Trigger Happy Harry (1946)

[Music] la [Music] a swimming pool may seem an odd place to start a picture on shooting but there is a logical tie up while it's possible that someday any one of us might have to shoot or swim to save his life most of us take up these Sports for the simple reason that's they're [Applause] fun swimming is fun for anybody but since some of us aren't exactly Olympic Champs signs are posted telling where it's safe to play and where it's not other signs carry other kind Common Sense safety warning and the hero of a thousand jokes and stories stands guard just in case but worth many times his pound of cure is the ounce of prevention taken by learning how to swim this is the real way to prevent accidents and guarantee that swimming is fun shooting too is fun all kinds of shooting fun for expert and beginner alike that's why it's the favorite sport of millions of people and like swimming it's a safe sport so long as we know what we're doing this means simply being careful to observe certain safety models drawn up by our National Rifle Association let's check them off now one by one and if we happen to find a shoe that fits then let's put it on so we can honestly say that shooting is fun and nothing but [Music] fun the muzzle is often called the business end of a gun which is right as long as it's not Monkey Business that point should be perfectly clear to this group of experienced Hunters [Music] and especially to Harry although he's earned the nickname trigger happy he's been shooting since he was a boy so naturally he knows all there is to know about guns he knows how persuasive a gun can be in an argument he's seen it in the movies a 100 times this technique is usually not necessary and it's certainly not safe this is better now the only man in real danger is Harry himself although his friends might be annoyed if they had to call off their hunt to rush him to a hospital it seems nobody's safe with Harry [Music] around surprise Harry no wonder the boys call you trigger happy that's the way always keep it pointed where it can't hurt anybody even if it should decide to go off all by itself there now everything's fine oh no not again it's not even safe to carry a stick that way much less a gun leaving Trigger Happy Harry on what we can assume will be his last hunt with these friends let's join up with this pair just just back from a good day uh-oh it's Harry again and a fine response this is to the offer of a helping hand you see Harry among other things a gun is not a boat [Music] hook here on the pistol range we're safe from Harry and from other worries we're safe because despite the many guns in sight among these experienced shooters it's just a natural habit to watch your muzzle and observe the other necessary safety [Music] precautions now take away the pistol substitute a rifle and see that the same holds true of handling guns with longer barrels it's like learning to drive a car conscious effort in learning to handle a gun correctly soon develops the UNC conscious habit of doing the right thing without thinking it doesn't matter what gun you hold in your hand what matters is how you hold it all the time no not again but yes Harry still points his muzzle at random now Harry they're expecting shots down around the target so this is okay and in general this this is okay but this is the way to kill somebody so remember what we said watch that muzzle I didn't know it was loaded is the most famous Alibi in the world and the most inexcusable take a gun any gun this rifle for example its owner is rightfully proud and his friend is rightfully skeptical until he's convinced that it's not loaded why take a chance why try to remember whether we've unloaded when it's this easy to be sure now everybody's happy and the proud owner can extract words of Praise from his envious friend maybe now a bolt action rifle isn't your hobby well it's just as easy to check and be sure with a lever action [Music] rifle a pump action rifle a revolver an automatic pistol a double barrel shotgun an autoloading shotgun or what have you now all these guns are equipped with mechanical safeties these safeties usually are simply blocks which prevent the [ __ ] mechanism of the gun from operating but with the gun open as it is here the gun can't possibly fire that's worth remembering open Action is the safest safety of all the only time a gun should be loaded is when it's about to be fired at all other times let's play it safe let's get in the habit of asking ourselves is that gun loaded is that gun loaded is that gun [Music] loaded is that gun loaded is that gun loaded even so guns should not be left lying loose around the house they should be locked up or kept safely Out Of Reach [Music] yes it's loaded luckily no harm has been done this time but there's still only one thing Harry can see I didn't know it was loaded [Music] [Applause] just as ball players train in Winter Hunters can spend profitable hours in off Seasons getting acquainted with the woods especially Hunters breed in the city study the appearance and habits of your game so you'll know your target when that moment arrives it's equally important to get used to seeing people moving around in the woods so you won't mistake them for game later on [Music] the ability to distinguish quickly between man and well look at this would be hutter hey stupid what are you shooting at let's take a look oh bought it a wood chuck have you or have you look closer a wood chuck a that kind of mistake is mighty easy to make but awfully hard to rectify after you've squeezed the trigger of course when we are sure of our Target but then who needs advice in a case like [Music] this here's another case it's been a long day and the taste of venison is dying on our friend's pallet and then at last something's there could it be could it really [Music] be it's Harry getting himself shot for this would be true justice but unfortunately a jury would be more