Can Safety Be Too Much Work?

Now that deer season is almost here, I've put together my 2007 hunting pack.  It includes many of the essentials necessary for a successful hunt: gloves; camo face paint; extra broadheads; a flashlight; and so on.

I've been carrying the pack around in my truck and have taken the opportunity to show some hunting buddies a new addition to the 2007 pack: my Gunslinger.

The Gunslinger is the innovative product from Gun Safety Innovations that helps hunters safely raise and lower their weapons from tree stands and also prevents the gun from falling to the ground if accidentally dropped.

So far, the reception I've gotten from most individuals seeing the product for the first time has been one of skepticism.

"Seems like a lot of work," the first guy I showed it to said.

Others have expressed similar sentiments and indicated that they'll continue to use ropes to raise and lower their weapons as they have for years.

Many of these same guys have also been hunting from tree stands for years without safety harnesses.  Up until last year, I myself sat in a stand without a harness about half the time.

Why?  Because putting a full body harness on properly is a lot of work.  In fact, it's a lot more work than using the Gunslinger.

Once the Gunslinger is secured to the tree stand, it is fairly simple to attach it to the stock of the gun.  After the weapon has been raised, it's just a matter of snapping off the longer strap and attaching the gun to the shorter tether, which remains attached to the stand.

All told, the hunter has probably added about two minutes to the process of setting up for the hunt.  So what does that mean?  It's two less minutes you'll sit in that stand with nothing to do, waiting for it to get light.

Safety-oriented products often create slight inconveniences and take some getting used to for individuals and the public at large.  When I was growing up, I didn't wear a seatbelt, nor did most of the people I knew.  Now I won't drive to the mailbox without one, and I look at as reckless the few people I know who still don't buckle up.

Also when I was a kid, bicycle helmets were unheard of.  Any kid wearing one would have been laughed off the street.  Today, my kids are not allowed to ride without helmets.  Yes, it can be inconvenient, especially when one of them has to go back inside to grab the helmet he forgot.  And yes, on occassion enforcement of the rule is a pain in my neck.

And yes, I have overheard a kid whose parents don't make him wear a helmet give my kids a little bit of grief about it.

But little things one can use to make life a bit safer--a seatbelt, a safety harness, a bicycle helmet, a Gunslinger--are important enough to be worth the inconvenience.  They're also important enough to be worth ingnoring the skeptics and doing what you know is best, even if the crowd disagrees.

Comments

[Kristine Shreve]

Matt,

Couldn't have said it better myself. You've said exactly what I always say. When you factor in damage to your gun or bow if it falls, and possible injury to yourself, if you fall trying to grab your gun or bow, or if the gun hits the ground and discharges into the air, the extra minute or so it takes to set up a Gunslinger is well worth it.

Thanks for providing first hand testimony that supports what I've been saying. I appreciate it.

[Bryan]

Matt,

Great post. As I mentioned over on Kristine's site, this is right up my alley in terms of what I study in Psychology. I ask questions like, "What motivates people to perform injury prevention behaviors?"

I'd love to research this area more formally as it applies to hunting.

Great post!

[Arthur]

I wear my seat belt in my car and always wear my safety harness in my treestand. Don't know why anyone wouldn't take the extra time to be more safe.

[JEC]

Airbags can be "trouble" too as they prevent children from riding in the front seat. But what price, in time or money, do you put on your child's life? Your own? Another hunter's? Humans sometimes have a skewed perception of risk--they are worried about getting killed by terrorists, but they don't wear their seatbelts. They're concerned about something that's unlikely to happen, but they don't quit smoking! People (especially younger ones) will always take risks, but we should take the precautions that give us the biggest bang for our buck (or prevent the biggest bang, in the case of the Gunslinger).