Negligent Handling, Negligent Discharge

Negligent discharges make the news every little bit, and the blame is usually placed on the firearm; as in "The gun went off."  Whether you use the NRA first rule of 'Keep your gun pointed in a safe direction.' or Jeff Cooper's first and second rules of 'All guns are always loaded.' and 'Never let the muzzle cover anything you do not want to destroy.' , you won't have a negligent discharge that hurts anyone if you apply the rules as hard as you can, and use proper mitigation for those times when you must work around the muzzle of the gun.  This all came to mind when I saw this link again recently.  This individual placed his hand in front of the muzzle of a fully assembled firearm and pulled the trigger in preparation for disassembly.  I don't know any good reason to put part of your body in front of the muzzle when you pull the trigger, but not everyone has a tight grasp on that concept.  Watch the following video, which is a very good tutorial on the disassembly and reassembly of a 1911 until the final functionality test at 14:28.  I know that he knew the gun was empty, but doing what he did creates a level of comfort in his mind with dropping the hammer when his body is covered by the muzzle.  I don't want to go there, and you shouldn't either.  There are a couple other good ways to do that test without muzzling yourself, and you can point the gun into a sand bucket while you do it, if only to reinforce safety procedures in your brain.  Be careful out there, and be thoughtful when your hand is on a gun.