In the past, we’ve shared why you should love MySQL and how it helped Pinterest scale via sharding. At Oracle Open World today, we announced that we’re open-sourcing the vast majority of our automation that maintains our MySQL infrastructure. In this post, we’ll detail our MySQL environment, the tools used to manage it and how you can implement them to automate your MySQL infrastructure.
Basics of MySQL at Pinterest
We’ve historically used MySQL to store some of our most important data, including Pins, boards, image metadata and Pinners’ credentials.
Recently, we’ve added the following use cases:
PinLater: Thanks in part to kernel optimizations, MySQL has replaced Redis and is becoming the only supported backend for our asynchronous job execution engine.
Zen: MySQL has joined HBase as a supported backend for our graph storage engine.
For all of the MySQL use cases at Pinterest, the environment is identical from an administrative perspective:
A single master with one or two slaves: Historically MySQL was used with multiple writable instances in a replica set. This topology is error prone and has been simplified to a single master with one or more slaves.
Zookeeper provides service discovery: The contract between the administrative tools and the MySQL applications is ZooKeeper. With few exceptions, ZooKeeper provides clients with database hostnames, usernames and passwords.
The lifecycle of a MySQL instance in the cloud
MySQL servers at Pinterest are launched, live and die with only the rarest of configuration changes. Upgrading kernels, MySQL versions and any other changes that would require a restart of the database are never done in-place. Instead, these actions are always performed through server replacements and failovers/slave promotions as needed. This choice has greatly simplified our automation by removing the need to manage intermediate state. We call this mindset “Operational Buddhism,” meaning we don’t get attached to our servers, because they might be gone tomorrow.
One of our most important scripts is launch_replacement_db_host.py. In the simplest case, the only required argument to launch_replacement_db_host.py is the hostname of a failed slave. The existing instance is examined, all required parameters for a new server are computed and then the new server is launched. For other changes, such as MySQL upgrades, hardware upgrades/downgrades and datacenter migrations, there are optional arguments.
After the new server has booted and received its initial base configuration from our provisioning system, a cron job will notice that the data directory is empty and run mysql_restore_xtrabackup.py. Based on information from our service directory (ZooKeeper), this script will attempt to find a database backup, restore it, set up replication and add the new MySQL instance to the directory. Like launch_replacement_db_host.py, mysql_restore_xtrabackup.py accepts many optional arguments for non-standard uses.
If a MySQL master server requires replacement, the mysql_failover.py script must be run to promote the primary slave to master. This script deals with either living or dead initial masters, and then modifies MySQL replication topology and updates the service directory.
After a server has been removed from ZooKeeper, it’s subject to a retirement queue system. This system has several steps that lead to eventual termination of a server:
Servers that do not exist in ZooKeeper are considered to be not in use, and will have several status counters reset.
After a day, the servers will be inspected to see if any activity has caused the status counters to increment. If the counters have incremented, the retirement process is aborted. If the counters have not incremented, the MySQL instance is sent a shutdown command.
After another day, the server is subject to termination if its database has not been restarted.
Other utilities
We’ve built a variety of other utilities that we’re also open-sourcing:
mysql_replica_mappings.py: This script provides administrators a quick view of what’s in production (we define “in production” as “in ZooKeeper”) in a format that’s easy to use for shell scripting.
mysql_backup_xtrabackup.py: This is our primary backup system for MySQL. These backups are used by mysql_restore_xtrabackup for building new MySQL instances.
archive_mysql_binlogs.py: We backup MySQL replication logs in order to perform point-in-time recoveries in the case where all servers in a replica set are lost.
mysql_grants.py: This script manages our database users. It’s one of our oldest bits of automation and one of our most limited. It fulfills our needs for the time being but sooner or later will need to be significantly expanded.
mysql_cnf_builder.py: This script builds MySQL configuration files based on global defaults and then overrides for workload type, hardware and MySQL version. Several example configuration files are included.
mysql_checksum.py and get_recent_checksums.py: Every day, we run a pt-checksum against a subset of the shards in order to determine if master and slave are out of sync and, if so, by how much. (Most of the time, our replication drift is zero or very near zero.) The mysql_checksum.py script runs the checksums and stores the results. The get_recent_checksums.py script will retrieve all recent checksum results and display the data in a user-friendly manner.
