The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Glock Accidental/Negligent Discharge Record

gumshoe4 · November 26, 2002, 12:34 AM

SgtGunner-Hey Gunny, I think you misread me. I am in agreement with your basic philosophy. To reiterate, I am saying that gun safety is a state of mind, not a mechanical device. I also did not make excuses for the officer and explained that he had a lot of remedial training to do afterwards. As far as your perfect record regarding gun handling goes-good, I'm glad you're always safe and never make a mistake. The intent behind that comment was not to point an accusatory finger at everyone-it was, rather, a warning NOT to get complacent or cocky-just like you stated.

There's one other difference here, Gunny and that's this-you get to pick the gun you want to carry based upon your level of comfort with it. This officer did not get that choice. He would have been fine with a revolver, but was forced to use a pistol with which he was not comfortable, which has an idiotic method of field stripping which requires the trigger to be pulled and which is way outside his scope of experience or understanding.

Was the officer negligent in not learning the gun better? Probably.

Was the training officer negligent in not providing extra training to the officer or helping him transition better? Definitely, in my opinion.

Was it absolutely necessary for this officer to carry a full-sized 15-shot semi-auto handgun carried concealed plainclothes when his revolver would have served him at least equally well and probably much better? No. Not in my opinion. The agency shares some responsibility here because of its lack of flexibility.

If somebody issued me a BAR, I would have no idea what the manual of arms is for that weapon and someone would have to teach me and give me an opportunity to learn it properly. Learning how a gun functions is a mechanical skill. It's not intuitive.

Again-I'm not making excuses for this officer, but I am cautioning others who may not be as skilled at arms as you appear to be not to get cocky or, as you say, complacent. That is when poor gun handling develops and accidents happen.

Bob

Semper Fi from a former amphib squid

November 26, 2002, 12:34 AM	#51
gumshoe4 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2000 Posts: 266	SgtGunner-Hey Gunny, I think you misread me. I am in agreement with your basic philosophy. To reiterate, I am saying that gun safety is a state of mind, not a mechanical device. I also did not make excuses for the officer and explained that he had a lot of remedial training to do afterwards. As far as your perfect record regarding gun handling goes-good, I'm glad you're always safe and never make a mistake. The intent behind that comment was not to point an accusatory finger at everyone-it was, rather, a warning NOT to get complacent or cocky-just like you stated. There's one other difference here, Gunny and that's this-you get to pick the gun you want to carry based upon your level of comfort with it. This officer did not get that choice. He would have been fine with a revolver, but was forced to use a pistol with which he was not comfortable, which has an idiotic method of field stripping which requires the trigger to be pulled and which is way outside his scope of experience or understanding. Was the officer negligent in not learning the gun better? Probably. Was the training officer negligent in not providing extra training to the officer or helping him transition better? Definitely, in my opinion. Was it absolutely necessary for this officer to carry a full-sized 15-shot semi-auto handgun carried concealed plainclothes when his revolver would have served him at least equally well and probably much better? No. Not in my opinion. The agency shares some responsibility here because of its lack of flexibility. If somebody issued me a BAR, I would have no idea what the manual of arms is for that weapon and someone would have to teach me and give me an opportunity to learn it properly. Learning how a gun functions is a mechanical skill. It's not intuitive. Again-I'm not making excuses for this officer, but I am cautioning others who may not be as skilled at arms as you appear to be not to get cocky or, as you say, complacent. That is when poor gun handling develops and accidents happen. Bob Semper Fi from a former amphib squid