apt to call it manslaughter poor Harry he can't even deck himself out in the right kind of clothes must think he's playing soldier a soldier of course must take great care to camouflage himself to Bland in to his background and hide from the watchful eyes of his enemy to see without being seen but this kind of shooting is different Harry the idea here is to be as conspicuous as possible because being seen is just as important as seeing in any form of hunting we want to look as little like the game as possible for reasons which should be obvious even to you now Harry spotted something here's one man we can count on to be sure of his Target before he fires a lucky Miss but now we can add one farmer to the list of those who wish that Harry would never venture outside the city [Music] limits the target's one thing equally important is what's back of [Music] it ahuh without even looking we'll say it's Harry who who else would use this very warning as a Target when there's a public road within easy [Music] range good shooting but where do the bullets go from here there's a lot of Open Country back there we can't see it at all but our 22 cartridges create a danger zone for 1 mile back it's hard to clear that much country remember that a 22 caliber long rifle cartridge is dangerous up to 1 mile a 3030 is dangerous up to 1 and 1/2 miles and a 306 up to 2 miles and at ranges like this unless you're sure of your back stop there's no telling what you'll hit Harry has an idea here and a good one he certainly could use a little [Music] practice but he didn't bring along his X-ray eyes and this is no clay pigeon a shotgun may have relatively short range but it does have some range no way of knowing what's on the other side of the Hill here's another good sport flinking an informal type of shooting is fun but watch out the greatest marksman in the world can't control the path of a [Music] Ricochet now maybe these men are taken the trouble to make sure that the shed is empty that's good as far as it goes but the bullet goes farther it's not stopped by this side nor by the other here's proof watch what happens when a 22 caliber long rifle bullet is shot through these boards yes only a 20 2 this is the reason we've got to be sure of our back stop this business of the back stop applies naturally to all forms of shooting and it's not just strangers we have to watch out for take this group for instance it includes three experienced hunters and Harry correction it did include Harry but being a rugged individualist he decides to to strike out on his [Music] own 5 minutes passed by now the others have missed Harry but they managed to struggle along without him this time it couldn't be Harry he couldn't make that little commotion so without [Music] hesitation and there he is as we knew he would be but this time instead of making like game he's appointed himself to play back stop no Harm's been done but for that Harry can thank neither himself nor the man who fired knowing that one of his group was on the loose somewhere in the neighborhood hunting parties must stick together or keep informed of each other's movements so they can always be sure of their targets and sure of their back stops trust Harry to show us the way not to hunt looks like he thinks he's back in the city strolling along the pavement watch out Harry watch out oh well maybe he'll get by with a couple of bruises at least the gun didn't go off in his face but left alone Harry would give it another chance lucky he's with men wise enough to recognize the danger and the the need to check over the gun before going on keep it clean Harry that's the first rule that comes Under The Heading know your gun and [Music] ammunition the only safe gun is a clean gun one that's in perfect operating condition the few minutes required to keep it that way pay handsome dividends and the extra fun you get from shooting with a gun you're sure of well what do you know even Harry wait a minute hold it Harry you of all people don't want a hair trigger at least we don't want you to have it the manufacturer knew how to adjust that mechanism you keep away and another thing Harry this whole operation looks to be out of your line if your gun needs fixing take it to a good gunsmith you know the way you take a sick child to a doctor now Harry you're not going to take another one apart well that's a relief uh-oh even this looks suspicious that's a 3220 revolver Harry sure that cartridge fits all right but let's see where you got it that's what we thought take a look at that box what do you think that notice is there for the mere fact that a cartridge fits isn't enough you've got to be sure it belongs there there's a lot of different ammunition to choose from be sure you match the right cartridge with the right gun now you're on the right track this is the place to get to know your gun and ammunition this is where you develop confidence in yourself in your ability to shoot and hit your target then you'll stop being trigger happy you'll pick your shots carefully and usually you'll get your game and only your game game with a single well-placed [Music] [Applause] shot learn to shoot Harry and remember the pitfalls we've pointed [Applause] out watch that muzzle keep it pointed where it can do no harm don't trust any gun examine it and make sure it's not loaded don't shoot until you're sure of your Target and equally sure of what's in back of the target within range of your gun and know your gun and ammunition what they are and how to handle them there's nothing complicated about shooting and nobody needs to feel hemmed in by These Warnings they're just little pieces of Common Sense which put together form a picture showing that if we know what we're doing and remember that a gun handled carelessly can be dangerous then we can all continue to enjoy our sport without a worry as we said shooting is fun but wait a minute hey harry okay Harry I guess if you can catch on any of us can