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Skelton Sounds Off On Gun-Handling Idiots (1966)

by Joseph von Benedikt • June 2, 2011 • 23 comments

“It has to be the idiot tube — I don’t know where else so many swashbucklers could have learned such poor gun handling. It seems that almost every time one of my handguns is handed over to a curious stranger, he is equally determined to give an imitation of a 1935 movie hero and to wreck my gun.”

—Skeeter Skelton, 1966

In Handguns • Tagged
  • Steve Chism

    Skeeter and Bill Jordan…funniest duo to come down the pike EVER..May both rest in peace..they were the best.

  • Larry Frayer

    My Da was a Border Patrolman after WW II, went to BP school in El Paso with Bill Jordan & roe Horse Patrol with Charlie Conacher in Alpine TX in

    1947, so he knew Jordan & was familiar with Mr. Skelton. He worked the New mwxico Border out of Columbus New mexico from 1949 to 1955, an then transferred to USINS. Mr. Jordan & Mr. Skelton were both among the last of their breed, and the fact they could both write so well made them doubly treasured..

  • Gary Emch

    Skeeter would be right on target these days. Today in our society we have so many fake tough guys etc. that it makes me sick. Every show just about shown today has a crowd of idiots who believe this circus of clowns and then tries to go out in real life acting this out to they're dismay. Folks if you want to do the walk join the service.

    • mike

      I bet you wear your tough guy look when you're in the minivan heading to mcdonalds for an ice cream cone after dinner.

  • Paul

    What's worse is seeing those youtube idiots taking there girls friends out to take shoot and while doing so they take video of the girls behind, breast and talk about how hot they are. The idiots never teach them about handling a gun safely, to expect from recoil the first time or the proper way to grip a gun. Then they stand back and laugh there butts off when the girl get slapped inthe face or points the gun in the wrong direction, or keeps or finger on the trigger when she is not shooting. Its all fun and games until someone gets injuried.

  • ken

    I'm sure Skeeter (and all the other old timers who have left us with a legacy yet to be touched) is smiling that Ruger finally re-introduced the original Blackhawk frame and in 44 Special and 45 Colt to boot!

    They would all be pleased that the 1911 is still a healthy competitor in gun sales.

    Miss them all…….even Askins,jr…..(to some degree).

    • mike

      They'd probably be more concerned about the decline of America than anything else. They aren't smiling from heaven over a gun you can bet.

  • McKenney

    Yeah, you know what "THEY'RE talkin' 'bout!!,….cause Mr. Jordan, and Mr. Skelton were old guys.

    There is an old sayin', …"don't start a fight with an old guy,"

    The logic behind that is, old guys can't hear as well, see as well, have arthritis, are used to pain because of various maladies, and have a higher threshold for pain. They can't physically fight the Ninja & Mixed Martial Arts crowd anymore, so consequently they'll just kill you!! No posturing, no bluffing, just purely efficient. ….and I said that, not Bob Dylan.

  • Ted White

    Cochise County (AZ) Sheriff Larry Dever and his 60 deputies ALL carry 1911's, so the 1911, used as a law enforcement firearm, is still alive and well, at least here in the Southwest.

    • George Liquor

      FBI SWAT teams and Hostage Rescue Team also carry Springfield Armory Custom 1911 Professional .45s.

  • Jim Sheldon

    A couple of years back had one guy I was letting try out my SA ..45 at the home range. He claimed to be familiar with the gun and know how to shoot, and he proceeded to do a TV style a cowboy pull… raises the gun over his shoulder, bringing it down while cocking the hammer, finger on the bang switch…

    He fired the gun about 30 degrees above the target!!

    Yeah he got a severe chewing out and some quick lessons on gun safety…

    Lesson learned… watching someone shoot a gun on TV in no way makes them a gun expert in any shape or form, and does not qualify as "experience".

    So ask them what their experience in specifics are before letting someone shoot your gun!

