 the rock, then the club, next the spear. Later, bows and arrows. And finally, the gun. A rock, a club, a spear, an arrow, even a knot are reasonably safe to handle as killing tools go. But guns, well, they're different. I guess you know what you're going to do when Joe gets here. Don't make any fast moves, Luke. I'll shoot you in the back. Now guns, shotguns, rifles, revolvers, all those tools we call small arms are safe to handle if you know what you're doing. That's why the Air Force makes sure that every airman and officer whose job requires carrying firearms is thoroughly trained. Not only in marksmanship, but in firearms safety as well. This training includes all Air Force members going overseas, no matter what his or her job may be. But you know safety training is one thing, and safe behavior is another. Under direct supervision, trained men will behave safely, but unsupervised, some men disregard their training. This man, for example, Airman Joe Smith. He knows you do not bring firearms into a dormitory, but Joe doesn't really believe it's all that dangerous. This gun is his own property, not an Air Force weapon. Having it in his room is his business. Anyhow, nothing's going to happen. Some other person, some turkey, might cause a mishap, but not him. Why, sure, Joe, of course. Isn't it always the other guy? What you did, I'll be a long time forgetting. Yes, sir. You're a lucky man, Smith. Suppose someone had been in that room next to you is just at the wrong time. All you get is busted and rang. In this unit, we're not all that easy going. Let me read you a few on-duty and off-duty mishaps we've got here. Pay strict attention, OK? Maybe you can tell me why people keep on doing these things. There's one that happened recently on a base in the Midwest. This event began as an anti-robbery training exercise. Hey LaFlein, what's going on? Oh, not too much. It's pretty dead out here tonight. Come on, you need to talk to you for a minute, OK? Yes, sir, go ahead. Thank you, sir. This is a training exercise. Arm robbery, building 223, base exchange. I repeat, this is a training exercise. Arm robbery, building 223, base exchange. All post-trolls, 10-3, unless you have emergency, we have a simulated armed robbery in progress. Flight training exercise at building 223. Realistic is possible. A two-striper played the role of intruder. One purpose of the exercise was to check the search techniques of the responding patrols. Bill, this is the exercise. Arm robbery. I want you to go inside and check out the building. OK. It must be an exercise. Go get an ambulance. Shot him right through the eye? That's right. This is kind of far out. But was there any bad blood between them? That would be a good way to pull off a murder. The killer had a motive, huh? That's not far out. Matter of fact, that's one of the first things the investigating team would check. It was unintentional. Pure mishap. He got excited? He lost his cool. The realism got to him. He knew it was just a training exercise, but he reacted without thinking. The incident should tell you that even professionals can have an accident. Well, what'd they give him? What he got is immaterial to the point, which is this. It was a tragic and unnecessary death of a security policeman. You know, some people don't realize that security police aren't the only types who carry guns on base. For instance, there's carriers who run special errands. Like transporting secret documents and delivering large sums of money. They carry 38s, same as you and me. Some of the supply people handle classified electronic items or store weapons also go armed. Then you've got air crews on certain types of missions. They've had firearm safety training, and occasionally they break some safety rules. Mainly because they can't be bothered to turn their weapons in every evening and check them back out again the next day. Safety rules are often inconvenient. Some men who aren't security policemen are occasionally assigned to guard alert facilities and munition storage areas. They carry M-16s or shotguns, or maybe revolvers too. And all these on base types are potential mishaps. Most individuals are careful. But the things some people do with weapons you wouldn't believe. Here's one that's sort of like a slapstick comedy, except it's funny like a crutch. That pistol hit the floor and fired. The slug entered his left ankle, traveled up his leg, and exited from the calf. That could have crippled him for life. That's just what it did do. Crippled him for life, but it could have killed him or someone in the next room. Like when you shot yourself in that mirror, the bullet went through the wall, crossed the room, and hit the opposite wall. You could have killed someone in that room just like that. I've thought about it a lot, Chief. I could have killed someone. It's not going to happen again. Yeah, we sure get some dillies here. Mishaps that are hard to believe. One of these reports tells about a survival instructor who fell asleep with a loaded revolver in his hand. Guess what woke him up? Like you, that guy had a lot of safety education and handling firearms. In your case, didn't any of it sink in? Sure it did. Up to now, I've always been real careful. But somehow, after a while, well, I just never thought something like this would ever happen to me. Sure. Accidents never happen to us. It's