One video posted at the Firearms Blog is circulating slowly in the internets and this has gotten my attention as we always are on the lookout for awful gun handling practices, and stressing on gun safety, We'll repeat it again, and again, and again. and again, and again: treat your airsoft gun like a real firearm. This one is for the books and reminds me of a Looney Tunes cartoon episode .

The video here shows a man shooting a rifle which I cannot make out as what type of a rifle. It seems to be pump action, but if it was a shotgun, then this person just saved himself a trip to the plastic surgeon, or worse, a trip to the mortician. The rifle fires normally in the first two rounds, and the third one just went "click" indicating a misfire. The shooter then looks into the barrel, and even without his finger on the trigger, the gun fires, missing his face just a mere inches, and punching a hole through his cap.

The blast shocked the shooter, as winced after the gun fired. He is really an extremely lucky man and he escaped injured, with perhaps some powder burns on the face and shock.

It can happen in airsoft, and more likely to happen, especially if a gearbox in an AEG goes haywire. If there's a round stuck inside the barrel, do not look into the barrel from the muzzle area. You can always check the chamber by pulling the bolt or charging handle, or slide and peek to see if there's a round jammed from behind. From there, you can use a cleaning rod to push out the stuck round towards the muzzle until it falls out. Even if you have removed the magazine, switched to safety, you must not look into the barrel from the muzzle.

The worse that will happen to you is an injured eye if not wearing eye protection, a chipped tooth (ewww!) or a bb lodged up your nose (more ewwww!) or a bruised face that would surely make you a butt of jokes in the office. Still even if the injury from a misfiring airsoft gun is far from being life-threatening, being safe the sorry should always be in mind.

Good thing the man in the video is a poor shot and missed himself. Watch the video and wince.