Posted on 07/31/2005 10:05:59 PM PDT by DuckFan4ever
No Mishandling, Negligence Involved
SALEM, Ore. -- Investigators say they now know how a Marion County deputy was accidentally shot in the leg Wednesday night by his own gun. Steven Cooper was on duty, getting out of his unmarked squad car when his Glock handgun discharged inside his holster.
The bullet went through his lower right leg, causing "substantial" injuries to major blood vessels and arteries, as well as to his tibia. The bullet was lodged in the bone.
An investigation determined that the firing was not the result of mishandling of the handgun or other form of negligence by Cooper.
The deputy was wearing a jacket with drawstrings and toggles to adjust the waistband. It is believed that one of the plastic toggles worked its way into the gun holster and became entangled in the trigger guard.
When Cooper extended his arm to push open the car door, his coat became taut and the waistband pulled up. The drawstring tightened enough to pull the trigger.
Cooper, a 10-year veteran of the sheriff's office, is assigned to a bicycle patrol officer and is a member of the Marion County Interagency SWAT Team.
Don't they use the safety?
What safety?
I would personally prefer a big bore revolver.
I also think policemen should be allowed to have a weapon they choose personally, not a single, standard department issued weapon for all officers...
As one wit said... Having the safety on the trigger is like having a brake on top of the accelerator.
yea, what about the safety?
Sounds like a goof to me.
Glocks don't have a standard safety, I can't really explain it. look here. http://www.glock.com/_safe_action_.htm
defective?
A Glock is more like carrying a .45 Colt model 1911, hammer back on a chambered round, with the safety off.
Both the Glock and the 1911 with the safety off are "perfectly safe," so long as nothing touches the trigger.
But as long as humans are humans, they will make mistakes....
That's why John Browning put a safety on side of the 1911, and not on top of the trigger.....
Then again, Glocks are automatics, and the T38SP is a revolver.
Someone tell me, are Glocks the most prominent weapon in use by LEOs or not? I'm curious because just about all of the accidental mifirings I read about are Glocks.
Right....
When carrying the 1911...in unhappy places, we ALWAYS racked to charge the chamber, thumb safety UP to the ENGAGED position and hammer pulled to full cock position, in THAT ORDER!
One need only pull the piece - bring the thumb down to a natural position and start firing..8 man stopping rounds.
It was as natural and safe as brushing your teeth...
Never witnessed or heard of any Marine having an accidental discharge.
I've never bought any Semi-Autos that were NOT based on the 1911 scheme....with Thumb and Grip safety.....too damned old to get fail/safe reliable and comfortable with a new platform....
Purely personal opinion and biased at that - but I think KIMBER produces the best affordable line of 1911s on the market..
Semper Fi
If you think that's bad, check out an S&W 990L.
It is a Walther P99 QA derivative, with a very tight trigger, no safety (ok), and no decocker. It is fun to shoot, but I wouldn't dare carry it. It struck me as really dangerous. Compared to it, the Glock is a paragon of safety, with the trigger safety and a longer pull.
I'm not a fan of Glock pistols for that reason, and the fact that there is no external hammer.
When holstering a semi-auto, I like to press my thumb on the back of the hammer "just in case" the trigger catches on a piece of clothing or the holster.
Even though the DA/SA trigger on Sigs/H&Ks, etc... is tougher to master than something like a Glock (which has the same trigger pull for each round fired), the heavy DA pull on the first round does sort of function like a safety.
And if you need to make a precision shot, it's simply a matter of cocking the hammer to get to a nice 3-4 pound trigger.
I won't go into the reasons I'll never own nor shoot another Glock pistol but one of the reasons I'm turned off is that it doesn't have a double strike capability and the fact that they KB quite a bit.
There are much better and safer handguns out on the market... In this case, I don't know if having a different brand of gun would have helped or not... the deputy was obviously less than observant and probably shouldn't be armed in the first place.
Mike
I used to hate Glocks ... till I bought one.
I've bought all used and, coincidentally, all had had the triggers modified.
They have got to have the sweetest triggers ever. Comparable to a slicked-up S&W trigger but not nearly as long.
And if anyone gets the willys from carrying one because of no mechanical safety, one can buy a "trigger block" that's shaped to fit in behind the trigger when carrying and flicked out by a finger when the gun is drawn.
I still can't picture how this article is describing this AD happened.
I was up too late last night...
Semper Fi
A bunch of our bang list friends have responded to my call for info on .45 handguns for concealed carry. A couple of people I respect suggested a Glock 23 in .40 but this is exactly the situation I'm worried about with a Glock.
Obviously thousands of people carry these things every day without any incidents, but it's still something I'm thinking about in the back of my mind.
You're the only person who didn't respond to my FR-mail, so what do you think?
PS, my dad likes your book, good luck with the next one. I know that's what you've been busy with!
regards!
By the way.... I forgot to congratulate you on a "good Catch"...
I'll try to quit posting after 2am and a few "adult beverages"..
Apparently -- at my age, I can't function like a young man anymore...
Semper Fi
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.