(TX) Instructor accidentally fires gun during safety class

Drizzt · June 14, 2002, 10:25 AM

Instructor accidentally fires gun during safety class

DALLAS - Police say no charges will be filed against an instructor who accidentally fired a handgun during a hunting safety class for children in Dallas.

Robert Barnes was teaching the course to four adults and 20 children on Tuesday when he fired one round from a 45-caliber semiautomatic pistol. The bullet smashed through a double-paned window and into the ceiling tiles at the Dallas Aquatic Center.

No one was injured.

Police say Barnes, a hunting safety instructor for several years, had removed an empty magazine from the gun. He disengaged one safety feature and pulled the trigger to demonstrate how the rear safety functions when a weapon is fired. The gun went off. (of course, his finger being on the trigger had nothing to do with it....)

Lieutenant Tom Simpson says Barnes has a reputation as a strong advocate for firearm safety. He says the accident should be a lesson on how easily hunting accidents can happen.

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=47402

OOPS!

coz · June 14, 2002, 10:45 AM

H.U.A.!

Head Up A**!

Thank God no one was injured.

It would be interesting to hear what expletive he uttered just after the AD......

Guess he forgot rule number 1

Kentucky Rifle · June 14, 2002, 10:53 AM

But if he had shot one of the kids...well, I just can't think of anything worse.
I remember a grizzled old Sargent Major in military school telling us about a firearms expert showing the young troops how he could press his thumb on the muzzle of a cocked 1911, pull the trigger, and prevent it from firing. (How the hell does THAT work, anyhow??) Anyway, the "expert" accidentally released his thumb pressure a little and his thumb disappeared down-range with the BOOM! (At least the 1911 was POINTED down-range!)
It seem's amazing, but I totally believe this scared up vetran of three wars.
If anyone can give me a explanation of the "thumb thing", I'll be happy to read your post.

KR

Wingshooter · June 14, 2002, 11:16 AM

Quote:

If anyone can give me a explanation of the "thumb thing", I'll be happy to read your post.

Sounds like he was doing a press check that went bad. The 1911 has a disconnect on the frame that matches up with a little scallop (for lack of a better term) on the underside of the slide. Same principle as the magazine disconnect on some Browning Hi Powers. I'm sure other semi autos have this as well, I'm just not familiar with them. When the disconnect is activated the gun won't fire.

I wish I could explain it a little better to you, hopefully this will help you some.

riverdog · June 14, 2002, 11:28 AM

If you point a 1911 at a light source and look at the back of the pistol near the hammer, you can see light coming through the barrel and down the ejector slot cutout in the slide -- if it's unloaded. Much easier than pulling the trigger to see if it's loaded.

M1911 · June 14, 2002, 11:35 AM

Better still, drop the magazine, lock the slide open, visually and manually inspect the chamber. Then you'll know it's unloaded.

M1911

Wingshooter · June 14, 2002, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Better still, drop the magazine, lock the slide open, visually and manually inspect the chamber. Then you'll know it's unloaded.

Amen...

KSFreeman · June 14, 2002, 12:13 PM

TFL Chorus, gotovi? "All guns are always loaded!"

Aquatic center? WTH? Maybe this guy thought a shark was after him?

MEMO TO SAFETY INSTRUCTORS: Go to school before you teach!

Killians97 · June 14, 2002, 12:24 PM

Where I went to college, there was an incident where a ND did hit a child. The instructor had 20+ years of teaching safety courses for the NRA and 4H, etc... The instructor was the LAST person I expected to forget to remove the magazine before clearing the chamber of an semi-automatic pistol. Gun discharged, bullet hit his hand, exited out of his arm and struck the child in the chest. The child unfortunately died. Just about the worst nightmare a safety instructor could have I guess.

