Posted on 11/20/2011 8:51:58 PM PST by smokingfrog
A Spotsylvania County man with a valid concealed-weapon permit died after a semi-automatic pistol without an external safety discharged as he tried to adjust the weapon, which was tucked into his waistband, investigators have concluded.
The 45-year-old man was sitting in the front seat of his family's minivan in a shopping center parking lot on Sunday when his .40-caliber Glock discharged, authorities said.
"For some reason, maybe for comfort, he reached out and went to adjust it," said Spotsylvania sheriff's Capt. Liz Scott. "The detective thinks that in doing so — in just grabbing it — he inadvertently grabbed the trigger."
"This particular weapon does not have an external safety," Scott added.
The single shot struck the man in the hip and he bled to death in a matter of minutes, the captain said.
The incident is at least the second in Virginia in 15 months in which a concealed-carry permit holder accidentally shot himself in public.
On Sept. 11, 2010, a Bedford County man with a permit accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Lynchburg restaurant as he apparently reached into his pants pocket to pay a bartender for a beer. The .45-caliber Glock 36 was unholstered. Permit holders are not permitted to drink alcohol in restaurants while carrying a concealed weapon.
The man was later convicted of recklessly handing a firearm, given a 30-day suspended jail sentence and fined $500. He also was ordered to give up his concealed-carry permit for a year.
In the Spotsylvania case, police said the victim was sitting inside his family's van with his four children outside the Giant grocery store in the Harrison Crossing shopping center.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.timesdispatch.com ...
I like that. Well said, Sir.
We agree to agree.
Holsters save lives.
Keep the finger off the bang switch and Glocks are 100% safe.
I have carried one for years, 12+1, never an issue.
IMO, without one in the chamber, the gun is a club.
(22 year retired USAF Security Police and a former deputy)
Unfortunately, it’s a tad too late for the dude to hear the helpful selfless advice expressed herein. Pity.
(Can he read it from the Great Beyond?)
The Glock was fundamentally designed to be used by people who aren't shooters. I'm afraid this covers a lot of cops. I know a couple of retired NYPD guys here who know nothing about guns beyond how to pull the trigger. They don't think like shooters and it's scary to be around them.
Thunderwear may be the culprit in this instance, why carry with the gun near the crown jewels. Carry strong side in a holster either IWB or OWB. Dress around the gun and IT can be concealed without this Thunderwear stuff.
Praying for this poor man and for his family.
The only constant in tragedies like this one is the victim’s mistaken belief that their own abilities and wisdom make them immune from mistakes like these. The only truly effective safety measure is humility, a virtue which is ominously absent from many posts on this thread.
One more data point in the negative column for Glock.
Some of the Krav Maga guys are pretty slick at it so I thought I'd give it a try. It just didn't work out. And you need two hands to do it. I want my off hand to fight but I don't like needing it.
Don't need a mechanical safety IF you realize your BRAIN is your primary safety with ANY weapon.
Follow the three or four (depending on who put out the rules - military, NRA, firearms manufacturers, etc.) BASIC rules of safe weapons handling and there is virtually no way you can hurt yourself or anyone else.
Most of it is COMMON SENSE, like using a proper holster designed for the handgun you are carrying.
Dumbass.
In a semiautomatic Glock the answer is problematic, it “aint gonna” go bang unless you pull he trigger. I actually do not like Glocks but that is another story.
I carry either a 9mm Browning Parabellum or a 45 ACP 1911. I carry them with a round in the chamber. If I pull the trigger it is not “gonna go bang” unless I have cocked the hammer back prior to the first shot, at which time it then becomes a semiautomatic and goes bang every time I pull he trigger until I have depleted the magazine.
Glocks are well designed weapons and do exactly what they are designed to do. Glocks are not forgiving of stupidity and do go bang when you pull he trigger if it has a round in the chamber. Revolvers do this also.
NOW IS THE TIME TO READ THE GOSPEL OF JOHN BROWNING, BELOW.
