And to why your first two flaws are not valid. When an ND happens, it usually happens when an officer has his handgun drawn and ready, correct? At least that's what the article was saying.
I think it's helpful to reprise the three Glock design flaws that make it less safe:
- Flaw #1 -- the short, DAO light trigger.
- Flaw #2 -- absence of an affirmative external safety.
- Flaw #3 -- the need to pull the trigger to field strip the gun.
To reiterate for the benefit of some of the Glockaholics in the crowd, just because other pistols have one or more of these design flaws does in no way somehow make the Glock safe.
I don't know if most of the numerous Glock NDs happen when the handgun is pointed at a perp. My impression is this was a problem in NY, because the NYC and NY State police had been taught to stage their DA revolver triggers, and staging the light and short-pull Glock trigger is a recipe for NDs, and that this problem formed the impetus for the NY triggers.
I view deliberate trigger staging as unsafely irresponsible, regardless of the platform. Yes, it can be done safely at the range, but as people tend to react how they train, staging the trigger on a carry sidearm, even at the range, is asking for problems should the real world come a calling. The urge to stage a trigger demonstrates that the trigger -- one that is DA with a long, heavy, and gritty pull -- could use some attention. Smoothing the trigger pull in no way compromises safety. Lightening it a bit (assuming it was 10+ lb to begin with) probably won't affect safety, either. Lightening it too much (say, down to SA pull weight range, about 6 lb or less) sacrifices half of the long and heavy safety feature.
The OP's cited article gives a few anecdotes that happen be about NDs occurring with drawn Glocks. And, the article's author focuses the Glock's short trigger pull (one half of my Flaw #1) and the absence of an external safety (pretty much my Flaw #2). However, the Glock NDs I find most memorable are those where the user is further removed from full blame. Examples:
- The gentleman who, after having dinner at a restaurant with his wife, got into the front passenger's seat and had his Glock ND when he fastened his seatbelt. A worn leather holster was involved, that folded, allowing leather to invade the trigger guard, and depressed the so-called trigger safety and trigger.
- The cop who bent over to tie his shoe at which time his holstered Glock NDed (I don't recall hearing the exact cause being determined).
- The cop who, upon reholstering his Glock, had a draw string from his windbreaker enter the trigger guard, depressing the so-called trigger safety and trigger and causing an ND.
- The woman whose purse-carried Glock NDed, striking her boyfriend in the hand and her in both legs.
With Glocks it takes a lot more than simply keeping one's "booger hook off the bang switch" to carry them safely.
So if it's [a 1911] drawn, the safety is probably already off. So might as well not even have one. Which leads to what you call a flaw with the "light DAO trigger". If the safety is off on a single action gun, you've got a light single action trigger. A Glock without a safety has a 5.5-6lb trigger, with more take up and travel. So that'd make the Glock trigger harder to pull.
So in a situation where an officer has his gun drawn, how exactly is a Glock more dangerous?
Again, I do not regard mindlessly disengaging the safety lock, on a 1911 or similar pistol carried cocked and locked, during the draw to be a safe practice. That you have to impart unsafe handling upon the 1911 to make it the unsafe equivalent of the Glock demonstrates just how unsafe the Glock design is.
Furthermore, you seem to be contrasting a tuned 1911 trigger to a stock Glock trigger, which is an invalid apples-to-grasshoppers comparison. A stock 1911 that costs similar to a stock Glock will likely have trigger pull on the order of 6 lb from what I understand. And insisting that the 1911's safety be disengaged before you make your comparison is unfair, but convenient (actually essential) for you. The trouble with your position is that the 1911 does have a safety lock and, when properly used, it makes the gun much safer to carry, draw, and cover suspects with. In fact, each of the four ND anecdotes I listed above would have almost certainly not occurred if the carry gun was a 1911 rather than a Glock.
Using Glockaholic logic I could take a 1911, remove the grip and thumb safeties and trigger guard, and Mexican carry it and its only problems would be that it's too heavy with not enough capacity.
