Home->Articles->Cautionary Tale VI - Gruesome Result of Flare Gun Misfire

Cautionary Tale VI - Gruesome Result of Flare Gun Misfire

Sailing partner and frequent Neuse River Sailors contributor David Swanson sent me this story and photographs -- pmc.

*The gun in question. Photograph by David Swanson.*

I've accumulated a number of flares (hand-held & aerial) through the years, and finally switched to an electronic day/night distress kit. I called my county hazardous waste & recycling center and was told that these are considered “fireworks and pyrotechnics” and that they could not take them. They referred me to law enforcement. I called the sheriff’s department and the deputy told me that they do not take them and that he had no idea how I should dispose of them. He suggested just lighting them off someplace where they would not be seen. I emailed a local US Coast Guard Auxiliary unit and got a very speedy response saying that they were asked this all the time, and that they usually went to their local fire department. I called my local fire department and was told that they do not take them & had never heard of such a thing.

I decided to follow the deputy’s suggestion for practical reasons but it’s rather annoying when you are trying to follow the rules and can’t. There are a lot of boats around here & until recently many of them should have been carrying flares. I can’t be the first person to try to dispose of them properly.

*The result. Photograph by David Swanson.*

I took the 12 gauge flares to a private dock on a small creek and fired them off in daylight, hoping that this would minimize the chances of anyone seeing them. I also held the gun at chest level and with less elevation than one would normally use. The first 4 worked fine, although one didn't fly as well. The fifth one lodged in the barrel of the gun, causing the shell to burst, the gun to open, and the metal portion of the shell to strike me beside my eye. The pictures show the flare gun with the flare sticking out of the barrel, and my eye right after the accident. So ALWAYS hold the flare gun above and at an angle to your body, and where safety glasses if you have time.

Text and Photographs by David Swanson.