South FL gun class student has AD with Glock 17 9x19mm ....

C

ClydeFrog

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www.WPBF.com

A south Florida man had a accident with his new Glock 17 9x19mm pistol. He reportedly was clearing the loaded pistol & shot himself after he removed the magazine. :eek:

He was just in a gun safety class & shot himself in the side of the leg.

This event is common with Glocks & striker fired pistols that do not have magazine safety features.
All pistol owners & armed officers who carry pistols should learn to inspect both the magazine well and the chamber/barrel.

It's a simple mistake that can lead to events like the accident reported.
In the late 1990s, I had a similar incident while unloading/checking my Beretta 96D .40S&W. I didn't fire a round or have a ND but I almost pulled the trigger when a .40 JHP was in the pipe. :eek:
Loaded chamber indicators help too but inspections/safety training works best.

I've seen several armed security class students wave sidearms around or point the muzzle at themselves constantly. When you carry a gun on duty or as a CCW license holder it's your job to keep the weapon safe.
 
Good post! We can learn from someone else's error.

When I unload I remove the magazine and place it between the ring and pinky fingers of my firing hand (just like I do when I'm clearing a doublefeed stoppage). Then I roll the pistol to the right and rack & lock open the slide.

I inspect the chamber to answer the question: "Is it loaded, yes or no?"

I never look to see if it's "unloaded" because sometimes the eyes and mind will "see" what you expect to see. So I use the different mindset of, "Is it loaded, yes or no?"

After this question is answered to my satisfaction then I account for all my ammo. Only then do I do anything else with the gun.
 
Only one time I had a Nd was with a shotgun out hunting with my dad when I was young. It was enough that it caused me to never have one again with anything. In my chl class it was made sure of everyone unloaded safely before class begun, and all ammo was to be kept separate from the guns.
 
Rush....

These are all good safety points.
I'd add not to be in a rush. Stress, distractions & improper methods can cause a ND(firing a round).
Many hunting NDs or outdoor activity incidents occur when a hunter drops/loses grip of a rifle then it discharges :eek:.

I've picked up the habit of checking "up & down". Up inside the barrel/chamber then down the mag well. ;)

Gun safety isn't complex or a trick, a lot of it is common sense & not being in a big rush.
 
I think it comes down to how much importance you place on safety. I guess it's also whether you feel you already know it all.

I bought my first pistol in March of 2012, and never had live ammunition near it until April.

With nobody to teach me, I read the manual three times, and hit the internet.

When I was able to field strip it and operate it dry fire, I bought some snap caps. I practiced loading, clearing the chamber, and operation until I was comfortable with snap caps. Then I went to the range.

When I bought my second pistol in 2013, I did the same thing. But this time, it only took an evening.

As for the ND that's the subject of this thread, the article doesn't state whether the new Glock was used as part of the safety class the actor went through. If it was, the class instructor shares the blame. I can't imagine a safety class where a student has a loaded weapon without the instructor knowing.
 
Never say never but . . .

That's why gun safety rules are redundant and why following them all the time is necessary. If you have a brain fart and screw one of them up (loaded firearm), then another will hopefully prevent a tragedy (keeping muzzle pointed in safe direction). Following them all the time means that even if you handle a gun when tired or distracted, you're more likely to follow your habit of safely handling a gun.
 
Sounds like a replay of the DEA agent Lee Paige incident a few years ago. IMHO the fact that it was a Glock and the fact it's a striker-fired pistol are irrelevant. It's a rookie mistake, as well as a mistake that anyone can make if they are tired or distracted. The order of clearing gets reversed -- open slide, check empty chamber, close slide, and then remove magazine.

"Can't happen to me"? DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT. I caught myself doing it just a couple of years ago, and I've been shooting for nearly 60 years. I was tired, I had many things on my mind, and ... I screwed up. Fortunately, in my case I didn't pull the trigger and I engaged in a bit of OCD behavior that caught the goof on the second go-'round, but as the saying goes, "There but for the grace of God go I."
 
