I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. One of the range masters let me know that, while I had not violated the safe shooting angle of the pistol bay I occupied, he had noticed I was starting to turn a little sideways on the shooting line while working on the pistol. He thought I should know.

This was one of those pivotal moments when I wanted to unleash my inner Blockhead and let it run the show. I wanted to argue that I had not violated the rules. I wasn't behaving dangerously, and why was he giving me a hard time anyway? Instead, I took a deep breath, swallowed my pride, and thanked him. I took a moment to look at my shooting arrangement and physical positioning in relation to the shooting bay. He was right. I had not crossed the line but I was moving toward it with haste. I put the pistol down, reorganized the tools I was working with, and gave my seat a solid twist in the correct direction. I made a conscious effort not to turn sideways for the rest of my time there.

What is the cure for Shooter’s A.D.D. (Accidental Discharge Disasters)? It’s a simple idea that anyone can and should remember at the range: There is no such thing as an accidental discharge. Like many other English words, the word accident has more than one definition, but here is the one that’s relevant to this situation: An accident is any event that happens unexpectedly, without a deliberate plan or cause. We must make a plan to go shooting. We must deliberately load a gun, and then deliberately press the trigger. We may fire a gun unintentionally, but it is never accidentally. Therefore, we are each wholly and completely, morally and legally, responsible for each bullet that leaves our guns. Please make the commitment to use safe gun handling practices whenever you are shooting. The life you save may be my own.