# Shot himself in the face cleaning his rifle **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202 "2015-03-17T14:38:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/1 "2015-03-17T14:38:49Z")
So I’m watching a trauma center reality show on Lifetime last night. It showed the helicopter trauma teams and the ER docs working on various hideous injuries. One was definitely a self-inflicted gunshot to the head with a .22 hollow-point and they couldn’t save that guy. But another was a teenager who had bought a rifle at a gun convention the day before and was described as having shot himself in the face while cleaning it. He was able to speak on the scene and they seemed convinced it was accidental. Sadly he shattered a lot of the bones in his face and will need umpteen surgeries to reconstruct it. I know there is a GQ answer to my main question, which is physically how would this happen (assuming the description is valid)? Wouldn’t a rifle be too long to be looking down the barrel and still be able to shoot it? Are we talking somehow dropping the gun and having it shoot you in the face? I put it in IMHO since anecdotes are welcome. A family friend shot his finger while cleaning his handgun – that makes sense (other than the not making sure it wasn’t loaded part). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/2 "2015-03-17T14:43:48Z")
“I was cleaning my gun” means he wasn’t really cleaning his gun but was doing something fucking stupid. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/3 "2015-03-17T14:49:04Z")
The distance from my eye to the middle of my palm is 31 inches. An AR-15 style rifle has a barrel of 16-20 inches. The trigger would be in easy reach. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/4 "2015-03-17T14:55:14Z")
Remember the trigger typically is around a third of the way or so up from the butt of a rifle and/or shotgun and except for some extreme examples, like maybe an old _Kentucky Long Rifle_, it would be possible for most any non-child to look down the barrell and reach the trigger at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/5 "2015-03-17T14:55:20Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > “I was cleaning my gun” means he wasn’t really cleaning his gun but was doing something fucking stupid. Correct. I know of no gun-cleaning procedure that involves pulling the trigger while the bore is pointed at one’s head. The somewhat complicated **disassembly** procedure for my .22 pistol involves pulling the trigger several times along the way, but the first step of the process is verifying an empty chamber and all trigger-pulling steps begin with “with the pistol pointed in a safe direction”. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/6 "2015-03-17T14:58:33Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > “I was cleaning my gun” means he wasn’t really cleaning his gun but was doing something fucking stupid. That’s good! That’s the equivalent of black eyes caused by “doorknobs”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/7 "2015-03-17T14:59:54Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Remember the trigger typically is around a third of the way or so up from the butt of a rifle and/or shotgun and except for some extreme examples, like maybe an old _Kentucky Long Rifle_, it would be possible for most any non-child to look down the barrell and reach the trigger at the same time. OK, thanks. I still had in my head the scenario of someone trying to shoot themself and having to rig up some complicated contraption involving string and their big toe. So, probably he was goofing around with his new gun and it went off?? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/8 "2015-03-17T15:06:32Z")
Could be. That and I’d imagine for the uninitiated that there’s a bit of sensory overload when first handling a deadly weapon, maybe something akin to your first handling of a snake or parachute jump but on a lesser scale. You’re aware of the danger but mesmerized at the same time and you do something nonsensical, you commit an error that you knew not to do if only you’d not lost your focus. In short, he brain farted. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/9 "2015-03-17T15:08:53Z")
My rifle is certainly short enough, would I be dumb enough, to set it on the ground, or even hold it between my knees and aim at my face. I have a .22 bolt action. But pulling the trigger, now that’s another thing. It’s not that I couldn’t, it’s just that I would have to specifically a) have the safety off b) have a round chambered, which means in my case I had to work the bolt action to get a round in there c) somehow pull the trigger! The guy was fucking around. It is really really ridiculously easy to never shoot yourself with your gun - never point the fucking thing at yourself! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/10 "2015-03-17T15:15:32Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > The somewhat complicated **disassembly** procedure for my .22 pistol involves pulling the trigger several times along the way, but _the first step of the process is verifying an empty chamber and all trigger-pulling steps begin with “with the pistol pointed in a safe direction”_. [italics mine] This should _always_ be the first step (with the safety on) when doing _anything_ with a firearm other than discharging it in a safe direction. Those who ignore this rule are handling their weapon recklessly and the consequences are entirely their own fault. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/11 "2015-03-17T15:24:10Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > It is really really ridiculously easy to never shoot yourself with your gun - never point the fucking thing at yourself! Yup. The best bit of advice I ever heard about guns is: The gun is always, always loaded. Doesn’t matter if you unloaded it. Doesn’t matter if it’s partially disassembled. Doesn’t matter if there’s a barbershop quartet singing “unloaded times are here again!” The gun is always loaded, and you never point it at something you’d be unwilling to shoot. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/12 "2015-03-17T15:24:39Z")
I thought this was going to be a bukkake thread. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/13 "2015-03-17T15:39:25Z")
I vividly remember being on a suicide call where I guy shot himself in the head with a long .30-60 hunting rifle. It was probably awkward but certainly doable. In case you are wondering in is quite possible to literally blow your brains out. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/14 "2015-03-17T15:43:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I thought this was going to be a bukkake thread. I realized the double entendre as I was hitting “Submit New Thread”. “Cleaning his rifle” – is that was they’re calling it these days? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/15 "2015-03-17T15:44:59Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Yup. The best bit of advice I ever heard about guns is: The gun is always, always loaded. Doesn’t matter if you unloaded it. Doesn’t matter if it’s partially disassembled. Doesn’t matter if there’s a barbershop quartet singing “unloaded times are here again!” The gun is always loaded, and you never point it at something you’d be unwilling to shoot. Yeah, that’s the standard advice, but it’s pretty much impossible to clean some guns (like the M1 Garand) without putting some part of your anatomy in front of the barrel. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/16 "2015-03-17T15:45:56Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > “Cleaning his rifle” – is that was they’re calling it these days? I think “test firing” describes it better. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/17 "2015-03-17T15:46:30Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I realized the double entendre as I was hitting “Submit New Thread”. “Cleaning his rifle” – is that was they’re calling it these days? Yes, right along with _mounting a trophy._ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/18 "2015-03-17T15:58:03Z")
Cleaning a loaded gun? Either the person has sadly tried to commit suicide, or they are a complete moron. Never point a gun at anyone, including yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/19 "2015-03-17T16:10:59Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I know there is a GQ answer to my main question, which is physically how would this happen (assuming the description is valid)? My assumption would be that the description isn’t valid. It’s much more likely that a teenaged boy who had just bought a gun would show it off to another teenage boy. Second teenage boy swings gun around wildly while making POW! POW! sounds and shoots his best buddy in the face. Second teenage boy runs away. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202/20 "2015-03-17T16:16:14Z")
In my experience, the phrase is the go-to statement used when people don’t want to admit that it was a suicide attempt. YMMV. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shot-himself-in-the-face-cleaning-his-rifle/715202.md?page=2)