Guns DO Just Go Off: Chicago Edition

[Kirk Freeman]

For that to happen, something in the gun itself would have to fail.

Again, nothing need necessarily fail. Guns can discharge when you do not have your finger on the trigger, e.g. loading a weapon with an inertia firing pin. Nothing needs to fail.

Guns are dangerous, that is why we treat them as snakes, not as toys.

 

[tv1217]

Yeah, but you're acting like there's no way this woman was just an idiot.

 

[jve153]

something caused this, im not buying "it just went off" something "triggered" it to fire. most likely, the trigger. i understand the whole inertia firing pin bit, but this is not the case.

 

[Jack Burton]

I'd bet a million dollars this is exactly what happened. No holster to shield the trigger guard... pen or nail file got wedged in the trigger and when the purse was set down it levered the trigger the same as a finger. It was NOT an accident. It was pure negligence in not having the firearm in a proper holster.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Yeah, but you're acting like there's no way this woman was just an idiot.

Maybe, maybe not, I am guncentric as many people here on INGO do not believe guns can go off.

They do. We need to be aware of this fact so it does not cause us physical or political harm.

 

[jon5212]

Unless I'm missing something, my particular carry gun I don't see how it could "ever" go off accidently. P94 Ruger 40 S&W, external safety as well as external hammer. First, safety would have to be off, then the hammer would have to be pulled back as well, and then a pull of the trigger to actually fire.

I should load it with blanks and then throw it on the ground with the safety on to see what happens.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

jon, everytime, every single time, you load or unload your pistol, it can discharge even if your finger is nowhere near the trigger.

Pistols can discharge when dropped, just remember Steve Malloy.

People treat their weapons far too cavalierly, just look at all the INGO threads about "just carrying it in meye pocket" or "just drop in her purse". No, guns are not safe to do this nonsense.

 

[dom1104]

This thread is odd.

 

[thompal]

Firearms do suffer accidental discharges. Firearms do not require fingers on triggers to discharge. It is a gun, it is not safe, stop treating it like a toy. Stop putting it in your pocket, in your briefcase, in your glove box, in your purse. Put in a proper holster in good condition and stop pretending that the weapon is "safe".

Chicago police officer sets purse down, pistol discharges.

Off-Duty Officer Hurt When Gun Accidentally Fires | NBC Chicago

"Accidental?" I still vote for negligent. After all, it obviously wasn't kept in an adequate holster, and I'm guessing it was one of "those" pistols that has no safety. If you carry a pistol that has no safety, it is nothing less than negligent to not protect the trigger from being hit by foreign objects.

 

[thompal]

This thread is odd.

No, it's even. If I'm reading my forum info properly, it's thread # 206772.

 

[jesse485]

Kirk, Steve Mallory dropped a gun designed in 1903 without a firing pin safety, and with a floating firing pin. How can you legitimately compare this to the modern firearm (not specified in the article), which almost certainly has a fps, and no floating firing pin?

 

[mrortega]

That's about as dumb a report as I've read lately. Journalism!?! Pathetic. The story will instill fear in more stupid people who don't know squat about guns.

 

[drillsgt]

If it's Chicago it likely was a glock unless I missed something in the story. She's not likely a gun person who has a collection. This happened fairly recently with an off duty female officer (AL or GA) with her handgun in a range bag with other junk, set it down and went off and killed her husband. Not so much they just go off by themselves but something can circumvent the internal safeties and they will fire as designed. She would probably be the first to lecture gunowners or think only the police in Chicago need guns etc.

 

[J_Wales]

Hey, is there any chance that this "highly trained professional LEO" that shot herself in the leg is related to this "highly trained professional LEO"?


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-Qdx6vky0[/ame]

 

[J_Wales]

In the People's Republic of Chicago, only "highly trained professional LEO's" can be trusted to carry firearms.

 

[J_Wales]

That's about as dumb a report as I've read lately. Journalism!?! Pathetic. The story will instill fear in more stupid people who don't know squat about guns.

Umm..... why would you think the objective was anything other than that?

 

[Colt556]

Since it was a Chicago PD officer it was probably a Glock. She just threw it in her purse and it's bouncing around in there with her lipsticks, eye liners, mascara, nail file, pens, etc, etc, and something gets in the trigger guard. She is in a hurry to get her nails done and tosses her purse down and then whatever has wiggled it's way into the trigger guard depresses the trigger and the gun functions as designed. Her fault from beginning to end.

 

[jon5212]

Kirk, Steve Mallory dropped a gun designed in 1903 without a firing pin safety, and with a floating firing pin. How can you legitimately compare this to the modern firearm (not specified in the article), which almost certainly has a fps, and no floating firing pin?

That's what I was thinking, my particular gun with the safety on, even if you pull the trigger it won't actuate the hammer, I have tested it while it was unloaded/cleared chamber and I still can't see how it would ever go off without the hammer being actuated.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Kirk, Steve Mallory dropped a gun designed in 1903 without a firing pin safety, and with a floating firing pin. How can you legitimately compare this to the modern firearm (not specified in the article), which almost certainly has a fps, and no floating firing pin?

Because they can all do it. Freaky things happen with guns that is why we should respect them and be aware that they are dangerous.

Standard drill at Gunsite used to be (and I think Ken Campbell still does it) is to fire a Smith & Wesson auto pistol with the magazine out. Overengineering cannot overcome accidental discharges, especially when there is stupidity involved.

 

[Jerry C]

That's about as dumb a report as I've read lately. Journalism!?! Pathetic. The story will instill fear in more stupid people who don't know squat about guns.[/QUOT

Yep, looks like it already has.