Police officer shoots himself while demonstrating gun safety

After working for 30 years helping to ensure people don't blow themselves up in a laboratory and examining the aftermath of "accidents" I have a new, more accurate word, based upon my experiences.
"Probables."
 
IF, and only IF, we agree that the definitions posted by Shorts are correct, then:

-ALL "negligent discharges" are in fact also "accidental" under both the primary and secondary definitions shown there, since they are both "unforeseen/unplanned", and quite precisely "an unfortunate event resulting especially from carelessness or ignorance".

So, ALL "ND"s are in fact also correctly called "AD"s, but calling the ADs, though correct, is not quite as descriptive.

But, NOT all ADs are also NDs - SOME (a minority) are not the result of carelessness/negligence - they could be the whim of fate/act of god, etc.
 
Last weekend I went shooting and got to fire a friends SIG GSR. I'm used to my Colt series 80 with its 4.5-5 lb trigger. Three times I go to shoot the SIG and take up the slack in the trigger...Boom, she goes off. The gun didn't malf.,I didn't violate any of the four rules, what kind of discharges would you call those?

(The SIG sure has a sweet trigger but would take some getting used to if you're used to more stock triggers like me, and yes it was seriously more accurate than my Series 80 with all loads shot.)
 
I think that's a premature... uh :eek: :o

I think you should have just figured to not put your finger on the trigger to take out slack until you had the sights on your POA, especially if you knew the trigger was much lighter than your Colt.
 
gawd, you remind me of this real prick in elementary school.. who went around intentionally calling a square a rectangle.. and then, when corrected.. pulled out the definition and going "ha! hah!".


the officer chose to put a loaded magazine into the pistol.
the officer chose to slide the slide back and release
the officer chose to point the gun in an unsafe direction
the officer chose to put his finger on the trigger.

THAT, imho, is not an accident. It is a direct result of his choosen actions.

If someone CHOOSES to run a red light, and gets into a collision.. they did not specifically choose to have a collision but it was still the direct result of their choosen actions.
 
Right, making the collision an accident. a VERY avoidable one, but an accident no less.

Im not defending him. it was totaly huis fault. but its still an accident by my definition
 
I wonder what he had in there? Do you suppose it was his defense rounds? I wonder if they were hollow points or target rounds or what...

He seemed to recover ok and quickly, though it is quite possible he was going into shock and did not know it. Example of shot placement, if that guy was in a combat situation I dont think he would have even realised he had been shot.

The reaction of the crowd and the others in the room is a great example of how our society is so numb to anything and everything now. There were some kids telling him to put down the long gun but mostly people just sat there...

I wonder if everybody was just waiting for someone to hit the reset button to start the game over. (note this was a joke about the myth that many of us growing up with video games are supposedly desensitized to violence)

I hope he is ok and severly reprimanded (if this is not his first ad/nd whatever you want to call it his punishment should be taken to the next level)
 
I think you should have just figured to not put your finger on the trigger to take out slack until you had the sights on your POA, especially if you knew the trigger was much lighter than your Colt.
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I did know it was lighter having had dry fired it, and it was to POA downrange...but...muscle memory ya know. I had already put about ten mags or so through the Colt and then tried the Sig. All three were in the first two mags.

It wasn't really negligent since I was at the range and all four rules adhered to, yet it wasn't what you define an accident as either...I call em 'whoopsies' :D
 
When he says "This is a Glock 40, the same kind as 50 cent mentions" that just got my blood boiling. To make it seem like its cool to have a Glock 40 like 50 cent is extremely unprofessional. Guns are not a casual conversation piece for students, and using drug dealer/rappers as endorsement for what you are showing them is totally unprofessional and immature. I realize maybe he was trying to "relate" to the younger kids, but obviously from everything else he did his whole presentation was riddled to the core with unprofessionality.

He definitely was trying to finish the presentation out of ego, because after he already realized he made a mistake, he wanted to show another firearm. To continue the presentation puts the students under the impression, oh hey it really doesnt do anything to someone if they get shot. He should have ejected the magazine, cleared the chamber handed it to someone else, and left.

What I dont get is, why did they pick THIS guy to show a class room full of students firearms? Why was he not going through the actual process of checking a firearm and explaining it to the students? Whats the purpose of showing students , "Hey this is a Glock 40" and then not actually teaching them what to do. Maybe cause he had no idea what to do?? I have no idea how someone can be a professional and not know the rules in their sleep??
 