And a bunch more!
Not a panacea
These tools are tightly integrated into our service discovery mechanism and would likely require moderate modification of the code that reads and writes from service discovery. Unlike other technologies we’ve open-sourced, there are some legacy limitations to these utilities, such as the lack of support for more than two slaves. It’s our hope that these tools are useful to others that wish to create automation for their MySQL infrastructure.
Human efficiency
As a result of the effectiveness of our tooling, we’re able to maintain the MySQL environment with hundreds of terabyte data with less than two dedicated engineers.
The Code
Our public code repository is now live and can be found with our other open-sourced projects on GitHub at http://ift.tt/1PVjvUS
Acknowledgements: Ernie Souhrada also contributed to the MySQL management tools.
Tags: infra, opensource
via Planet MySQL
Open-sourcing Pinterest MySQL management tools
Everything We Know About Game Of Thrones Season 6 So Far
The next season of Game of Thrones will be unique—a show that’s been so heavily dependent on its book source material will suddenly be venturing out into unknown territory, with no more books to adapt. What’s going to happen next? Here’s everything we’ve been able to find out.
Suffice to say, going in, that this post will be jam packed with Spoilers and speculation for Game of Thrones season six—as well as tons of details from the A Song of Ice and Fire book series the show is based on. If you don’t want to know more about either, consider this your due warning. Turn back, before it’s too late!
So, About Jon Snow…
One of the biggest mysteries of the new season—and the source of many, many, many posts about the length of Kit Harington’s hair—has been whether or not Jon Snow would return after his seemingly fatal stabbing at the hands of his Night’s Watch brothers during the finale of season 5.
Despite what members of the cast and crew have said ever since, Jon Snow will be returning for the show: and kicking off a major new storyline for the character that has huge ramifications for the rest of the series. We first heard back in June that Kit Harington had been spotted in Belfast ahead of the start of filming for the sixth season, and there’s been much speculation since, but it’s only been more recently that we’ve seen solid proof that Jon is returning.
That solid proof also revealed a major twist—in that it appears Jon will no longer be part of the Night’s Watch, and is instead playing a part in a huge battle to wrestle control of the North of Westeros out of the hands of the Boltons. Kit Harington has been spotted filming scenes dressed in the leather armor of House Stark for a huge battle in Saintfield, Northern Irelend, which includes hundreds of extras dressed as Wildlings and soldiers representing the different houses of the North, Fans have speculated that the change of heart—and release from his oath to the Watch—may be thanks to a resurrection from the Red Priestess Melisandre. Maybe now that Jon has already died, he’s fulfilled his oath, and in his new life, is free to do as he pleases.
A newer rumor even posits that Jon will be joined in his quest by an unlikely ally: After Stannis perished in the last season, Ser Davos Seaworth apparently will choose to stand with Jon in the battle. Backing this up, actor Liam Cunningham was spotted at a wrap party with the crew following the completion of the battle. The battle is purportedly a major, major part of the season—Sophie Turner, a.k.a. Sansa Stark, has also been spotted in Saintfield for filming of the battle, and the scene will feature some big casualties, including two known characters being flayed and burned alive by Ramsay Bolton on massive crosses, and appearance by the Wildling giant Wun-Wun. Suffice to say, this is probably one of the most important scenes we know about in the season so far.
Over the course of the show, Jon has been shown wrestling with his duty to the realm as a Night’s Watchman and his duty to his family, so him turning his back on the Watch and throwing his lot in to the ongoing battle for control in Westeros seems like it’s going to be a major storyline in season six. But that’s not the only big rumor swirling around with ties to Jon…
Flashbacks
The Castillo de Zafra. Image by Wikimedia user Borjaanimal, shared under Creative Commons.
This year Game of Thrones has been doing plenty of filming in Spain, but one location has had fans talking more than any other: the Castillo de Zafra in Guadalajara. Ever since the striking location was announced for filming, fans have drawn comparisons between the tower and an infamous location in Westeros, the Tower of Joy in Dorne.
