alykitcat
Contributor
I would still rather be safe then sorry with any speargun and would go ape$#!# if it one were pointed at me...loaded or not
Safe or unsafe?
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cmburch
Contributor
IMO it is not a good idea to carelessly point any speargun whether loaded or not.
Pneumatics can be strung and may have a place under the barrel or clip to store the spear, so that is no excuse for pneumatic gun owners carelessness of having a loaded gun floating around and on a boat. For a pneumatic, if there is a spear compressed in the center of the barrel, it is loaded.
A band speargun even if the bands are not tensioned should be handled as a loaded gun IMO.
Pneumatics can be strung and may have a place under the barrel or clip to store the spear, so that is no excuse for pneumatic gun owners carelessness of having a loaded gun floating around and on a boat. For a pneumatic, if there is a spear compressed in the center of the barrel, it is loaded.
A band speargun even if the bands are not tensioned should be handled as a loaded gun IMO.
Another definition of a loaded speargun:
Park Rangers inside the Dry Tortugas State Park consider a speargun loaded if it has the spear in the mechanism, even with the bands off. A little over a year ago friends were stopped and told they were in violation of the park rules. You must remove the spears when entering the boundaries after spearing outside the park. Some charter boats put the guns below as well.
Many guns can fire if bumped sufficiently while loaded/banded. It's rare but I've seen Riffe, Wong, Biller, SS Seahornet, JBL guns accidentally fire. Old USD SeaHunter guns were terrible about not firing or prefiring. The store I worked for broke and tossed half a dozen of them away.
Many safeties are not worth having on guns, and should never be relied upon, IMO. The only safety I use is proper handling.
Chad
Park Rangers inside the Dry Tortugas State Park consider a speargun loaded if it has the spear in the mechanism, even with the bands off. A little over a year ago friends were stopped and told they were in violation of the park rules. You must remove the spears when entering the boundaries after spearing outside the park. Some charter boats put the guns below as well.
Many guns can fire if bumped sufficiently while loaded/banded. It's rare but I've seen Riffe, Wong, Biller, SS Seahornet, JBL guns accidentally fire. Old USD SeaHunter guns were terrible about not firing or prefiring. The store I worked for broke and tossed half a dozen of them away.
Many safeties are not worth having on guns, and should never be relied upon, IMO. The only safety I use is proper handling.
Chad
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perdidochas
Contributor
Recently I experienced my first contact with a few spear fishermen. I would like to ask an experienced crowd a question or two. I have many years hunting experience with shotguns, rifles and archery equipment I love to hunt and after another year or so of diving and my diving skills are a little more honed, I plan on trying the spear gun out.I also have several years of on the job weapon handling experience and I feel that any weapon should always be treated as being loaded and ready to fire. In other words watch where you are pointing it and never point it at another person or thing unless they are your intended targets. That being said on several occasions in one day I had a spear gun pointed in my direction (a few times underwater, once in a store by a totally different person, to include some loose handling in between). Whether it was armed or not I really do not care as it made me very uncomfortable. I can only imagine how much it probably hurts to get shot with a spear!On one occasion when I asked a gentlemen to watch where he was pointing it his reply was it is not armed. To me this all seems sloppy and careless. My question is are there different rules for spear guns?
There shouldn't be different rules for spear guns.
scubastaci
Contributor
It's a matter of habit. I teach my children that you don't ever point any type of gun at people(unless they are water guns and then there would be no point to not shoot other people ) I am a hunter on land, have not started spearfishing yet, but that is probably coming. My gun is not loaded until I am in the stand and before I get out, I unload it. That being said, I never point it at anyone. Who wants to be the idiot that forgot to take the shell out of the barrel and accidentally shoots someone. So, I agree that if it is a weapon of any kind, even a knife, you never point it towards anything that you don't want dead. (now, mothers-in-law do not count!)
) I am a hunter on land, have not started spearfishing yet, but that is probably coming. My gun is not loaded until I am in the stand and before I get out, I unload it. That being said, I never point it at anyone. Who wants to be the idiot that forgot to take the shell out of the barrel and accidentally shoots someone. So, I agree that if it is a weapon of any kind, even a knife, you never point it towards anything that you don't want dead. (now, mothers-in-law do not count!)
If you don't absolutely KNOW that it is unloaded, then it is loaded. If it in not in my hands, I don't know if it loaded or not, therefore any gun pointing at me is considered loaded, and I will be appropriately irate.
I can't remember the number of times I was passed up a spear gun point first while helping people out of the water. I was only handed a gun with bands tensioned once. I've always wondered who found that gun.
Craig
Craig
I have handguns and shotguns and know gun safety.
IMO banded spearguns are different. You can see if the band is loaded onto the shaft. We all shoot single bands on my boat and you can see if the band is loaded or not. When someone approaches the boat to climb up the ladder, I look at their gun and if its still loaded (very rarely, or sharks in the area), I'll yell to the diver to unload before approaching.
The first rule on my boat: LOAD AND UNLOAD GUNS IN THE WATER. NO LOADED GUNS ON THE BOAT.
As far as a dive shop or in the garage, I never load a gun out of the water, and I hope noone else would either. Therefore, swinging a gun in the garage is different than swinging a shotgun or handgun, where you have no idea if its loaded without looking.
Just my opinion.
IMO banded spearguns are different. You can see if the band is loaded onto the shaft. We all shoot single bands on my boat and you can see if the band is loaded or not. When someone approaches the boat to climb up the ladder, I look at their gun and if its still loaded (very rarely, or sharks in the area), I'll yell to the diver to unload before approaching.
The first rule on my boat: LOAD AND UNLOAD GUNS IN THE WATER. NO LOADED GUNS ON THE BOAT.
As far as a dive shop or in the garage, I never load a gun out of the water, and I hope noone else would either. Therefore, swinging a gun in the garage is different than swinging a shotgun or handgun, where you have no idea if its loaded without looking.
Just my opinion.
DIVERHERB
Registered
I have been spearing for quit awhile now and have yet to see a gun that would NOT GO OFF accidently. A weak shear or worn shaft and it can fire if bands are loaded. I have seen them dropped and fire. I dont know of any kind of gun that is fail safe. I own several different ones and would never trust them not to missfire. Rules: load in water, never point at anything that you do not intend to shoot and never leave your finger inside the guard until you are ready to fire. just my 2 cents
james croft
Contributor
As far as any guns go, always point them in a safe direction. This applies to spearguns as well as firearms. I have been very active with both. I am a certified police firearms instructor and a master hunter safety instructor. I carry a gun everyday for a living. Trust me that sooner or later a person will have a gun fire when they don't expect it to. If it has not happened to you yet, it will happen if you handle a gun long enough. If a gun is pointed in a safe direction the worst that can happen is a bit of embarrasment. Always get in the habit of treating all guns as if they were loaded.
I have been fooling with spearguns since 1967 and have seen my share of mishaps. I have had them malfunction and have seen a lot that were improperly maintained. Do not trust them. Spearguns remind me of a saying about mules, "A mule will work hard for you for 40 years just for the opportunity to get in one good kick..."
I have been fooling with spearguns since 1967 and have seen my share of mishaps. I have had them malfunction and have seen a lot that were improperly maintained. Do not trust them. Spearguns remind me of a saying about mules, "A mule will work hard for you for 40 years just for the opportunity to get in one good kick..."
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