OK, it was an accident, based on negligence. OK now? I frequently talk with students and have taught several youth groups gun safety. You can say anything you want, call it anything you want. But there is still no excuse. None. Idiocy. He should not ever be allowed to teach again. He has lost his credibility with his co workers, the students, and the citizens present.
 
accident my ...

sorry, but it takes WAY to many premeditated steps for a gun to discharge for it to be an 'accident'. pull the trigger expect the gun to fire, be suprised when it doesn't. kinda like, "sorry dad, i didn't mean to get her pregnant, it was an accident." uh huh

i have a hard time believing this guy is any kind of law enforcement. maybe he stayed at a holiday inn express the night before and got that tshirt as a souvenir.
 
I wonder what he had in there? Do you suppose it was his defense rounds? I wonder if they were hollow points or target rounds or what...
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If you listen closely he tells someone it was an 'AP' round.


I agree it was boneheaded to even HAVE live ammo in that situation, AND that he was extremely negligent in many ways, BUT, it was still an accident.

And yes, it was bad. And yes it was stupid. But I'm honestly suprised at some of your replies. Its nice to know that all of you are SO HIGHLY TRAINED, AND COMPLETELY PERFECT, and TOTALLY IMMUNE to mistakes.
I guess since you belong to a gun forum and can hit thrown nickels fast draw and make pennies, that NOTHING like this could EVER happen to you.... :barf:
 
When I heard him say,
"I am the only one professional enough in this room, that I know of, to carry a GLOCK 40", then boom. :eek: I spilled my beer. Now that was funny, a true professional.

All these posts about "and you never made a mistake".
Why no, I never shot myself while teaching gun safety to school children, matter of fact I have yet to shoot myself at all. :rolleyes: That would truely be a mistake.

Glad no one got hurt to bad. He took it well.
Not bashing anyone, it sure is funny.
 
Most certain method to make 100% sure that any chamber is empty is with an open slide and the fifth finger tip thrust into the chamber - or the chamber mouth. A chambered round and your finger will not fit in the chamber at the same time. This works in the dark as well ;)

With a .22, .25 and perhaps a .32 this is not quite so simple. But on some .380s, and most 9x19s on up there is no excuse.
 
Just curious if someone has seen this story from any other sources or is that website the only place. Sure seems to me that it could be nothing more than a screenplay that someone thought might be funny. If this actually did happen the guy needs to be relieved of duty for sure for endangering himself and everyone in that room. I cant believe they would even bring live ammo into a demonstration like that. And further more what exactly was the point the guy was trying to make while he is waving the gun around and then slams the slide shut and shoots himself. When I went to school they always told us if we found a gun to not touch it and alert an adult or the authoritys, so why was this guy demonstrating the complete usage of the weapon to include actually shooting himself. Makes all gun owners look bad, the anti's would chew this up because the figure the guy is a LEO he is more proficient with a weapon than a civilian and if a LEO can display this kind of stupidity just imagine what a civilian with less training could do. :mad:
 
originally posted by ffl:
 as for a safety on a glock there is none as demostrated by this moron.
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Uhm, I offer the following....

A venerable 1911 with a thumb and grip safety would have gone off in this situation. He dropped the slide and pulled the trigger. I doubt he would have engaged the safety in that split second in between and his grip would have disengaged the safety.
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Ya know, I'm just a putz citizen that shoots 75 rounds a week and dry-fire practices alone at home 3X a week, but I BY GOD check the gun more than once EVERY single time I practice. This guy is an officer of the law and doesn't even check his gun before prancing his meaty body and head around in front of a group of CHILDREN??

Incredible, man, just incredible.

How can anyone here say that this guy should NOT be fired? People trusted to enforce our laws and demonstrate gun safety in public schools should be the CREAM of the crop. This was NOT an "accident" caused by bad luck, random uncontrollable events, or fate. This was 110% preventable with the LEAST application of responsibility and maturity. This guy personally F'd up and should be immediately fired.

Like someone else said, in that one instant he created a roomfull of future anti-gun nuts who will never EVER forget that guns are baaaaaaaaad and can't be trusted BY anyone or TO anyone. :barf:
 
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Why did he demonstrate with a loaded weapon anyways. Just bring in a different unloaded piece that is not the one you are carrying and then demonstrated.
 
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