Belgrade, Montana Personal Injury Blog

When using a gun, you expect it to work as intended. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. For example, a gun could malfunction for a variety of reasons, such as a defective design.

Even though today's guns are more reliable than ever before, you never know if something will go wrong. Here are four types of malfunctions that can result in trouble:

• Failure of the gun to fire: It's not common, but you could come across this at some point. If your gun fails to fire, keep it pointed down as there's always a chance it could accidentally discharge. From there, remove the round and empty the gun.
• Failure of the gun to feed: This can happen for a number of reasons, such as weak magazine springs, damaged magazines, damaged cartridges, and dirt or debris accumulation in the chamber. To fix this issue, carefully remove the magazine from the gun and inspect the chamber.
• Failure of the gun to extract: This occurs when you're unable to remove the empty cartridge from the chamber, often leading to prematurely feeding another.
• Failure to eject: There are many reasons for this, such as a weak grip on the gun or a damaged chamber. Just the same as the other malfunctions, you must carefully examine the gun to pinpoint the cause.

When driving, good reaction time is often the difference between avoiding an accident and being part of an accident.

There are several tips you can follow to increase reaction time when driving, such as:

• Leave a greater following distance: This gives you more time to stop, such as when the car in front of you brakes suddenly.
• Eliminate distractions: If you're distracted, such as by talking on the phone or sending a text message, you're more likely to have a slower reaction time. This is a direct result of your attention not being on the road.
• Avoid busy streets: If you know where traffic congestion is most likely, you can avoid these areas to reduce the risk of trouble.
• Don't drive when drowsy: When you're tired, you're less likely to be able to make quick decisions and react to danger in a timely manner.
• Don't drive after taking prescription medication: This goes along with driving drowsy, as some prescription medications will cause you to lose focus and possibly fall asleep. Discuss this with your doctor if it's a concern.

The number of semitrucks on the road is staggering and that number will continue to grow. You can see them on interstates, highways and even on dirt/gravel roads.

Driving safely around commercial trucks is easier said than done for a number of reasons:

• These vehicles are extremely large
• Commercial truckers must contend with multiple blind spots
• Commercial trucks have long stopping distances
• Commercial truckers find it difficult to maneuver safely in tight spaces

If you have children, it's important to discuss gun safety with them at the appropriate age. This holds true even if you don't have guns in your house, as you never know when your child will have access to a firearm.

While there is a lot to discuss in regard to gun safety, here are five things you should definitely touch on:

• Don't touch a gun unless you have adult supervision: If your children follow this rule, you never have to worry about them using a gun and potentially making a fatal mistake.
• Treat every gun like a loaded gun: No one should ever point a gun, loaded or not, at a living person, animal or property. Also, teach your children to keep their fingers off the trigger.
• A real gun is not the same as a toy gun: Many children enjoy "playing guns" with their friends, thus making them think it's a harmless activity. Teach them the differences between real guns and toy guns.
• Teach them how to shoot: If your child is old enough, you may want to teach them how to shoot at a local gun range. This gives you the opportunity to teach them right from wrong, while also driving home various safety tips.
• Always pay attention: When using a gun, it's imperative to pay attention to the task at hand, and nothing else. This isn't a time to text friends, talk to someone else or take their eyes off the target for any reason.