Before the events of A Game of Thrones, there was a great civil war in Westeros called Robert’s Rebellion—when Robert Baratheon rebelled against the ruling Targaryens and eventually took the throne. This was sparked by the Targaryen prince, Rhaegar, capturing Lyanna Stark, the sister of Ned Stark. Lyanna was kept in the Tower of Joy, until Ned and a band of Knights attempted to rescue her—only to find that she had died. But a prevailing fan theory also posits that as well as finding his dead sister at the Tower, Ned also discovered her newly born son—the product of a dalliance between Rhaegar and Lyanna—and took him home under the guise of a Bastard child of Ned’s: Jon Snow.
There’s never been confirmation of Jon’s true parentage in either the books or the show: it’s one of the biggest mysteries surrounding Game of Thrones as a whole. But filming at Castillo de Zafra for what appears to be a flashback sequence to Robert’s rebellion may end up confirming it—recent filming reports claimed a fight between swordsmen took place there, including what appeared to be a young Ned Stark, the legendary knight Ser Arthur Dayne (who’s been rumored to be joining the cast for a while now) and Howland Reed, the father of Jojen and Meera (those kids who were traveling with Bran and Hodor).
Interestingly, there’s recently been a further twist: Actor Isaac Hempstead-Wright, who plays Bran Stark, was also spotted near the Castillo, indicating he was filming there—so rather than a straight flashback, as the show did with Cersei Lannister’s youth, it seems this sequence will be a vision watched by Bran while he hangs out with the Three-Eyed Raven beyond the wall. Bran’s presence is also a hint that this is an important sequence related to the Starks, lending further credence to the notion that this is in fact the incident at the Tower of Joy.
Meanwhile, In King’s Landing
Although events in King’s Landing were a major part of the last season, we know surprisingly little about the ramifications of Cersei’s “walk of shame” and what happens after she’s freed from the clutches of the Sparrows—but we do know Season six will see the Sparrows relinquish their other royal captive: Margaery Tyrell.
A huge scene filmed in Girona involved hundreds of extras dressed up as the soldiers of House Tyrell—led by King Tommen, Mace Tyrell and, surprisingly, Jaime Lannister. The armed force apparently storms King’s Landing’s Sept to take Margaery from the High Sparrow by force, only to find her willingly set free by the Faith Militant—it’s rumored that Margaery is freed because she’s become a devout follower of the Faith, but it’s unknown if that’s true or just a trick on the part of Margaery to see herself free.
We don’t really know much more about King’s Landing, but we do know where Jaime Lannister will head next, presumably after this incident with the Tyrells…
Return to Riverrun
To book readers, this is actually an older plotline that many of us thought would be skipped over by the show—it appeared mainly in the fourth book, A Feast for Crows—but now Jaime will indeed head to the Riverlands to stamp out the last remnants of Robb Stark’s rebellion, in the form of the House Tully, holed up at Riverrun.
Both Clive Russell and Tobias Menzies will reprise their roles as Brynden and Edmure Tully respectively, taking part in the Lannister siege of Riverrun as it’s broken by Jaime. But the Kingslayer will be joined by two unlikely, but familiar faces. Jerome Flynn, who plays Bronn, has been sighted filming scenes in Corbet, Northern Ireland with Jaime actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, which is unsurprising given Jaime and Bronn’s Dornish escapades in Season 5. But another interesting sighting in Corbet was Gwendoline Christie filming in the area—leading to speculation that Brienne of Tarth could reunite with Jaime.
There’s also been much wilder speculation about two other characters who could show up in the Riverlands—an Irish-based Thrones twitter account recently alleged that the long-anticipated Lady Stoneheart (the magically revived and vengeful body of Catelyn Stark) would finally appear in the season, commanding an army seemingly larger than the Brotherhood without Banners she leads in the books:
It’s not been confirmed, but with the show shining a major spotlight on the Riverlands, Lady Stoneheart’s base of operations in the books, it could be possible.
