It's common practice to remove the magazine and lock back the slide when a gun store salesman is showing a customer his wares, right?

Well this video shows why as a former Kentucky cop sizes up a Sig Sauer Copperhead .380 sidearm at Barron Outdoors in Glasgow, Kentucky, last spring, according to court documents.

According to the Washington Post, Darrell Smith shot through two of his fingers in the incident, severing his index finger which could not be repaired after surgery. Smith has hired an attorney to sue Barron Outdoors for neglegence, alleging store employees "did not perform a safety check of the weapon or check the weapon for chambered ammunition."

From the looks of the video that seems to be the case. But the court documents also say that Smith took his own precautions before inspecting the pistol.

"At all times herein, the plaintiff was exercising reasonable care and due diligence for his own physical safety," the lawsuit says.

Check out the video and tell us what do you think.