ND
TheBoss is taking the entire company to Kurdistan for a vacation. We're staying in riverside cabins in Sulimaniya. Tomorrow we're going to Ahmed Ahwah, a small town in the mountains right on the Iranian border, with fantastic views and waterfalls and goats and traditional Kurdish peshmerga.
Thursday morning, we had almost 50 people gathered at the company - 3/4 of the staff and many of the older ones' families. We were standing outside when one of our business partners asked to see my Browning pistol. I did not know at the time that Omar D. (not to be confused with my engineer, Omar M.) had no experience with weapons. Most Iraqis have at least some gun handling experience. Omar apparently had just enough to be dangerous.
I removed the magazine, cleared the weapon, and handed it to him with the slide back. After he looked at it, I handed him the clip as well. He took the clip, slid it home, released the slide, and - to my horror - turned to discharge it "safely" at the corner of concrete floor and wall.
The Browning has a clip safety, meaning the hammer will not fall if the clip is out. So to clear the weapon, one traditionally removes the clip, clears the chamber, works the slide a few times to be sure, and then uses a finger inside the handle to operate the clip safety while working the trigger. It is considered acceptable to momentarily replace the clip for this purpose, as the mechanism is high in the handle and most people's fingers are too short for the job.
Omar clearly had this process backward. He put the clip in and released the slide, which slid forward and chambered a round. Then he turned to aim in a safe direction to drop the hammer. The hammer came down on a live round. I saw it all in slow motion, and couldn't do a damn thing to stop him.
The bullet ricocheted off the ground, blowing small chips back at Omar, and bounced off Maher's chest. He was left with a paper-thin copper-jacketed bullet and a small scratch under his right nipple. I emphasize that we were in a crowd at the time, and al hamdu lillah, no one was hurt.
The US military uses the term "AD" for this - Accidental Discharge. The British use a far more appropriate term, Negligent Discharge. The negligence was mine. I said al hamdu lillah - "thanks be to God" more than once over that. Don't worry about me getting religious; it's an Iraqi thing.
The correct thing, of course, is to NEVER give your gun to anyone. Which is what TheBoss told me as well. And a policy I normally follow. However, guns in Iraq are status symbols, tools, and boys' toys. And it's extremely common for guests to inquire about them or handle them. I told TheBoss I would no longer do that if he did the same. I bet almost anything that he'll break the promise before I will.
Either way, no one is ever getting my magazine again.
الحمد لله
Thursday morning, we had almost 50 people gathered at the company - 3/4 of the staff and many of the older ones' families. We were standing outside when one of our business partners asked to see my Browning pistol. I did not know at the time that Omar D. (not to be confused with my engineer, Omar M.) had no experience with weapons. Most Iraqis have at least some gun handling experience. Omar apparently had just enough to be dangerous.
I removed the magazine, cleared the weapon, and handed it to him with the slide back. After he looked at it, I handed him the clip as well. He took the clip, slid it home, released the slide, and - to my horror - turned to discharge it "safely" at the corner of concrete floor and wall.
The Browning has a clip safety, meaning the hammer will not fall if the clip is out. So to clear the weapon, one traditionally removes the clip, clears the chamber, works the slide a few times to be sure, and then uses a finger inside the handle to operate the clip safety while working the trigger. It is considered acceptable to momentarily replace the clip for this purpose, as the mechanism is high in the handle and most people's fingers are too short for the job.
Omar clearly had this process backward. He put the clip in and released the slide, which slid forward and chambered a round. Then he turned to aim in a safe direction to drop the hammer. The hammer came down on a live round. I saw it all in slow motion, and couldn't do a damn thing to stop him.
The bullet ricocheted off the ground, blowing small chips back at Omar, and bounced off Maher's chest. He was left with a paper-thin copper-jacketed bullet and a small scratch under his right nipple. I emphasize that we were in a crowd at the time, and al hamdu lillah, no one was hurt.
The US military uses the term "AD" for this - Accidental Discharge. The British use a far more appropriate term, Negligent Discharge. The negligence was mine. I said al hamdu lillah - "thanks be to God" more than once over that. Don't worry about me getting religious; it's an Iraqi thing.
The correct thing, of course, is to NEVER give your gun to anyone. Which is what TheBoss told me as well. And a policy I normally follow. However, guns in Iraq are status symbols, tools, and boys' toys. And it's extremely common for guests to inquire about them or handle them. I told TheBoss I would no longer do that if he did the same. I bet almost anything that he'll break the promise before I will.
Either way, no one is ever getting my magazine again.
الحمد لله