LEO Gun Cleaning Accident At Local College

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Sounds like he didn't confirm the Glock was empty before trying to take it down for cleaning
I clear a gun anytime I pick it up. Every gun put in our showcases was cleared and trigger locked before being put in the case. I still clear them when I pull one out to show a customer. Know what can happen when you assume a gun is unloaded? Someone could get dead.
I just timed it and it took 1.5 seconds to check my cc piece. Yup it's loaded. Yup, one in the pipe. Yup, safety on. Nope, nobody bleeding.
When I was in the army and we went to the range the range officer had a cleaning rod with the end painted dayglo orange and it went down the barrel of ever M-16 coming off the range with the BCG locked back. No orange, no leave the range, and Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do!
 
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Plan B: Get a gun that does not call for pulling the trigger to strip.

I'll take that as tongue in cheek. If you need a pistol that doesn't need the trigger to be pulled to field strip it then you don't need to handle firearms- period. Or employment in any position that requires you handle and/or use firearms. Check the chamber. Double check. Aim in safe direction. Fire and disassemble. It's been done a million times safely. The article hit the nail on the head in the first sentence, "negligently discharged."
 
I'll take that as tongue in cheek. If you need a pistol that doesn't need the trigger to be pulled to field strip it then you don't need to handle firearms- period. Or employment in any position that requires you handle and/or use firearms. Check the chamber. Double check. Aim in safe direction. Fire and disassemble. It's been done a million times safely. The article hit the nail on the head in the first sentence, "negligently discharged."
And when you're issuing these guns to law enforcement, many of whom are probably not the sharpest tool in the box, and also are not recreational shooters, it's sensible to minimise the number of things that could go wrong.
 
And when you're issuing these guns to law enforcement, many of whom are probably not the sharpest tool in the box, and also are not recreational shooters, it's sensible to minimise the number of things that could go wrong.

What a needlessly offensive post. The reason I don't shoot with civilians is because I saw one kill another at a gun range by accidental discharge. I have been a law enforcement gun training officer since 1992 and have never had one officer AD his/her weapon on the range. Not one. However, it can happen to anyone and anytime. As Wisco said, complacency kills.
 
People get too comfortable and way too complacent with firearms. This is why You always clear the firearm before handing it over to anyone. They in turn upon receiving the firearm should clear said firearm.
Stick your finger in the chamber and feel for an empty chamber. Your eyes will play tricks on you.
Negligent Discharges are caused by..
Stupidity.
Lack of Respect for the Firearm.
Complacency because you get too comfortable with a Firearm.
The list can go on.
 
And when you're issuing these guns to law enforcement, many of whom are probably not the sharpest tool in the box, and also are not recreational shooters, it's sensible to minimise the number of things that could go wrong.

If they require something simpler than a Glock or similar pistol, they need to be outfitted with sticks and stones.
 
From being on private and public ranges for 40 plus yrs, I think the generalization unfortunately to be quite accurate.
Remember the state police guy coming into the shop, w his "training cards" (index cards w rules of gun safety).
Guess the underlings were having too many AD's w their Glocks and he was supposed to quiz them.

Too many incidents to relay.

Just gonna say lots of people are not safe.
And too many are supposedly trained.

I refuse to shoot public ranges anymore, and hit my private club at off hours to avoid others.
 
Sucks my buddy's range was changed to a pond.
10 mins from house too.
Pretty sweet and super safe (I shot there a few times, and it was just me).
Hope the fishing is gonna be good.

:)
 
This is what makes the daily newspaper down there? An ND at … a shooting range?

One supposes only because a cop was responsible for it.

This superb example of investigative reporting is hilarious: (from the paper) "Police did not respond to inquiries about what Ridle was doing at the facility at the time."

