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 ...
The NYPD guys I know are really strange about guns, it’s like they are uncomfortable with them. It could be the result of an anti RKBA upbringing. You’ve always got to consider safety but shooting should be a natural function.
Beretta M9
And I don’t want to hear any nonsense about how the 9mm isn’t an effective round, as it is very effective loaded with Cor-Bon or Hydra-Shok ammunition and center mass is double-tapped.
A 9mm is easier and less expensive to become proficient with.
I don’t care how much more stopping power a .45 is purported to have (The difference is minimal), it’s worthless if you can’t hit the target.
I know, off topic and I don’t want to turn this into a pissing contest between the 9mm and the .45, but it is expensive to shoot and become proficient with a .45
Plus my M9 holds 15+1, but don’t tell anyone as I live in California but the mag is a pre-ban, so I’m legal.
As soon as I read the story, I prayed for the man and his family, too. And I was just thinking today how no one is immune from tragic accidents, like the father reaching for a baseball for his son, or the father using a knife while cooking dinner, both incidents ending tragically in front of children. How many split-second mistakes do most people make - taking their eyes off the road for a moment when they’re driving, for example - and nothing happens. People are usually so lucky. This man probably reached for the gun a gazillion times, but, this one time, it cost him his life in front of his wife and young children. My heart goes out to them.
Guns are always loaded.
Don't point the firearm at anything you don't wish to destroy.
Keep you finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Only cops should carry guns...oh wait. Yeah, I saw that video.
I can rack the slide on my M9 with one hand as long as I have a solid edge to push the rear sights against.
Like the edge of an open car door for example, or even a table or a chair.
I like having 16 rounds handy, as the first couple of shoots will leave the shooter temporarily night blinded and deaf in a dark environment from the muzzle flash and the loud bang the round makes when the firearm is discharged.
I’ve done a little training in a dark environment, and you can’t see or hear for a a while after firing off a couple of rounds and leaves one a bit disorientated, especially after firing a .357 or .44 Magnum.
Uhh...no. You carry your weapon in a proper holster, know your weapon and don’t unintentionally pull the trigger.
A pistol with a chambered round is no different than a DA revolver. Carrying a weapon takes humility and a profound respect for what the weapon can do. No one with any brains tucks a weapon into their waistband without a holster - that is a failure to comprehend the solemn duty of being safe.
The bad guy already has the element of surprise...I’m not going to cede even a fraction of a second to him - that’s why I carry chambered. I might need my other hand to hold him off, you never know. I just have to point and pull; exactly how I like it to be.
That’s risky, not 100%. If you short stroke it you can end up with an empty chamber.
I changed the springs in my P64 to lighten up the double action after my wife complained. Even so when the P64’s safety is on, which also de-cocks the hammer and disconnects the trigger, I feel just as safe with a cartridge in the chamber as I do when carrying a loaded revolver.
The Makarovs are actually good bargain pistols and well-made, depending on the country of origin.
One more tip - no matter what you shoot, if you have a Pistol or Revolver for home defense, learn how to shoot with your opposite hand.
How many times have you woken up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, only to find your dominant arm numb from sleeping on it with your head on your outstretched arm and it’s numb for a minute or two?
When you tuck it in your waistband, you are pointing it at your crotch.
LOL, I did that this morning.
BTW, good tip. I use a S&W 642 as my nightstand gun, and I always practice both right and left handed shooting with it.
For a long time I carried empty chamber. Whether strong hand or weak hand, I saw no discernible difference between time on target or accuracy compared to chambered. (I am a proponent of weak side carry, but that is OT).
When one is unable to use both hands, it is possible to rack against the side of the leg (no finger on trigger, please), but not optimal.
However, I began to envision too many scenarios where it was inadequate to surmise that I would always be able to have both hands free, and switched to chambered carry. Carrying while driving was always an issue the other way (btw - left hip carry is better in that case, too). It took a while to get over prior conditioning, but it stuck.
IMO, for a civilian, the most likely threat is one that requires a quick response, and may require the other hand for clearing space around you, a slightly different threat than the one facing someone on patrol, where it often is more prudent to have an empty chamber unless otherwise instructed.
Around the house, there is a one step to fire rule which all adults are aware of, and conditioned for. If the chamber is full, the safety is on, and the weapon out of reach/sight of little folks. If empty, the safety is off. This allows for quick visual assessment (though one may still wish to verify the chamber).
Occasionally, I forget to take the safety off once the holstered weapon is securely in place, but this is more easily correctable than several other possibilities related to my forgetfulness.
That’s why one should practice doing it.
It can be done without ruining your sights, or in my case, my Tritium Nite Sites.
Some firearm self-defense classes teach this with a pistol similar to your own so you don’t have to ruin the sights racking the slide repeatedly with one hand with your own weapon.
I like the luxury of have the extra rounds in a situation where I might be faced with multiple adversaries, and/or temporary night blindness and deafness after those first couple of shots are fired.
I’ve experienced the night blindness and deafness in a dark environment - you can’t see or hear anything and every round you have left becomes more valuable.
I’ll always take 16 rounds over 6 and risk the off chance of having to rack a round one handed.
Especially if you have a nice, butter smooth slide.
But to each his own. This is just my personal experience and training speaking.
I need to get out to the range as it’s been a while...
People start in childhood to develop the habit of putting their fingers on the triggers of cap guns, squirt guns, butane lighters, spray bottles, etc. The habit carries over to their handguns—grab the gun, finger goes to the trigger.
I would advise anybody who is new to concealed carry or is considering it for the first time to start replacing that habit with a new one. Practice drawing, over and over again. Get some snap caps so as not to freak out the family while practicing. Buy a realistic BB gun and practice while watching TV. Practice. Change the habit. POINT that finger.
As soon as I saw the headline I thought “Glock”.
I was right. Nice guns. But I wouldn’t want one for that very reason.
They can call that thing on the trigger a safety all they want. But it isn’t.
Or you use your arm to support yourself as you get out of bed, not realizing your support arm is numb and you fall on your ass?
I've done that before.
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