There is an unfortunate misunderstanding among some people about blank firing guns. This being that these guns are harmless and could never harm or kill. Sadly, people have been killed and injured with blank firing guns and it is always an unfortunate tragedy.
First of all, whether a firearm is real or blank-firing makes no difference in how it should be handled. Here are basic safety procedures that everyone should follow:
1) Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2) Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
3) Always know what you are aiming at and what’s beyond.
4) Keep your finger outside the trigger guard unless ready to shoot.
- ALL FIREARMS THAT USE EXPLODING CAPS OR BLANKS STILL HAVE DISCHARGE- even starter pistols. The discharge is a hot gas resulting from the explosion and it can burn skin. This discharge can contain small bits of metal from the blank. In real guns, this discharge is released through the front of the barrel. But, in prop guns and most starter pistols, the barrel is sealed and the discharge is vented through the side of the gun.
- All sealed guns should have an orange cap on the end identifying it as a sealed barrel gun. The orange cap shouldn’t be removed or painted over.
- A prop gun should never be pointed directly at a person, for obvious reasons!
- Any stage gun should always be locked up when not in use, and should be always supervised when not locked up.
- Blank firing guns and prop guns also need to be cleaned after every use to prevent malfunctions, and to keep the gun in top working order.