The other potential character alleged to show up in the Riverlands is Arya Stark, seemingly abandoning her training at the House of Black and White to return to her homeland. There’s not been much about her appearance there other than a supposed meeting with Jaime Lannister, and no sightings of Maisie Williams on location (she has, however, been seen filming scenes that appear to come from released preview chapters of the much anticipated seventh book in the series, The Winds of Winter, which take place back in Braavos), it’s best to treat both this and Lady Stoneheart’s alleged appearances as unconfirmed for now.
The Greyjoys
Aside from Theon’s capture and transformation into Reek by Ramsay Bolton, House Greyjoy has largely been out of the picture in Game of Thrones for a few seasons. But in Season 6, they’re apparently returning in a big way, adaption a major storyline from the books known as the “Kingsmoot”—a gathering of Ironborn captains to decide the next King of the Iron Islands, following the death of Balon Greyjoy.
In the books, several characters threw in their hats at the Kingsmoot, including Theon’s sister Asha. known as Yara in the show—but ultimately Balon’s brother Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk has allegedly been cast in the role) is crowned king, after he appears at the Kingsmoot with a magical horn that can allegedly control dragons. A large scene filmed in Ballintoy, Northern Ireland, featured plenty of extras as Ironborn, as well as Euron and Victarion Greyjoy (another brother of Balon) earlier this year, aerial footage of which you can see below:
Interestingly, that footage was paired with reports that another Grejoy actor was spotted filming: Theon himself, Alfie Allen. Last seen jumping off the walls of Winterfell with Sansa Stark, it’s unknown what happens to Theon between Winterfell and the Iron Islands: but it seems like he’ll be reuniting with his sister and the rest of his family in season six.
Keeping Up With The Khalasar
It’s not just the characters based in Westeros that we’ve learned a lot about already—recently there’s been a lot of talk about what happened to Daenerys after she found herself surrounded by Dothraki at the end of Season five. It turns out that Daenerys might find herself in the command of an even mightier force than she’s ever had before.
There’s been much talk of the filming at Bardenas Real Natural Park in Navarre, Spain, which featured 1,200 extras as members of a Dothraki Khalasar being led by Daenerys (presumably, the same group that found her). But it’s what happens after that that is interesting—Daenerys, tailed by Jorah Mormont and Daario Nahaaris, is brought to a huge meeting of multiple Dothraki Khalasars at a vast Dothraki encampment… and proceeds to rally them to her cause.
How does she do that? Well, it involves Drogon, her pet dragon: the creature allegedly burns down a massive Dothraki temple, and Daenerys emerges out of the fire in a similar manner to the birth of the Dragons at the very end of the show’s first season. Daenerys will them seemingly take that army back to Mereen—Emilia Clarke has been spotted filming with extras wearing both Dothraki gear and the armor of the Unsullied.
She’ll need all the help she can get: Meereen is apparently in dire straits, with famine tearing through the city (leading to Tyrion apparently hallucinating an appearance of Shae in the face of a starving woman). At some point Tyrion is approached by a Red Priestess offering her help keeping the citizens of Mereen loyal to Daenerys—and the slavers of Yunkai and Meereen will apparently join forces to assault the city, a plot point prominent in A Dance with Dragons that the show had previously skipped.
And Much, Much More
Despite everything above, there’s still so much we don’t know about the Game of Thrones season 6—from major characters like Cersei Lannister, to events at big locations like the Wall and the lands beyond it. There’ll be secrets and details we don’t discover until the show actually airs: but rest assured, if you’re still hankering for Game of Thrones spoilers, you can stay tuned to io9 in the months leading up to Season 6’s arrival.
via Gizmodo
Everything We Know About Game Of Thrones Season 6 So Far
How to Watch Tonight’s CNBC Republican Debate (Sadly, You’ll Need a Cable Login)
Tonight is the third Republican debate for the 2016 presidential primary, and it’s hosted by CNBC. You can watch it on TV or stream it online, but you’ll need cable credentials to do so.
The first part of the debate, starting at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT, will feature a smaller lineup with candidates lower in the polls, including Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, and Lindsey Graham. The top 10 candidates (Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and the rest) will come on stage at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT.
