Guns don’t just “go off”. They don’t wake up one morning and decide that today is the day they’re going to assert themselves.
A modern firearm in good repair as a rule isn’t going to fire unless someone or something pulls the trigger. Watch out for brush or loose-clothing getting caught inside the trigger-guard and more importantly: keep your booger-hook off the bang-switch.
A more accurate headline would be: “San Francisco police officer accidentally fires his weapon.”
The basic rules of firearms safety are there for a reason.
With a nod to the late Col.(ret) Cooper:
1. All guns are always loaded. Period.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you don’t wish to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
I keep most of my firearms locked in a safe just so they don’t go on a shooting spree by themselves.
you dear sir, win colorful phrase of the year. I bow in deference
I have never agreed with having a definitive safety list that begins with a false statement. Perhaps I'm slightly more pedantic than most people, but still I think it's just going to subconsciously make people doubt things.
All guns are not always loaded. I have an entire gun-safe full of unloaded guns.
I believe Jeff Cooper modified this eventually to be: "1. All guns are always loaded (until you establish whether they are or not)."