Unintentional discharges

[David]

A read this on another forum and obtained the OP's permission to repost. Here it is as originally posted, minus the author's name:

Let me start by saying this was completely my fault and I’m not trying to start a debate on the safety of striker fired pistols that don’t have a safety.
Background: Sig P365 XL with N8 Tactical Revenant ISW holster.

Monday morning I was getting dressed and picked up my jeans that had my holstered pistol and clip knife already mounted on the right side.
I removed the pistol from the holster to put on the jeans like I usually did.
I did It this way for safety reasons, didn’t want the gun falling out or taking the chance that would flip around and end up pointing at me.
After putting on the jeans and a pull over shirt I attempted to put the pistol into the holster.
This attempt was met with some resistance, I can only assume that a piece on my shirt was in the way.
This is where I made a big mistake!
Instead of stopping and taking my time I wiggled the gun around and pull up/down and tried to force it into the holster.
Suddenly I heard the gun discharge and felt a very bad pain in the right side of my leg.
After laying back on the bed for several minutes I was able to get up, access the wound.
I was able to put some gauze on the wound , limp to the truck and drive myself to the ER.
I was released after treatment and x rays. The x rays showed bullet fragments in the right side of my leg but has thankfully missed hitting the femur.
I had a hard time trying to figure out how the bullet hit my leg instead of just going straight into the floor.
Then I found the knife blade inside my right front pocket. This made no sense because I always clip my knife on the outside of the pocket. I never clip my knife to the inside of the pocket.
Then, I saw the knife and saw where the bullet had hit it and directed what was left of the bullet into my leg.
So, I am no longer comfortable carrying either of my P365’s without a manual safety.
I have ordered the kits to covert both of them.
As I said at the beginning, this was my fault, but a striker fired pistol without a safety makes pretty easy to hurt yourself through carelessness or complacency.
Maybe in a few more days I’ll be able to walk without the limping and pain.
Sorry for the long post, just food for thought.

[Erich]

Yikes.

[David]

Saw this on GT and wanted to share in this thread. In regards to the ATF, DEA, FBI and USMS collectively;

[tom mac]

Wow...
always use my IWB holster and the glock stays in it going on belt. Knife is on weak side

Something to remember.

[David]

Wow...
always use my IWB holster and the glock stays in it going on belt. Knife is on weak side

Something to remember.

Yes, it is absolutely sobering. I no longer carry Glock, or any striker-fired pistol that doesn't have a MS. Having said that, if I did, I would make it an absolute anal policy of examining the interior of the holster thoroughly, each and every time, off body. Then and only then inserting the pistol and then and only then putting the holster on-body.

Bottom line is a striker-fired pistol is normally a platform with a very light trigger and a very short travel distance and no external means of notifying the user something is going wrong (like the rearward movement of the hammer) until the boom happens. That's just the way of the design. So there is really nothing to prevent something like a foreign object getting into the trigger guard and depressing the trigger except unwavering care on the part of the user.

I've said this many times, a striker-fired pistol isn't necessarily unsafe, but it is less safe than other platforms like hammer-fired or striker-fired with a MS.

[David]

Reposting this from GT as it applies to this thread and the chart above.

I think it's a very good example of how prevalent unintentional discharges can be during administrative handling. I think it also exposes some often repeated dogmas (A principle or statement of ideas, or a group of such principles or statements, especially when considered to be authoritative or accepted uncritically) that need to be examined/updated.

For example, in any thread on carry method, safeties, unintentional discharges you'll invariably get someone with some form of 'keep your finger off the trigger'. While that's fine advice, it falls short and by itself offers a false sense of security. It's kind of like saying to keep your oil changed if you want your car to run well. Well, yes that's true but it didn't address having good tires, other fluid levels, good belts and hoses etc. So 'keep your booger hook off the band switch' sounds cool to parrot, but it's not the whole story.

Just on the previous page someone posted this;

A loaded properly functioning Glock can not fire once the pistol is contained in a quality holster that covers the trigger guard. Period. Can't happen.

Well, with all due respect, it's complete nonsense. I pointed that out and unfortunately that poster hasn't been back in days. But it is a false premise. A Glock, or any pistol can be in a quality holster with the trigger guard covered and still discharge if certain external factors are present. That is a fact and it has happened and there is video evidence to demonstrate it, unfortunately. Thus while it's a good idea to have a pistol in a quality holster that covers the trigger guard, one has to be cognisant of other factors as well in order to to avoid a discharge.

Unfortunately, many folks operate under the 'it can't happen to me' position. Well, I'd submit that everyone that has had an unintentional discharge thought the same thing right up to the moment the gun went boom. So one would have to ask what separates any of us from them. It certainly isn't just a lack of training as that chart above clearly details. And many folks here on GT, including some highly trained people have admitted to having one or more unintentional discharges. So safety, during operational deployment as well as administrative handling should probably placed at the top of the ladder of priority of considerations.

[aerynsun]

I had a .45 Kimber with a light trigger. I had what I think is a slam fire at the range. It also could have been that I just had enough pressure on the trigger for a fast fire. It is startingling when it happens.

[Strayz]

On the plus side you are on the side of the living.

Things to note. If something feels off/odd check it out.

It is also one reason I stopped carrying Non safety firearms in leather or anything other than Kydex. I had been about 50 Ft away from a ND that sounded much like yours where a shirt somehow found its way in to the trigger guard.

I also hate when I see people at the range practicing drawing technique full speed then holster just as fast. Take your time putting your weapon away and like I said if something feels off then look and watch what you are doing. To this day yes I take my time and I am slow putting it away.

I am not saying anything bad about what you did or are doing. I am just glad you are still with the living.