The Color Codes of Awareness seem to have passed the test of time. You generally don't see 16 page threads on them.
The Color Codes of Awareness seem to have passed the test of time. You generally don't see 16 page threads on them.
Omgnocodeblack!
We didn't need 16 pages on the safety rules either....Originally Posted by Jay Cunningham
Just a Hairy Special Snowflake supply clerk with no field experience, shooting an Asymetric carbine as a Try Hard. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
"If I had a grandpa, he would look like Delbert Belton".
But it went ahead and done happened.. didn't it?
Yeah, have we covered Code Black, which is Page 17 of the color code? (And do you really think I can't get 16 pages out of "crunchenticker"? Because I'll bet I can find that thread on this very forum.)
Last edited by Tamara; 04-12-2014 at 10:24 PM.
Indeed. Contempt & complacency.
Uncle Scotty Reitz addresses this in his opening safety discussion. That he is likely the most dangerous person on the range in terms of potential for ND's. His rationale is that because he is so ingrained in handling and shooting firearms, his manipulations have become subconscious. Further driving it home to others who routinely handle and shoot firearms, he insists on conscious thought for all administrative handling, such as loading/unloading/cleaning, etc.
This was proven true to me during a live fire range session in 2011 when one of the young trainees ND'd his pistol into one of my range support staff. Fortunately, it was a T&T with only soft tissues disruption, and he was treated and released a few hours later. The shooter in question was trained, and experienced, and during the after action interview when asked to recall the sequence of events leading up to his ND, this shooter could not tell me when/at what stage he had loaded his pistol. GLSA? Yes. But......... we are creatures of habit. His subconscious handling was so ingrained that he did not take a conscious thought approach, which led to his GLSA, which led to his not being able to recall when he chambered a round, or realize that he had.
Thankfully, the staff member made a full recovery in short order, and the incident did not end in a needless & preventable loss of life. But it did result in the loss of a job, and career the ND'er had devoted a good deal of his life to attain. Self-inflicted to be sure. But should we be doing something different in terms of how we go about reaching the goal of unconscious competence?
Another old adage is: There are two types of shooters. Those who have had ND's, and those who will.
I try to keep that in my mind when handling guns. I am one mis-step away from falling into CAT II each time I touch my guns. Conscious thought comes to play any time I administratively touch a gun. Letting my over-sized ego convince me that I am too smart, experienced, bad ass, fill in the blank to have an ND is a recipe for disaster. A fresh serving of it ready to be dished out the first time I don't consciously recognize that I am handling weapons.
This is twice now that we have agreed on something. Is this a sign of the Apocalypse?
I haven't seen any of the Safety Rule alternatives being anything but a step backwards so far. The NRA's safety rules are terrible. Terrible to the point that my neighbors, taking NRA Basic Pistol, had to come and ask about the contradiction in the rules to their purpose.....a home defense gun.
Completely contradictory to my above statement........but I disagree that the rest of COL. Cooper's musings may be as good as it needs to get. Triad is fine. Rules are solid, and work. Colors make it easy(ish) for people new to the idea to comprehend.......but they are overly simplistic in a number of ways.......they also require an instructor/mentor/teacher who truly understands the material, and how it applies to practical reality in order to impart the complete intent to people who are just being introduced to the concept. Other principles, ideas, philosophies from the father of modern pistolcraft need always be re-assessed, re-examined, and re-understood.
A better mousetrap will never be found unless we constantly question and examine. If that quest for knowledge, information, and enlightenment leads to a truly better mousetrap, we will be better for it. If it leads us back to where we started, we will be better for having invested the time and effort to ensure the mousetrap we have is the one best suited to trap our particular species of mouse. Knowledge comes from our study of the game, and learning from our mistakes. Wisdom comes from studying those who have gone before, and learning from their mistakes. Enlightenment comes from combining knowledge, wisdom, and never failing to ask "Why".
So far. But as I referenced above, they need to be understood from a PracAp standpoint and be effectively transmitted to those unfamiliar with the concept. I have lost count of the number of people who can rattle off quotes from his book, yet have failed to grasp the meanings.
Last edited by Odin Bravo One; 04-13-2014 at 09:07 AM.
Ain't that symptomatic of all learning these days....
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Fairness leads to extinction much faster than harsh parameters.
And I'm sure some tactical hipster is out there formulating his thread and how to keep instigating discussion on the color codes too.
Indeed Sir.
"Triad is fine. Rules are solid, and work. Colors make it easy(ish) for people new to the idea to comprehend.......but they are overly simplistic in a number of ways.......they also require an instructor/mentor/teacher who truly understands the material, and how it applies to practical reality in order to impart the complete intent to people who are just being introduced to the concept. Other principles, ideas, philosophies from the father of modern pistolcraft need always be re-assessed, re-examined, and re-understood."
Outstanding post Sean, and I think the above quote is gold. I have found that many folks "teaching" have very little understanding of the true context of the Gunsite Safety Rules, and many of those who are teaching their own variations also lack understanding when I have discussed the issues with what they are teaching. I have been pretty much appalled at the lack of actually "teaching" safety principles as opposed to regurgitating some variation in front of students at best with no context, or "everybody know the rules" or "big boy rules" at worse.
Just a Hairy Special Snowflake supply clerk with no field experience, shooting an Asymetric carbine as a Try Hard
"If I had a grandpa, he would look like Delbert Belton".
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