Portland(OR) officer sues Glock for millions

Oregonlive ^ | 2/8/06 | Ashbel S. Green

[DuckFan4ever]

A Portland Police officer who was injured while firing a handgun has filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against the manufacturers of the gun and the ammunition.

Officer Florin B. Pirv was taking a qualification test in March 2004 with a .45 caliber Glock 21 when the “breech/cartridge feed ramp fractured, causing backward propulsion of hot gases, hot air, and shrapnel to be blown into Pirv’s face, body, and hands,” according to the suit.

The lawsuit names Glock and two ammunition-makers, Federal Cartridge Company and Alliant Technosystems, also known as ATK. Glock is based in Georgia. The ammunition-makers are based in Minnesota.

None returned phone calls and emails seeking comment.

Pirv was one of two Portland officers injured while firing .45-caliber Glocks in March 2004, prompting Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth to order the recall of the weapons carried by 230 officers.

The bureau replaced them with 9mm Glocks.

Pirv’s suit seeks $50,000 in compensatory damages, $3 million for pain and suffering and $50 million in punitive damages.

Pirv is assigned to a patrol shift, according to a Portland Police spokeswoman.

[5Madman2]

The hole you speak of serves two purposes-one is to lighten the weapon, the other is to lighten the slide so that the "timing" is right to function the weapon properly.

The longer slide is heavier, and the weight needed to be reduced for functioning

[dueler88]

Greetings.

Your implied point of "you fight the same way that you train" is correct and relevant. However, if your methodology of, say, martial arts training includes a large percentage of striking with multiple high side kicks to the head, you may someday find yourself defeated by an opponent that simply blocks your kick and swiftly dislocates the knee of your supporting leg. The fewer number of things you must "think" about to defend yourself, the more effective your defense will be.

In the context specific (barely) to this thread, this means that spending time and/or energy making sure that your weapon is in the correct Condition is unnecessary when you've got a GLOCK with a round in the chamber. Just point and squeeze.

Instinct based upon training *should* take over in the heat of the moment of crisis. But training and methods should also be focused toward effectiveness AND simplicity.

Cheers.

bd

[blackie]

Eradicate all liberals ~ Hang 'em High!

Be Ever Vigilant!

[brazzaville]

Good evening.
"Just point and squeeze."

Everything you say is true. "If this then that" makes most points valid.

My original point is that the simplicity of the Glock when the operator is not well trained can, and apparently does, lend itself to negligent discharges. In an ideal world we would all be deadly pistoleros with the morals and ethics of a saint. Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world, do we.

I'll risk some fool shooting me by accident if that means more people are arming and preparing themselve mentally to do what needs to be done in bad times. I would also hope they prepare physically. Rather than praising "Just point and shoot", you should hope the shooter is either thinking or has created muscle memory to allow his/her body to do the thinking.

If the training is focused on effectiveness and simplicity, the number of NDs with this make of gun should indicate a need to enhance the training.

Michael Frazier

[GretchenM]

For fans of the right to keep and bear arms, this sort of lawsuit isn't very helpful.

If enough people do it, it is like taxing a corporation to death.

Anyone who thinks the gun makers and lobby are too powerful needs to think again.

Also, changes in law often follow public lawsuit trends.

[de Buillion]

That's what TXDPS did, in .357SIG. (From .45ACP)

[yarddog]

The hole you speak of serves two purposes-one is to lighten the weapon, the other is to lighten the slide so that the "timing" is right to function the weapon properly. The longer slide is heavier, and the weight needed to be reduced for functioning

That is probably part of the reason but every other 17L I have seen has had a ported barrel in which the ports open right where the opening in the slide is.

[de Buillion]

I am not a Glock-hater, and wasn't really trying to deride them, rather the 9mm choice. Your requote of my statement bears this out.

[Shooter 2.5]

You forgot about the fun factor associated with the big guns. A friend plinks with full house loads in all of his Freedom Arms guns. His standard targets are clay birds on a dirt bank at 60 yards away. .454's, .475's or .50's it doesn't make any difference. He hits with all of them.