  • Mick

    At least with the predominance of semiauto pistols we don't see so many idiots flopping revolver cylinders open and closed, bending cranes. Glad i taught my kids respect.

  • Pete

    Don't correct the idiots. They might actually learn to hit their target. If they come for me, I want them doing it wrong.

  • TERRY HARMON

    you see these people try to wreck someone eles guns because they saw in the movie or tv show, but what these dummies don't understand that these guns come from a rental service and they can get them fixed quick. But I hate it when you see someone at a store or a gun show fliped the cylrindal into the frame and this is one thing that can piss me off real quickly . I do not blame the skeeter getting mad real quick.When you see someone do this it can cost almost as much as the gun cost to repair. And there is no need to do this . So when the stupid jerks does this just tell him that he as just brought a gun. And you want cash right now .

    • mike

      you brought the gun ,he bought it, just never hand your gun to someone .

  • James C. Johnson

    I taught my son and daughter at a very early age to handle all guns in a safe and respectful manner at all times. They were instructed to never slam a cylinder back into a frame but to close it gently. And to always keep their finger out of the trigger guard until they were ready to shoot, and never ever point a gun loaded or unloaded at anything that they didn't want to shoot! I retired after 27 years of working at corrections and handled revolvers quite a lot with no incidents because I was taught by my Uncle Bob while I was only five years old. I know that is politically incorrect but "they" are usually wrong any way.

  • Jim Smith

    Hurst Police Department, Texas, has always used 1911's as duty and off duty weapons…They were all respected and properly armed….I do not know how long they were carrying 1911's but when I was assigned to the Ft Worth office in 73 they were…Still were when I left in 1988…And they qualified often, every three months, I think…Anybody remember Captain 45 t Hurst PD…Good guy…

  • rick

    i grew up reading Skelton's column and articles in Shooting Times. what would he think of this? not much i'd bet.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11170/1154906-100….

  • robert

    all i have say is over the 25 years i handled firearms. i was always one of those safety nuts. if i found a .22 round on the floor of my room i am recounting my ammo. and double checking my firearms. yes it drives my wife nuts too. but i never had a ad either.

    • mike

      and you could have been making love to your wife, instead your were counting beans.

  • Alan_T

    I learned early to never hand over a gun to anyone ( unless I know for a fact they know what they are doing ) untill I have A ) cleared the weapon / made it safe . B ) SHOWN them how I expect them to handle it .

    Some people are ignorant and that's ok , you can educate them . Other people are careless and stupid and there's just not much that you can do with careless and stupid .

  • Bob Banda

    I have nothing to read after Skeet & Jordan were gone.But once in a while a their articles from old shooting magazine makes my day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    May they rest in peace.

    Uncle Bob,

  • Ironsight

    Couple of years ago I bought a ruger new model vaquero birds head grip in 45 colt. I thought I was pretty understanding of single action revolvers after handling the vaquero and all the reading I do. I had gotten interested in ruger’s blackhawk revolvers and spied a one in 357 at local gun shop, which I frequently visit. It was used and had some wear on it, I asked to see it and if I could remove the cylinder to get a better look a the forcing cone, go ahead he said. Well the base pin on my vaquero doesn’t come entirely out of frame it is stopped by contacting the ejector rod handle, that Blackhawk’s base pin comes completely out. I wasn’t ready for it at all and it hurt my feelings so bad when it hit that concrete floor that I felt like running out the door. I must have apologized to the man 20 times before I left out, I was surprised I wasn’t thrown out. I offered to buy him a new pin he didn’t seem as worried about it as I was. Fortunately I had decent reputation with them from former purchases and visits. I still go to this gun store and when the incident gets brought up I hang my head. They still let me look over their guns but when I want to do something as simple as remove the cylinder for better view I always ask them to remove it. From then on I haven’t disassembled a single gun which Didn’t belong to me. I believe it’s better that way.