Killians97

Justin · June 14, 2002, 12:25 PM

Kentucky Rifle-

The guy who was putting his finger on the muzzle may have actually been covering part of the front of the slide as well.
With most auto loading pistols, if you push the slide just slightly out of battery, the gun cannot fire. He may have been doing this, and the time he lost his thumb was on the day when he didn't push it fully out of battery.

Just my SWAG based on your story.

New_comer · June 14, 2002, 12:42 PM

"RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY"

Good thing that the guy must have inculcated this rule into his sub-conscious, making this safety act second nature. Pointing the gun at an inanimate object is tons better than if it had been pointed at one of his students.

Nonetheless, he sure has a big pay cut coming just to shoulder the repair costs!

dfaugh · June 14, 2002, 12:46 PM

When a friend was in "Police Academy", years ago, there was one local small-town police department that issued cops GUNS and uniforms BEFORE they went through the academy...They were doing Gun safety class in auditorium... They wher "dry-firing" revolvers, and one of these idiots shot a hole in the roof..Needless to say he flunked out...But fortunatly instructor had them following the "rules" at the time (guns pointed skyward)..Friend (who I had hunted with since we were kids) said he almost soiled his trousers, tho

C.R.Sam · June 14, 2002, 01:53 PM

Maby demonstrating grip safety.
Still no excuse for doin it with a hot gun.
Exposed hammer makes demo easy with empty gun.

Sam

**tyme** · June 14, 2002, 04:52 PM

rule #0: never get too comfortable with firearms or you will screw up the rest of the rules

June 14, 2002, 10:25 AM	#1
Drizzt Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2000 Location: Going Out of My Head at a Rapid Pace..... Posts: 2,511	(TX) Instructor accidentally fires gun during safety class Instructor accidentally fires gun during safety class DALLAS - Police say no charges will be filed against an instructor who accidentally fired a handgun during a hunting safety class for children in Dallas. Robert Barnes was teaching the course to four adults and 20 children on Tuesday when he fired one round from a 45-caliber semiautomatic pistol. The bullet smashed through a double-paned window and into the ceiling tiles at the Dallas Aquatic Center. No one was injured. Police say Barnes, a hunting safety instructor for several years, had removed an empty magazine from the gun. He disengaged one safety feature and pulled the trigger to demonstrate how the rear safety functions when a weapon is fired. The gun went off. (of course, his finger being on the trigger had nothing to do with it....) Lieutenant Tom Simpson says Barnes has a reputation as a strong advocate for firearm safety. He says the accident should be a lesson on how easily hunting accidents can happen. http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=47402 OOPS! __________________ "That a free citizen should have to go before a committee, hat in hand, and pray for permission to bear arms - fantastic! Arm your daughter, sir, and pay no attention to petty bureaucrats." Robert Heinlein - Red Planet

June 14, 2002, 10:45 AM	#2
coz Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2001 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 261	H.U.A.! Head Up A**! Thank God no one was injured. It would be interesting to hear what expletive he uttered just after the AD...... Guess he forgot rule number 1 __________________ Coz "Yes officer it's loaded, wouldn't be very useful as a throwing weapon now would it?"

June 14, 2002, 10:53 AM	#3
Kentucky Rifle Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 2,689	That would be pretty embarrassing, alright... But if he had shot one of the kids...well, I just can't think of anything worse. I remember a grizzled old Sargent Major in military school telling us about a firearms expert showing the young troops how he could press his thumb on the muzzle of a cocked 1911, pull the trigger, and prevent it from firing. (How the hell does THAT work, anyhow??) Anyway, the "expert" accidentally released his thumb pressure a little and his thumb disappeared down-range with the BOOM! (At least the 1911 was POINTED down-range!) It seem's amazing, but I totally believe this scared up vetran of three wars. If anyone can give me a explanation of the "thumb thing", I'll be happy to read your post. KR