1 In the beginning was the 1911, and the 1911 was THE pistol, and it was good. And behold the Lord said, “Thou shalt not muck with my disciple John's design for it is good and it workith. For John made the 1911, and lo all of his weapons, from the designs which I, the Lord, gave him upon the mountain.”
2 “And shouldst thou muck with it, and hang all manner of foul implements upon it, and profane its internal parts, thou shalt surely have malfunctions, and in the midst of battle thou shalt surely come to harm.”
3 And as the ages passed men in their ignorance and arrogance didst forget the word of the Lord and began to profane the 1911. The tribe of the gamesman did place recoil spring guides and extended slide releases upon the 1911 and their metal smiths didst tighten the tolerances and alter parts to their liking, their clearness of mind being clouded by lust.
4 Their artisans did hang all manner of foul implements upon the 1911 and did so alter it that it became impractical to purchase. For lo, the artisans didst charge a great tax upon the purchasers of the 1911 so that the lowly field worker could not afford one. And the profaning of the internal parts didst render it unworkable when the dust of the land fell upon it, and these profaners didst try and fit more rounds of ammunition into the magazines than the holy number of seven, appointed for the .45.
5 And lo, they didst install adjustable sights, which are an abomination unto the Lord. For they doth break and lose their zero when thou dost need true aim. And those who have done so will be slain in great numbers by their enemies in the great battle.
6 And it came to pass that the Lord didst see the abomination wrought by man and didst cause, as he had warned, fearful malfunctions to come upon the abominations and upon the artisans who thought they could do no wrong.
7 Seeing the malfunctions and the confusion of men, the lord of the underworld did see an opportunity to further ensnare man and didst bring forth pistols made of plastic, whose form was such that they looked and felt like a brick, yet the eyes of man being clouded, they were consumed by the plastic pistol and did buy vast quantities of them.
8 And being a deceitful spirit, the lord of the underworld did make these plastic pistols unamenable to the artisans of earth and they were unable to muck much with the design, and lo these pistols did appear to function.
9 And the evil one also brought forth pistols in which the trigger didst both cock and fire them and which require a “dingus” to make them appear safe.
10 But man being stupid did not understand these new pistols and didst proceed to shoot themselves with the plastic pistol and with the trigger cocking pistols for lo their manual of arms required great intelligence which man had long since forsaken. Yet man continue to gloat over these new pistols blaming evil forces for the negligent discharges which they themselves had committed.
11 And when man had been totally ensnared with the plastic pistol, the lord of the underworld didst cause a plague of the terrible Ka-Boom to descend upon man and the plastic pistols delivered their retribution upon men. And there was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth in the land.
12 Then seeing that the eyes of man were slowly being opened and that man was truly sorrowful for his sinful misdeeds, the Lord did send his messengers in the form of artisans who did hear and obey the teachings of the prophet and who didst restore the profaned 1911s to their proper configuration, and lo, to the amazement of men they didst begin to work as the prophet had intended.
13 And the men of the land didst drive out the charlatans and profaners from the land, and there was joy and peace in the land, except for the evil sprits which tried occasionally to prey on the men and women of the land and who were sent to the place of eternal damnation b by the followers of John.
a Several old manuscripts add the following text. “And they [also rendered as “these men”] didst chamber it for cartridges who's calibers startith with numbers less than the Holy Number 4. And lo the Lord did cause great grief amongst these men when their enemies who were struck in battle with these lesser numbers didst not fall but did continue to cause great harm.”
Just like any double action revolver.
Isn't that called a Mexican holster?
How do you like the P64?
I keep eyeballing them on dealer websites.
I just got a Bulgarian Makarov and absolutely love it. I figure that since I'm already buying 9x18, I might as well check into some of the other Iron Curtain pistols chambered for the round.
Disagree. If your not competent enough to carry a loaded weapon safely, you should probably leave it at home.
IIRC, the Glocks that NYPD have the infamous NY trigger. I think the trigger pull is something like 12 lbs. Probably one reason why you often hear about some shootout where the cops fired off 150 rounds and didn’t hit the perps.
Mexican carry.
Most people want a firearm that works that way.
It is very sad that he shot himself in front of his wife and kids. A life changing moment for sure.
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.