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Old May 5, 2007, 04:39 PM   #1
Demetrius
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Cleaning and Safety Question

A terrible tragedy occurred near my parent’s home this weekend. According to the newspaper report, one police officer was cleaning his weapon; when he finished, he charged it and it fired. It struck and killed another officer.

My concern is that if things like this happen to trained officers, then how can a new gun owner like me avoid accidents like this? It sounds like a mechanical failure, though I do not wish to be disrespectful and speculate over the actual events that took place.

First off, what is ‘charging’ a weapon? Is that lingo for loading it?

And secondly, how can one ensure that accidents will not happen when cleaning weapons?
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Old May 5, 2007, 04:59 PM   #2
OneBagNomad
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The term "charging" refers to chambering a round and (usually) includes cocking the weapon. As far as avoiding such an incident, following the four rules of gun safety will keep you and others safe in the event of an accidental/negligent discharge, or mechanical failure that would cause this.
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Old May 5, 2007, 05:07 PM   #3
tony pasley
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The biggest problem is people forget to follow basic safety rules at all times!
You cannot allow yourself to get lax about the rules. The firearm may have had a problem, but the person handling the firearm did not use muzzle control. It is the fault of the person handling the firearm for not following the basic safety rules.
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Old May 5, 2007, 05:10 PM   #4
lockedcj7
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Rule number one:

Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

If you are always following that one rule, even a ND is unlikely to cause any harm. Police officers don't necessarily have good training, regardless of public perception and they handle guns so often, they sometimes get complacent.

You must never get to that point.
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Old May 5, 2007, 05:13 PM   #5
bcrash15
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^ said it all. The incident you describe sounds like an inadvertent slip of barrel discipline. Although, for all we know, the officer could have been doing everything right and the bullet went through the ceiling to another floor or ricocheted or something. But knowing where your barrel is pointed at all times, especially when doing something like chambering a round, is a major thing to keep track of. Because if it is pointed in a safe place, even if something mechanical failed the resulting bullet wouldn't hit anyone.
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Old May 5, 2007, 05:42 PM   #6
newerguy
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I agree that muzzle discipline would have avoided any harm to anyone. If you point the gun away from anything that might get hurt by a bullet, an accidental discharge will just make a lot of noise. Just be careful about whether there is anyone above you or below you (I live in a 3rd floor apartment, and the floor is a bad place to point a gun when you drop the hammer or slide).

One other thing. After cleaning or reassemblying any pistol or rifle, I always function check it to make sure: 1) the firing pin is not stuck forward of the bolt face, 2) it cycles smoothly, 3) when you cycle the action the hammer stays cocked (make sure it's empty, close the action, pull the trigger, keep the trigger back, cycle the action again, and pull the trigger again, the hammer should fall when you pull the trigger), and 4) thbat the safety holds. That takes care of most things (I guess the only things left are an inertial firing pin and firing pin block).

After that, I always keep the gun pointed at the ground or something bulletproof when dropping the slide or action, in case the weapon fires when the action closes (slam fire). It's never happend to me, but I think I saw it once at the range (the guy swore that he never touched the trigger).
After than
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Old May 5, 2007, 06:07 PM   #7
whip1
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That's not a mechanical failure, it's a brain failure.
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Old May 5, 2007, 07:01 PM   #8
2afreedom
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The best way to avoid tragedies like this is to make safe handling a HABIT. If you watch me unload my gun and I hand it to you, check it again. If you think you have unloaded it, check it again. Be a safety "freak" now and you won't have to be sorry later. Also, there is never ANY reason to point a gun at a person unless you plan to shoot them. It's common sense but you have to make it a habit for it to work.
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Old May 8, 2007, 01:19 PM   #9
genxsis
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I have heard of mechanical failures happening where a firearm discharges as a round is being chambered. Also can happen as the hammer is decocked using the decocking mechanism.

Things to keep in mind...
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Old May 8, 2007, 02:05 PM   #10
James K
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"Mechanical failure" usually means someone fouled up and someone else is covering up. After all, no department wants to admit that its "superbly trained" (they get to fire ten rounds a year) officers could ever, ever, make a mistake. A lot easier to blame the hardware.

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Old May 25, 2007, 10:41 PM   #11
Demetrius
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The officer's last words were reported as, 'it was an accident' after being hit high in the chest by the 40 caliber bullet from the Glock.

I just learned that the officer who ND'd resigned.

Safe handling needs even more focus. Everywhere. On one occasion at my shooting range last weekend I was muzzle swept by a high caliber loaded gun. It was just for an instant, but that is all it takes. Perhaps some individuals get so comfortable with weapons that they are no longer vigilant.
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Old May 27, 2007, 11:55 AM   #12
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Demetrius ~

That's a horrible story. What an awful thing for the man to live with for the rest of his life!

http://www.corneredcat.com/Safety/fourrules.aspx answers the question you asked in your first post, as does http://www.corneredcat.com/GunCare/cleaning4rules.aspx

In order to avoid doing something like this, you simply have to be seriously, obsessively, and persistently dedicated to following the safety rules no matter what. For a tragedy to happen, at least two of the Four Rules have to be broken at the same time. If you habitually follow all the rules, then when you make a human and understandable error in breaking one rule, the other three rules will still be there to save your butt and maybe save a friend's life too.

Thanks for posting the update.

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