AR: Victim Didn't Shoot, Safety was on

Gun Watch ^ | 3 January, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[G Larry]

You must think each scenario through and then practice accordingly.

The one I keep accessible at night has the safety on.

So, as soon as I pick it up to investigate that “bump in the night”, the safety comes off.

When I carry, I’m confident in my holster, safety is OFF.
(Sig P220 Carry SAO)
(Milt Sparks-Custom Holster)

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

A blindingly obvious trick you can use when dry firing is to get a cheap laser pointer and tape it to your gun so it is somewhat like one of the expensive ones.

Not just in your dominant hand, but in your other hand as well, and not just standing, but sitting, and lying down like you were in bed. The idea is to train yourself with the feeling of “When I do this, this is where the bullets will go.”

And here is a very educational experiment. With your laser on, go around a corner. First like they do in cop dramas, up against the wall, inching to the corner for a tight turn. Then do it like real police do, going wide around the corner. Your laser will show you the advantage to your field of fire of going wide.

[gogeo]

I like!

[Sasparilla]

If you live in a state where you have to put a butcher knife in an intruder’s hand after using self defense, then you liv in the wrong state, and should consider moving to a Castle Doctrine state. There, it is generally a legal presumption that an unwanted intruder in your home is there to do the occupants harm, and you can kill the SOB.

[marktwain]

Good points. There are simulators available that turn on a lazer with a dry fire, as I recall.

[AlaskaErik]

"My primary carry weapon is a Glock 23 ... I want the thing to go bang when I pull the trigger."

If you have one in the chamber. And if you do, you're 5 pounds away from an accidental discharge.

For self-defense, I prefer a revolver.

I always carry one in the chamber, otherwise I just have an expensive paperweight. As for negligent discharges, I keep my weapon holstered. When I remove it from the holster, my trigger finger is pointed forward, next to and parallel to the slide. If I clear my weapon, I first drop the magazine and then I eject the chambered round into my hand. After that, I rack the slide at least three more times and visually check the chamber and I make sure I see daylight through the magazine well. So far, all of those actions have prevented me from having a negligent discharge.

As for the wheel gun, no way am I ever going to risk my life with 19th century technology in the 21st century. Five or six rounds later and you're out of ammo. Recently a woman in Georgia emptied her wheel gun at an advancing attacker. The perp was still alive and she was out of ammo. Darren Wilson, a trained police officer, fired a total of 12 rounds at the gentle giant. If he'd had a wheel gun, chances are the Ferguson riots would never happened, because who riots when a cop is killed. In 1986 the FBI learned their lesson after the Miami shootout and went with semi autos.

The day of the wheel gun has come and gone. They belong in a museum, along with the typewriter, brace and bit and the Model T. Semi autos can put a lot more lead downrange much faster and reloading is much faster and easier.

[roofgoat]

Drew, I never use the safety on my go to rifle, my Marlin lever 30-30.

But I just bought my first tree stand and because I had to climb the ladder and get hooked up, I had the safety on.

Anyway, sure enough a decent buck comes out where I was looking - aim - click. Nothing.

Damn! A story I’m not proud to tell.

[VerySadAmerican]

I think lying to the dispatcher and saying “I only have one gun” would be better than hanging up on him.

[golux]

Hi Jack!

If you’re smart enough to be a Freeper you know that if you kill someone in the civilian world there are often wild legal and personal repercussions. Yes we are talking about a “Castle” state -

§ 5-2-607 (a) A person is justified in using deadly physical force upon another person if the person reasonably believes that the other person is:

(1) Committing or about to commit a felony involving force or violence;

(2) Using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force; or

(3) Imminently endangering the person’s life or imminently about to victimize the person as described in 9-15-103 from the continuation of a pattern of domestic abuse.

(b) A person may not use deadly physical force in self-defense if the person knows that he or she can avoid the necessity of using deadly physical force with complete safety:

(1) (A) By retreating.

(B) However, a person is not required to retreat if the person is:

(i) In the person’s dwelling or on the curtilage surrounding the person’s dwelling and was not the original aggressor; or

(ii) A law enforcement officer or a person assisting at the direction of a law enforcement officer; or

(2) By surrendering possession of property to a person claiming a lawful right to possession of the property.

(c) As used in this section:

(1) “Curtilage” means the land adjoining a dwelling that is convenient for residential purposes and habitually used for residential purposes, but not necessarily enclosed, and includes an outbuilding that is directly and intimately connected with the dwelling and in close proximity to the dwelling; and

(2) “Domestic abuse” means:

(A) Physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or the infliction of fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, or assault between family or household members; or

(B) Any sexual conduct between family or household members, whether minors or adults, that constitutes a crime under the laws of this state.

[Jack Hydrazine]

When someone breaks into your residence how do you what his intentions are? You don’t.

Therefore you fear for your life as they are breaking in and stop him with deadly force.

[offwhite]

"Recently a woman in Georgia emptied her wheel gun at an advancing attacker. The perp was still alive and she was out of ammo."

Alive, yes. But just laying there. She had plenty of time to reload. And clean her gun.

I have no idea what kind of ammo she was using. But a .38 with +P jacketed hollow point should do the job. Besides, the average number of shots for civilian self defense is 2.

Sure, your Glock will put 14 rounds into the victim. But then you will have to justify that number to a jury.

"Semi autos can put a lot more lead downrange"

By "downrange" you mean about 10 feet? How long to clear a misfire or jammed cartridge?

Sure. If it works, a semi-auto is the way to go. But in a split-second, life and death, self-defense situation, I want the reliability of a handgun.

[golux]

What’s “right” is not always what’s “legal.” We surely agree on that.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Let’s see the prosecutor try to successfully prosecute someone in America for defending their home from an intruder breaking in.

[MileHi]

Wheel gun for the nightstand

Yep

[SgtHooper]

Don’t forget the HE.

[Red in Blue PA]

I do Cowboy Action Shooting and the shotgun I use (Stoeger) automatically puts the safety on once you open to reload it.....took awhile to get used to that. many times I stood there pulling the trigger on a locked gun.

[Red in Blue PA]

Convicted of what? Defending his home and family?

With Freepers like you, who needs enemies?

[Red in Blue PA]

By "downrange" you mean about 10 feet? How long to clear a misfire or jammed cartridge? Sure. If it works, a semi-auto is the way to go. But in a split-second, life and death, self-defense situation, I want the reliability of a handgun.

That is why both the military and police use them/S

[jimbug]

That dispatcher needs to be dispatched post-haste. That’s why I like a Glock—the safety is on your hand.

[Starstruck]

If a home invader has breached your perimeter, the time to call 911 is well past.

In this case 911 should be used for mop-up duty. They are not going to show up in time and you don't have to hear some idiot on the phone giving you stupid directions like "don't shoot" which could be used against you at a possible trial.