Uh, shooting, maybe? Is that what's newsworthy here? A cop obtaining a little target practice on his own time?
And when you're issuing these guns to law enforcement, many of whom are probably not the sharpest tool in the box, and also are not recreational shooters, it's sensible to minimise the number of things that could go wrong.
And they're off … a mere 8 posts before the first cop-bash. Not a record, by any means, but still a little early in a thread. For the record, almost all of the (male) cops I know (in my area, anyway) and have worked with over the years, are recreational shooters. A number of them not only shoot competitions, but most are hunters, and I don't know anyone who doesn't train seriously or at least practice regularly on their own time.
 
Since a number of you guys are/were law enforcement, how much firearms training/qualifications do average beat cops get, and how quickly do they usually pick up on it?

A couple cops Ive been friends with were not uncomfortable with firearms, but certainly not well versed.
One other guy is a shooter and hunter, and he's good to go. Another good friend is a loomis driver/manager, and my favorite FFL, so he's good to go also.
I'm curious if its a training thing, or if it's something that some folks just never really get, and some do.
And the reason I ask, is because I figure cops, and armed security, are probably the most likely civilian jobs where a non "gun person" is put in a position to need the knowledge to do thier jobs.
 
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Since a number of you guys are/were law enforcement, how much firearms training/qualifications do average beat cops get, and how quickly do they usually pick up on it?

The Alabama curriculum for EVERYBODY POST certified specifies 40 hours in the academy then whatever your agency wants to do after that. Yearly quals specify a course of 50 rounds with 80% passing but that should never be equated with training. State mandated training for the year is 12 hours CEUs, and usually little if any is spent on firearms unless the agency REALLY wants you to have it. I know plenty of officers, and i'm one of them, who went to schools and trained on their own dime, figured that their life was worth it, and wrote it off on their taxes. There is no such thing as enough training and certainly nothing left in the budget or schedule to satisfy it.
 
Since a number of you guys are/were law enforcement, how much firearms training/qualifications do average beat cops get, and how quickly do they usually pick up on it?

A couple cops Ive been friends with were not uncomfortable with firearms, but certainly not well versed.
One other guy is a shooter and hunter, and he's good to go. Another good friend is a loomis driver/manager, and my favorite FFL, so he's good to go also.
I'm curious if its a training thing, or if it's something that some folks just never really get, and some do.
And the reason I ask, is because I figure cops, and armed security, are probably the most likely civilion jobs where a non "gun person" is put in a position to need the knowledge to do thier jobs.

I'm a former LEO. Some LEO's I worked with were avid shooters and some weren't. The training we went through was very good, and we had our own range. Thursday nights for whatever reason seemed to be the night most of us showed up to shoot, and we regularly had 10 to 20 LEO's shooting, out of about 50 total in the department. Some weren't good shooters and barely qualified but were exceptional officers. Speaking for myself, as a former LEO post 8 was a cheap shot against LEO's which added nothing to this discussion, other than to insult us.
 
In the last seven years at our facility, we have had eight ND's in our cleaning room and one into the floor, all but one (in the cleaning room involved Glocks. All but one was done by LE. Granted, that is the carry gun of choice for most agencies, but it does say something. Thanks to the safety features we have installed in our cleaning room, only two involved injuries. Hand and foot, neither life-threatening but yet messy.
 
how much firearms training/qualifications do average beat cops get, and how quickly do they usually pick up on it?
Up here, the initial firearms training is only 88 hours in the academy; after that, it's pretty much dependent on the agency and the role of the officer. One or two days on the range per year for line officers, a few places have quarterly quals, but that seems rare. A couple local police ranges let officers go in whenever to practice. Those who go for more high-speed specialty training, however, can get some excellent courses on their government's dime.

There's a different type of candidate that goes to a place like Seattle PD than one of our eastern rural county sheriff's offices though. Even within the state, the types of folks that gravitate into law enforcement represent a pretty diverse group. And no, most never become "gun people." Most become adequately proficient, a few require remedial work initially (very, very painful -- we get some people, mostly females -- who come in woefully unprepared mentally to deal with firearms and actually start off scared of guns).
 
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