[Supernatural]

>Eradicate all liberals ~ Hang 'em High!<

I'm sure with you on that, blackie. Those people are dumber than a lump of coal and they want control over everyone's lives.

Live free or die!

[5Madman2]

The ports are a different story than the Long slide-the ports need the opening to vent the gasses.

The long slides (34/5 I believe)need the weight reduction

[M Kehoe]

Thanks for the ping.

5.56mm

[Daniel Ramsey]

That is the truth!

You can't very well do that to a Beretta 92 9mm or a SIG much less a 1911 style pistol.

Did anyone know you can fire a 9mm Glock underwater?

And why do gangstas prefer the 9mm Glock? last I recall a procedure of drilling in the right spot obn the slide and inserting a rollpin turns it into a full auto.

The real full auto Glock is the model 18. Glocks to me are works of art for what they were designed to do, they are similar to the AK47 in regards of a simplistic easy to maintain weapon that is very reliable. I cannot say the same of more refined looking pieces such as a Kimber, Desert Eagle or such that are so precise they fail the mudbath test. Glocks can work without jamming after severe firing of hundreds of rounds if not more even. FWIW the "plastic" is really a tough engineered material and takes quite a severe beating.
Personally I would love to have a beautiful custom Kimber but realistically I have found I would rather carry my 10mm Glock with me and with my custom loads in the brush as a good black bear pistol, but then again if I knew a brown bear was around here in Alaska I would carry my Ruger Redhawk .44magnum.

[Supernatural]

Glocks are tough, reliable and priced right.

Use 300 grain hard cast bullets with big flat tips and max loads of 296 powder or other slow pistol powder for bear protection with a .44 mag. This load penetrates 36" of wet newspaper and leaves a 1 1/2" hole all the way through.

[Clinging Bitterly]

I like my original Glock 17 9mm. Seems to do what it was designed to do.

Don't know what issues the cops might have had with the .45s, never handled one of them.

But since I have been in Portland since last night, spent the entire day here in meetings (at the freaking airport of all places), and will be here doing the same thing until this time tomorrow, I feel a little safer knowing all those .45s are off the street.

Dave in Portland (temporarily, thank God).

[Clinging Bitterly]

I dunno about an auto pistol for protection in the woods. I'd prefer any magnum revolver around bears. My never go into the woods without it gun is a long barreled stainless New Model Blackhawk .357 tucked out of the way in a shoulder holster. Seems to me a very good replacement for the saddle carbine of old. Of course in practice I usually carry the auto too (mostly because I can, TG for the Oregon legislature, who in a weak moment 15 years ago, did something right).

But I'm with you when it comes to the brown bears in Alaska, I'd go for the .44 or better.

[de Buillion]

"I like my original Glock 17 9mm. Seems to do what it was designed to do. "

I don't follow your reasoning at all. You say that you feel safer knowing that "all those .45's are off the street"- this discussion is about POLICE .45's, not criminal .45's. The criminals still have theirs. And they're NOT off the street. Sleep well.

[Celtic Conservative]

IF this is the same incident Glock has the gun. There are burn marks inside the upper portion of the frame that were clearly caused by port holes in the barrel. When the gun was taken back by Glock the original barrel was back in the gun. This guy put the original barrel back in the gun and then tried to blame Glock.

IF true this guy is both a fool and a liar. If these are the circumstances the judge needs to throw this one back, it doesn't pass the smell test.

CC

[Celtic Conservative]

The hole you speak of serves two purposes-one is to lighten the weapon, the other is to lighten the slide so that the "timing" is right to function the weapon properly.

The longer slide is heavier, and the weight needed to be reduced for functioning

My familiarity with the Glocks is with duty weapons for a couple of departments I have worked for . My familiarity is with the standard length Glocks. It just seems to me from a mechanical standpoint that ported slide, no ported barrel =OK. Ported barrel, NO ported slide = bad idea. I remain, however a student of life, and If I am incorrect , somebody please enlighten Me.

CC

[5Madman2]

That is pretty much correct