AH.74 said:
Have you heard anything else about a discharge of a gun while in the holster. IN the holster, as was posted above.
Yes, two incidents, but not while sitting down.
An area LEO was off duty and Christmas shopping with his wife. In a crowded toy store (~9 days before Christmas) a group of teen thugs in the store grabbed several purses and pushed through the crowd. The officer, in his words, said he was shoved hard and twisted to avoid falling on two small children. That "save" of the kids caused him to fall against a peg-board rack. A narrow steel peg managed to exert enough force to push the leather of his holster against the Glock's trigger and cause a discharge. Fortunately, his body position ensured that the .45 round went down and into the merchandise gondola. He suffered some minor injuries to his "
glutus maximus" and shallow lacerations from the other pegs at the end cap display.
Around '86, a BMW K-100 rider was rear ended while stopped in Nevada. David's 1960's Colt 1911 discharged because the Audi struck him from the rear with the C&L Colt in a horizontal shoulder holster. Impact around 42 mph was severe enough that the bike, rider and gun moved forward, but the floating firing pin missed the memo, so it stood still until it struck the primer. NHP confirmed the gun was still holstered, cocked & locked with the strap between the hammer and FP The Audi had a nice .45 hole in the windshield and a similar hole in the dash. The driver was not hurt and the bullet stayed in the dash. David fared worse however. He made contact with the bike's seat, trunk and saddlebags, the Audi's fender, hood, the pavement and the curb. Today he can still walk with the aid of a cane.
AH.74 said:
Disagree. It's no different from having a pen or pocketknife or any other tool in your pocket. It will not magically go off by itself.
Generally a true statement if we emphasize
by itself.
But a gun worn on the body is not isolated and "by itself". The human body is dynamic and moves. It bends, twists & moves. The body encounters external forces from time to time, such as bumping a table, chair or car door. We stand up and sit down often, get in and out of cars often. We carry things at or near waist level, such as grocery sacks. We run up and down stairs which can loosen small guns in their holsters. We may engage in a fight, struggle or wrestling match before needing to draw the gun. We can trip and fall down. Some pistols can (and have) had their safeties disengaged just from daily activities. Once that happens, if the muzzle points to a body part, injury and/or disaster lurk close by.