June 14, 2002, 11:28 AM	#5
riverdog Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2000 Posts: 811	If you point a 1911 at a light source and look at the back of the pistol near the hammer, you can see light coming through the barrel and down the ejector slot cutout in the slide -- if it's unloaded. Much easier than pulling the trigger to see if it's loaded. __________________ NRA Endowment Member TFL#6357

June 14, 2002, 12:13 PM	#8
KSFreeman Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2001 Location: Lafayette, Indiana--American-occupied America Posts: 5,404	TFL Chorus, gotovi? "All guns are always loaded!" Aquatic center? WTH? Maybe this guy thought a shark was after him? MEMO TO SAFETY INSTRUCTORS: Go to school before you teach! __________________ "Arguments of policy must give way to a constitutional command." Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573, 602 (1980).

June 14, 2002, 11:35 AM	#6
M1911 Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 2000 Posts: 4,067	Better still, drop the magazine, lock the slide open, visually and manually inspect the chamber. Then you'll know it's unloaded. M1911

June 14, 2002, 12:24 PM	#9
Killians97 Member Join Date: October 28, 2001 Location: Herndon, VA Posts: 22	It could have been worse Where I went to college, there was an incident where a ND did hit a child. The instructor had 20+ years of teaching safety courses for the NRA and 4H, etc... The instructor was the LAST person I expected to forget to remove the magazine before clearing the chamber of an semi-automatic pistol. Gun discharged, bullet hit his hand, exited out of his arm and struck the child in the chest. The child unfortunately died. Just about the worst nightmare a safety instructor could have I guess. Killians97 __________________ "The only true wisdom consists of knowing that you know nothing." - Bill from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure."

June 14, 2002, 12:25 PM	#10
Justin Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 1,641	Kentucky Rifle- The guy who was putting his finger on the muzzle may have actually been covering part of the front of the slide as well. With most auto loading pistols, if you push the slide just slightly out of battery, the gun cannot fire. He may have been doing this, and the time he lost his thumb was on the day when he didn't push it fully out of battery. Just my SWAG based on your story.

June 14, 2002, 12:42 PM	#11
New_comer Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2001 Location: Manila, Phil. Posts: 1,009	"RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY" Good thing that the guy must have inculcated this rule into his sub-conscious, making this safety act second nature. Pointing the gun at an inanimate object is tons better than if it had been pointed at one of his students. Nonetheless, he sure has a big pay cut coming just to shoulder the repair costs! __________________ Regards, New_comer USP9F, Remington 870 "It not in the size of the thing, it's how you use it..."

June 14, 2002, 12:46 PM	#12
dfaugh Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 1,714	When a friend was in "Police Academy", years ago, there was one local small-town police department that issued cops GUNS and uniforms BEFORE they went through the academy...They were doing Gun safety class in auditorium... They wher "dry-firing" revolvers, and one of these idiots shot a hole in the roof..Needless to say he flunked out...But fortunatly instructor had them following the "rules" at the time (guns pointed skyward)..Friend (who I had hunted with since we were kids) said he almost soiled his trousers, tho __________________ "If you Listen to Fools, the Mob Rules" "No one has the answer, but one thing is true. You'e got to turn on evil, when its coming after you. You've gotta face it down,and when it tries to hide, you've got to go in after it, and never be denied. Time is running out...Let's roll. Let's roll for freedom, let's roll for love. We're going after satan, on the wings of a dove. Let's roll for freedom, let's roll for truth. Let's not let our children grow up fearful in their youth."

June 14, 2002, 01:53 PM	#13
C.R.Sam Senior Member Join Date: October 29, 1999 Location: Dewey, AZ Posts: 12,876	Maby demonstrating grip safety. Still no excuse for doin it with a hot gun. Exposed hammer makes demo easy with empty gun. Sam

June 14, 2002, 04:52 PM	#14
tyme Staff Join Date: October 13, 2001 Location: Novalis 978-0553586251 Posts: 2,569	rule #0: never get too comfortable with firearms or you will screw up the rest of the rules