Interesting discussion. Thanks for taking the time to provide an explanation.
I'm not sure I have expressed any objection to calling certain actions moronic or idiotic, but rather surprised that it was appropriate when discussing a very specific accident. I don't know the victim in the photograph, but I guess the person who shot him is a moron.
I've personally seen only one person get shot with a speargun, but I have seen some close calls. It really is a dangerous activity.
I agree that all the rules Netdoc listed (including number 5) are valid. The person who I witnessed being shot was as the result of violating at least two of the 5 rules simultaneously.
It should be stated however, that it is not that uncommon to see experienced spearfisherman loading their guns before they enter the water and while still on the boat. It makes me nervous when I see it. There are various reasons for doing this and I am sure that Netdoc considers all of them moronic. It is primarily a situation where convenience trumps safety (in the eyes of those who do it).
I have seen a speargun misfire on a boat more than once and besides the recoil and the danger of getting hit by the pointy end of the shaft, there is another hazard. If a speargun, which has the shaft tethered to a strong line, fires in the air, the shaft can go upward or outward, reach the end of the line and then come back (from the elastic force of the line, I guess) and cause potentially fatal injuries from the butt of the shaft impaling someone. I witnessed a particularly dramatic example of the "rebounding action" on one dive boat several years ago.
Last week, an experienced spearo handed up a loaded speargun to me while in the process of handing up his catch, scooter, smb, pole spear and fins etc. It can be a lot of things for the diver to keep track of, so it is important to check for the gun being loaded before you grab it from a diver. I noticed the loaded gun immediately, I took it (being extra cautious about where it was pointed) and unloaded it for him. Since we are now talking about speargun safety, I thought it appropriate to provide a another reminder that it is always good to look at the band(s) of the gun and confirm that it is unloaded before handling it. Unfortunately, the situation is not as unusual as it should be.