
I remember a study was conducted at the Fed Law Eng Tng Ctr in 80s and trainees were asked how many had ever fired a handgun before and 70% had not. I was shocked when I was told the number.
The day I checked into Picatinny Arsenal I noted another guy had been given a ID with the same info so I struck up a conversation with him and I learned he had never fired a gun in his life. Two months later he was coming around reviewing what we were doing in our section and he didn't have a clue about what we were doing or why.
Bottom line is you give a gun to someone with no experience whatsoever you can't expect them to think like you do or rather I guess a better term is not think.
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