Hunting and Safety: some advice from the State Police for the use of hunting safely in order to avoid unpleasant accidents.
September is the month of the start of the hunting activity and the use of weapons during hunting causes many accidents. By following some tips, however, you can avoid them. Safety first, therefore: every gun must be handled as if it were loaded. So, as soon as we bring out the rifle from our cabinet we must immediately check that there are no cartridges in the barrel and in the tank, but also before “bagging” it to put it back in the car and at the end of the hunting day.
Then there are other situations that can be potentially dangerous such as when you stop and sit with the rifle at your side: in this case it is a good idea to unload it because the dog could make it fall and start the shot or enter with its paws. in the bridge causing the accidental departure of a shot.
Having said this, it is also essential to check the conditions of the carrying strap: it could be deteriorated and its failure during transport on the shoulder would cause the rifle to fall with the consequence of a possible accidental shot. Also pay attention to when placing the gun: it has been ascertained that many explosions of the rifle barrels (especially smooth-bore ones) were caused by a partial occlusion of the barrel which caused an anomalous increase in internal pressure when fired. .
This may be caused by the dangerous habit of placing the weapon on the ground on the muzzle, perhaps believing that it is safer. In reality, this practice, especially in the presence of soft ground, can cause obstruction of the barrel. Before reusing the firearm after cleaning and storing it, it is good practice to check that there are no rags or other foreign bodies left in the barrel.
Hunting for ungulates. The increasing diffusion of hunting ungulates with rifled guns pushes us to a final reflection on safety. Many hunters may not know enough about the potential of the weapon they use. This is witnessed by the numerous hunting accidents that unfortunately are recorded every year. Rifled guns, unlike smooth-bore guns, have a useful shot (i.e. the distance at which a bullet still has enough kinetic energy to cause damage) well over a thousand meters, with a maximum range that, for calibers more powerful, it also exceeds 5 thousand meters.
For this reason it is a good safety rule, when using these weapons, always take the following precautions:
- position yourself in such a way as to be able to engage the possible target from top to bottom;
- if you shoot in the mountains, from the bottom up, try to engage targets that have a ridge behind them;
- when shooting in the bush, never fire unless you are certain that there is no one in front of us;
- armored bullets from rifles are easily subject to “bounce” phenomena. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid shooting at a short distance on rocky walls or stony ground. If your hunting environment is made up of similar natural scenarios, it would be good to choose ammunition with a lead-tipped bullet (soft point), less prone to bouncing, while monolithic bullet bullets are absolutely not recommended;
- when hunting in a wooded or shrub-covered environment, never shoot only if you see movement between the plants. It is not certain that an animal provokes it. It is a good safety practice to engage our target only when it is clearly seen.
The detention. The weapons must be stored with "due diligence", that is, putting in place all those precautions that prevent anyone, if not the holder of the detention report, from taking possession and handling them. In various national provinces, the Quaestors have for some time imposed on citizens residing or domiciled there, particular prescriptions concerning the methods of storing weapons. An example is the use of an armored cabinet; therefore, in the case of transfers to places other than that of residence, it is advisable to inquire about the presence or absence of such possible restrictions.
Transport. Weapons that must reach different locations must be transported unloaded and in an "envelope" or in a special case; this is to avoid the crime of abusive carrying of weapons or the transport of a weapon that is considered to be in "ready use". In fact, the law requires us that the transfer of a weapon takes place as a simple transport of an inert object, that is, not capable of firing or being loaded in a short time. If you have to face long journeys it is good to have a companion so that, in the event of a stop, one person can devote himself to surveillance of the weapons while the other takes care of his own needs. Never leave your weapons in plain sight and perhaps unattended on the car.
(September 5, 2015)
State Police
You May Also Like ..