You can watch the live stream on CNBC.com here or on CNBC’s Android, iOS, and Apple TV apps. You will need to provide cable credentials for all streaming options. Thankfully, cable credentials aren’t that hard to come by (if you have generous friends or family), but if you really can’t get them, I’d bet money that it’ll show up somewhere on YouTube, just like the first one did.
CNBC Announces Coverage Plans for “The Republican Presidential Debate: Your Money, Your Vote” on Wednesday, October 28 | CNBC News Releases
via Lifehacker
How to Watch Tonight’s CNBC Republican Debate (Sadly, You’ll Need a Cable Login)
South African Battle: Rhino vs. Cape Buffalo (Video)
Awesome. A rhinoceros and a cape buffalo, two extremely dangerous and powerful African animals, have a showdown in the video below. The video begins with the animals head-to-head, and the buffalo backs away from the rhino. The action finally starts around 1:10, and we soon see that the rhino is the more aggressive of the[…..]
The post South African Battle: Rhino vs. Cape Buffalo (Video) appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.
via AllOutdoor.com
South African Battle: Rhino vs. Cape Buffalo (Video)
Study: Cutting Sugar From Diet Shows Immediate Health Benefits
turp182 writes: As reported in TIME and other news sources, a recent study found that reducing sugar intake in obese children caused several biological health markers to improve over a short period of time (9 days). Summarizing the results: "Overall, their fasting blood sugar levels dropped by 53%, along with the amount of insulin their bodies produced since insulin is normally needed to break down carbohydrates and sugars. Their triglyceride and LDL levels also declined and, most importantly, they showed less fat in their liver." The full study is available online.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
via Slashdot
Study: Cutting Sugar From Diet Shows Immediate Health Benefits
Chase’s Dumb New Mobile Payments System is Destined to Fail
Mobile payments are all the rage right now! There’s the contactless magic of Apple and Android Pay, Samsung’s awesomely cool magnetic thing, and Chase’s system that lets you use a Chase card in a Chase-approved store, by simple scanning a QR code. Wait, what?
Chase Pay is another digital wallet that Chase is hoping you will use to pay for things. In (participating) stores, you’ll be able to open up the Chase app, chose a Chase banking card, which then generates a QR code, which the poor cashier will then spend three minutes trying to scan. This is apparently better than, say, Samsung Pay, which lets you pay with most credit cards at basically every shop in the United States.
But wait: Chase is eager to point out that there are MORE stores you can use Chase Pay in: it’s partnered with MCX, a Walmart-led consortium of merchants and banks, which is developing its own (equally dumb) payment app, CurrentC. If CurrentC ever launches, you’ll be able to open up the CurrentC app (not the Chase Pay app, mind you), choose Chase, and then do the awkward fumbling with QR codes.
In case you’re wondering why Chase is bothering to do this at all, the answer is simple: mobile payments are sexy and new, and banks are realizing that if they get in there early, they might be able to wrest some power away from Visa and Mastercard in the world of paying for stuff. Unfortunately, that power struggle will almost certainly make everything less convenient and more difficult for consumers.
When can you start using this technology, I hear no-one asking? That’s the best part: Chase isn’t launching until the ‘middle of 2016’, which gives someone at Chase eight months to kill this gigantic waste of time and money.
[Chase]
via Gizmodo
Chase’s Dumb New Mobile Payments System is Destined to Fail
HTC Slashes The Price Of Its Action Camera
HTC cut the price of the Re camera to just $50 from $200, making it one of the least expensive action cameras on the market. It’s a capable little camera with decent image quality. Yet it’s hard to recommend even at this low price since its ecosystem of mounts and accessories pales in comparison that of GoPro or Sony. This price cuts comes as HTC is weathering a financial storm.… Read More
An Essential Guide To Gun Safety For People Who Hate Guns
There are at least 347 million guns in America. No matter your opinion of them, it is highly likely that you will encounter one at least sometime during your life. This is what everyone needs to know in order to be safe around guns.
