Should a gun fire if you drop it?

On Behalf of Scott Marshall Injury Attorneys | July 22, 2022 | Defective Products

Most people know to practice the safe handling of a firearm – whether practicing at a range or going hunting. But mistakes and accidents do happen. Maybe someone bumps a gun that is sitting on the table at the range and it falls to the floor. Maybe you trip in the woods and drop your hunting rifle while trying to get to your stand.

So, if you do happen to accidentally drop that gun, should it fire? The answer is no.

The drop test

A gun should not fire simply because a person dropped in on accident. In fact, manufacturers have a specific test – a drop test – that they use to make sure this doesn’t happen. Firearms are produced to specifications that are rigidly upheld. A gun should never discharge if it is simply dropped on the ground, even if it is loaded and a bullet is chambered at the time.

A defective product?

If this does happen, you could have a defective product. Maybe the safety systems on the firearm don’t work correctly. Maybe someone never even competed a quality assurance drop test for your particular firearm.

Regardless, firearms like all consumer products should be free from defects, whether it’s a manufacturing defect, design defect, or warning defect. If they aren’t, it could open the door to a product liability lawsuit.

Yes, there are inherent risks to using a firearm, but dropping it should not be one of them.