Glocks & striker fired pistols.....

The Paige event was in Orlando, Florida. At the time Special Agent(DEA) Paige lived in Lake Mary Florida.
He had a Glock 22 .40S&W. It's unknown if he had any custom work or NY-1/NY-2 type triggers.

I don't think the Glock 17 9mm was part of the course but the student may of had it with him.
I don't blame the Glock design directly for the ND, but it can lend itself to improper handling. Glocks do not have magazine safety designs, frame mounted safety controls, grip safeties, etc.
Caution must be used(like any other firearm) when using a Glock.
What makes Glocks fast & simple to operate also make them less safe than other brands(Ruger SR, M&P, PX4 Storm, etc).
 
This is EXACTLY why both my Glocks have Cominolli 1911 style thumb safeties. I would never carry chambered Glock without one, and I would not carry anything but my 30S for my EDC.
 
This is not an indicator that Glocks need external or mag safeties. It's an indicator that this guy pointed the gun at his leg (unsafe direction), and didn't treat it as if it were loaded.

He did not handle the weapon safely.
 
It's always been second nature for me to check the chamber and keep my finger off the trigger. You never know.
 
Clyde, without a direct link to the story, it's hard for us to establish the circumstances other than "some guy had an ND."

He had a Glock 22 .40S&W. It's unknown if he had any custom work or NY-1/NY-2 type triggers.
Click to expand...
Paige made several mistakes, none of which have anything to do with the hardware:

  • I never trust anyone else to clear a weapon for me, nor do I take their word that any weapon is clear until I have verified it.
  • I never drop the slide on an "empty" magazine. The magwell is clear before I drop the slide. A lot of shooters need to get out of that habit.
  • Dropping the slide on a loaded magazine feels far different than dropping it with no resistance. Why a professional operator like him failed to notice the difference is beyond me.
  • Why the h-e-doublehockeysticks was he unloading a weapon in a crowded room? That's when most ND's happen. If he planned on showing it off, he should have cleared it before the speech.
 
I haven't had to clean my Glock lately, but I am pretty sure you have to pull the trigger to get the slide off.


Who pulls the trigger without the gun pointed straight down in a safe direction? Plus the first step and second step of cleaning a gun is to make sure the dang thing is unloaded.
 
I don't blame the Glock design directly for the ND, but it can lend itself to improper handling. Glocks do not have magazine safety designs, frame mounted safety controls, grip safeties, etc
Click to expand...

You're right. They actually rely on the user to be smart enough not to squeeze the trigger on a loaded gun, unless of course, you want to shoot something. Revolvers have worked this way for a long time.
Safeties are not meant to save you from not verifying the gun is unloaded first.

Jim
 
True, but....

The post/forum member is 100% right but
Many new gun owners or those who aren't trained(and I mean formal skill training or military service not watching American Guns or Die Hard 7) think semi-auto pistols have safety levers, warnings, airbags etc. :rolleyes:

You need to be safe around guns & many NDs occur when shooters aren't alert or following basic safety guidelines.

Clyde
 
A few years ago at the range I go to, the range master (who happened to be a drill sergeant) caught a guy looking down the barrel of his new, freshly loaded 1911. He was swiftly removed while being given a none to gentle lesson in firearm safety by the tough-as-nails RM-DI. I thought that was the last we would ever see of him, but the next week he was back and much improved. Turned out the range master gave him some lessons, taught him about his 1911, and got him started on the right path.
 
Public gun ranges.....

I avoid rental gun ranges & places where the public has access to shooting/marksmanship during the busy hours/weekends.
Nearly every time I've been shooting or going to a crowded gun range I see at least one "MENSA member" :rolleyes: who either does an unsafe act or is dangerously reckless.

I'm not a "safety nazi" but pointing guns directly at your face, wave guns around, leaving loaded guns laying around unsupervised, etc are all bad.
 
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