This is not a political argument. This is not an argument for guns or against guns. It is a practical guide to gun safety for people living in a country where there’s more of them than there are of us.
Why can’t you just leave your gun safety at not touching one if you see one? Well, denial isn’t really a practical resolution to problems, is it? In the 12-month period following the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, 100 children aged 14 and under were killed in accidental shootings; 80 more children than were killed in the tragedy itself.
The CDC estimates that there were 591 deaths (all ages) in the US in 2011 due to “accidental discharge of firearms,” and 248 due to firearms operated with “undetermined intent.”
And all of those deaths are completely preventable. Yes, that could be achieved by waving a magic wand and ridding the earth of guns, but much more realistic is educating yourself and your loved ones about gun safety, thereby ensuring that you know how to avoid shooting yourself or someone else should you or they encounter one.
To create this article, I needed an expert in firearms. And, who knows more about them than a special forces soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan? And, who knows more about gun safety than someone who keeps guns in a house alongside two young girls? That person is Matthew Griffin, a former captain in the Army Rangers who is now providing economic opportunity and education for women in war zones.
“Kids do stupid stuff and accidents are likely to happen around kids doing stupid stuff,” explains Griff. “I took the time to teach my kids about firearm safety and how to make common types of gun safe.”
“Every time we handle weapons, I ask my kids the same question: ‘Sweetie, what does a gun do?’”
“The answer: ‘What I tell it to.’”
There are five rules of firearm safety, but only two matter if you’re not going to shoot one:
- Don’t point the gun at anything you don’t want to get shot.
- Don’t put your finger on the trigger.
“You can mess up either one of them,” says Griff. “But mess up on both and you just created the likelihood of a major accident.”
Better yet: don’t mess up either.
Let’s say you’re at a friend’s house and they pull out a gun to show off. It might be theirs, it might be their parents; that doesn’t matter. This happens. If you know what to do, you can politely ask to see the gun, then ensure that it is safely unloaded, thereby ensuring both your safety and that of everyone else nearby.
If you can leave a gun alone, leave it alone, but the above scenario and ones like it are all too common. Knowing how to make a gun safe is simply a practical skill anyone living in a country with more guns than people needs to know. Just like you know how to change the tire on your car, how to use a fire extinguisher and what to do in an earthquake, you need to know what to do with a loaded gun.
To do this, you first need to understand how a gun works. No gun is any more than a bunch of metal and plastic parts assembled in a way that moves a projectile through explosive force. Let’s break that down:
The Bullet: Made of four basic parts. The primer starts the ignition process of the gunpowder. The casing holds the gunpowder. The gunpowder is a propellant used to create force. The projectile is the object moved by that force. When the primer is struck, the gunpowder ignites and forces the projectile of of the casing and down the barrel of the gun. That projectile is pushed out of the barrel of the gun and works to poke holes in stuff at high velocity. The point of this article is to stop those holes from being created unintentionally.
The Weapon: Most guns have a safety, a trigger, a breach or chamber and a barrel. The safety is a mechanical device that prevents the gun from being fired. As a mechanical device, it’s subject to failure like any other and should not be relied upon over those two gun safety rules above. Pull the trigger and the gun goes boom. The breach/chamber is where the bullet is held before and while it’s fired. The barrel is the cylinder that contains the explosive force of the gunpowder, propelling the projectile down to the muzzle, the hole in the business end of the gun.
A gun is safe when you can visually confirm that there is not a bullet or casing in the breach/chamber of the gun.
“This is how I teach my children to identify a safe weapon,” says Griff. “This is also what a responsible gun owner will enable you to see before transferring a weapon between shooters.”
To make a gun safe, you unload the gun, open the action to identify the breach and ensure you can visually identify there is not a bullet or casing in the barrel. This is what we’re going to show you how to do.
“In my experience, the process of unloading/clearing the gun is the most likely time to have an accidental discharge,” explains Griff. “A friend shot himself through the hand because he got distracted by his wife while unloading his everyday carry pistol. A former military colleague with 15 years of firearms experience discharged a round from his M4 because he didn’t watch the casing eject from the weapon at a clearing station. Another friend almost blew his toes off with a single-shot rifle because he missed catching the hammer with a gloved thumb. All of these were avoidable; pay attention to what you’re doing, keep the gun pointed in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger.”