always that other guy. Let's see, I was making a point. You were given reasons why guns affect people, especially when they're alone. Sure. Well, I'm theorizing, of course. But I claim that if a person knows how to get in trouble, he can avoid it. Boredom is a strong feeling, but its opposite excitement is just as strong. Take that guy, Bill, who killed that simulated robber. Excitement motivated him. The realism. Walking out across that lot, he was alone. When that robber jumped out at him with a pointed pistol, Bill became a man of instinct. His instinct, triggered by his emotions, said, shoot. You're bade. A well-trained man. Let me tell you about another situation that happened. When a group of hunters get together, usually they're pretty cautious. Each man avoids pointing his gun at anyone, and he's careful not to get pointed at. He's seeing the danger, so he believes in it. But when the group scatters and each person's alone, excitement may take over. And that's what happened here. One of the hunters had forgotten that one man in the group wasn't wearing any red clothes. The bushes shook, and he thought he spotted a deer. Finally, he saw it again. A patch of brown near a tree. He took a good look. Was it a deer? The question never got answered. Now, that mishap actually occurred to an air crew member stationed here on this base. But it's nothing new. Happens all over the United States in the hunting season. Wearing red outfits is good safety practice, but even that won't protect anyone from an over-excited man. Boredom? Excitement? Any other emotions involved? Sure. There's curiosity, impatience, anger, frustration. Any strong emotion can have an adverse effect on safety. Curiosity? People get curious about their weapons, they begin to monkey-weapon. There's another factor that, well, maybe you could say it was emotion. I call it just plain damn foolishness. Yeah, like me. As I've indicated, a lot of accidents occur on base. The big majority, though, happen off base in a workshop or home. In one four-year period, there were 39 injuries and two fatalities on base. Off base in that same period, there were 278 injuries and 25 fatalities. Off base, a person feels different about the gun that he or she keeps around. It's their gun. That seems to make a lot of difference. They keep it for protection, for sport, but not for military duty. A friend of mine bought a gun once. He said the same thing. It was hard for him to remember the safety rules when he was off base. He usually kept the gun under his pillow and then would put it in a safe place the next day. But somehow, one morning, he completely forgot the gun. Ordinarily, his wife would have found it when she made the bed. But this morning, she was interrupted by a telephone call. And for a few moments, her children were left alone playing on the bed. A little boy found this big gun of daddy's worked the same as his own toy pistol. Only it was a lot harder to cock. No, I used to play with those kids. Maybe that's why I get choked up about weapons safety. It's hard to believe people do such things. Without my own experience, I'd feel stories like that were no concern of mine. But you still haven't answered my question, Chief. You've said why a person gets in trouble. All the safety training I've had says the same things. But you haven't said anything about what to do. Is there a solution? You'd better believe it. Thorough training is part of the solution. But training can go only so far. At some point along the line, the solution's up to you. Self-discipline, huh? Yeah. A long day. About a cup of coffee. I mean attitude, belief. You've got to brainwash yourself into believing a gun is always loaded. Try to look at a gun and see it for what it really is. It's a tool for killing. Take one more look in that chamber. Even though you know it's empty, you'll feel like a fool at first, but you'll be developing one safe attitude. Never point a finger at another person. Never point a pencil, a ruler, or anything else at another person. Make that a habit and you'll surely never point a gun at anyone. And that's another way to develop a safe attitude. Learn to recognize danger, even when it's invisible. Yeah, it's time to go. Even an idiot can avoid the hazards he can see, like an open flame or a coiled rattlesnake. But when you begin to see what can happen, then you'll be a safe man to have around. Now, just for kicks, develop a safe attitude toward driving a car or using a stepladder or handling a knife. All hazards come from the same family. Well, Smith, I've just about talked myself hoarse. But if any of it sinks in, I'll count it as time well spent. It's sinking in. And I really appreciate the effort. Just a minute, Smith. The commander wanted to boot you out of this unit, but I convinced him to keep you on. Now, if you let me down... How will itch down? You want to know how I changed the old man's mind? How? I said, well, why get rid of the only guy in this unit with Smith's experience? The only man who ever shot himself in the mirror and lived to tell about it. Yeah, that won't happen again. I assured him it wouldn't happen again. Okay, that's all you can go now. God, you take care of your... Thanks a lot again, Chief. Yes, sir, guns are different. And if you don't handle them right, they'll get you or somebody else. So handle them safely, okay?