These are the types of guns you will mostly likely encounter anywhere in the world, and how to make them safe, with annotations from Griff.
Semi-Auto Pistol: “This is what you’re likely to see on streets, in homes, or on the range. Drop the magazine, lock the slide to the rear and look into the chamber from the ejection port.”
Semi-Auto Hunting Rifle: “In my experience, these are the most complicated to figure out because of the variety of configurations. With any semi-automatic firearm, the sequence is key. Drop the magazine holding the extra rounds, pull back the action to eject any round that may be in the chamber, then visually inspect the chamber to ensure it’s clear.”
Pump Shotgun: “A home defense favorite, so it’s likely going to be left accessible. This can be another frustrating weapon to unload depending on its configuration. Take your time and keep it pointed in a safe direction. Unload all the rounds from the tubular magazine and open the action to ensure there is not a shell in the chamber.”
Semi-Auto Shotgun: “Once you figure out how semi-autos work, they become very easy to operate. Point the weapon in a safe direction and cycle the action until shells quit falling out. Then visually inspect the chamber to ensure there are no rounds present.”
AR-15: “Don’t be scared. It’s just a rifle that’s colored black and looks somewhat cool. Drop the magazine, pull the charging handle to the rear, engage the bolt catch and ensure there is not a round in the chamber.”
AK-47: “If you travel outside the US, you’re going to see AKs. Knowing how to identify a ‘hot’ AK, operate it and disarm this weapon is a critical skill if you’re going to leave the resorts. Grab the magazine with your left hand, hit the release with your left thumb and rock the magazine forward and down. Roll the weapon counterclockwise 90 degrees and use your left hand to pull back the charging handle. Visually inspect the chamber. Try to stop Ice Cube from playing in your head, I dare you.”
Single-Action Revolver: “A vintage-style handgun. If you see one of these, understand that it has the most arduous unloading process of any weapon listed here. But it’s worth it. Point the weapon in a safe direction, open the loading gate, pull the hammer back to half-cock and roll the cylinder and pull the plunger until all the rounds are empty.”
Double-Action Revolver: “Another everyday carry favorite and the second-most simple gun to unload. Point it in a safe direction, push the cylinder release, roll the cylinder to the side and pull the plunger to dump the rounds.”
Bolt-Action Rifle: “A favorite at hunting camp. Locate the magazine release and dump the unspent rounds from the bottom of the gun. Rotate the charging handle up and back, eject the last round and leave it open to inspect the chamber.”
Break-Action (rifle, shotgun or pistol): “The simplest gun to unload. Push the lever by the thumb on the trigger hand, fold the gun open at its pivot, remove the rounds. Leave it open to confirm it’s empty.”
Lever-Action Rifle: “For old time’s sake. Cycle the action like a cowboy until it stops spitting rounds. Go get a bourbon.”
Think we missed anything? Let us know.
And to recap:
- Point the weapon in a safe direction.
- Keep your finger off the trigger.
- A weapon is safe when you can visually inspect that the chamber is empty.
“A gun does what you tell it to,” finishes Griff. “As long as you tell it to be safe, it will be safe. There’s no substitute for proper firearms training and I hope the lessons here will encourage you to take a family outing, go to a gun range, and teach yourself, spouse, and kids how to safely disarm a gun.”
IndefinitelyWild is a new publication about adventure travel in the outdoors, the vehicles and gear that get us there and the people we meet along the way. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
via Gizmodo
An Essential Guide To Gun Safety For People Who Hate Guns
The Sioux Guide to Mental and Physical Toughness
Charles Alexander Eastman was born in 1858 and raised as “Ohiyesa” to be a hunter and warrior in the traditional ways of the Santee Sioux. When he was almost 16 years old, he left tribal life to learn the culture of European-American civilization and earn his undergraduate and medical degrees. Eastman became a doctor, a tireless advocate […]
via The Art of Manliness
The Sioux Guide to Mental and Physical Toughness