9 mm FMJ Point Blank Gunshot Wound (Warning - GRAPHIC PICS!!)

[highmountain78]

Sorry for your trouble

I feel for you and it is an important reminder to all that there is no second chance with a firearm.

However, I am a bit confused or did not understand something. A Glock 19 has no hammer to the best of my knowledge. Glocks are hammerless guns.

My Glock 26 has no hammer. There is only one way to completely safety a Glock. Remove the mag, Firmly grasp the butt, with the finger OFF the trigger, resting on the slide, and pull back the slide; locking it and let the chambered round fall out.

After and only after the above has been performed, release the slide and depress the trigger.

Never, never cross any part of your body or anyone elses with the muzzle of a gun, the finger is always off the trigger until ready to shoot. That principle applies to any gun, semi auto, revolver, anything.

Sorry for your trouble.

 

[Tommygunn]

A Glock 19 has no hammer to the best of my knowledge. Glocks are hammerless guns.

True. I have a G19; no hammer as it's a strike fired gun. IIRC the mechanism in all Glocks is similar except for the size of the gun.

 

[Oyeboten]

Hi Rockwell1,


Oh, I quite agree...


I am saying in fact, that we do well to formalize and practice definite procedures.


And, that we do so, at least in part, in recognition of our own (and other's)potential fallibility...as in 'thinking' a Gun is not Loaded, instead of making positively sure by safe methods of inspection.


And...we omit these surities at our own or other's peril.


And, as you suggest, I agree, with any Automatic, always, with finger away from the Trigger, remove the Magazine if it has one, and, open back the Slide or other to visually look into the Chamber and Magazine Well...making sure the Arm is clear of any Ammunition, before handling it further.


I am affirming the desireability of sound and definite practices as deeds, and, acknowledging the potential risk of merely 'thinking' one has rightly checked and positively cleared an Arm (already).




Phil

 

[kda]

However, I am a bit confused or did not understand something. A Glock 19 has no hammer to the best of my knowledge. Glocks are hammerless guns.

My Glock 26 has no hammer. There is only one way to completely safety a Glock. Remove the mag, Firmly grasp the butt, with the finger OFF the trigger, resting on the slide, and pull back the slide; locking it and let the chambered round fall out.

"Drop the Hammer" was used as a figure of speech. If I say "I sent a round flying down range, I don't really mean to say the bullet actually had wings or anything like that". So if a Glock doesn't have an internal hammer, then I pulled the trigger as required to release whatever you like to call it to finish preparing the weapon for disassembly.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the confusion. I didn't mean to be obscure. It was simply a matter of me "thinking" I had cleared the magazine when, in fact, I had not. I was sure I had ... I was mistaken. I know how to clear a Glock, I know I should clear the chamber, I've done it hundreds of time ... and all of that. It isn't that I didn't know. Is it that I thought I had when I had not.

I was raised to believe that we all make mistakes. This one was a biggie. From some of the replies to this post, it appears that there is a magic circle of people out there that haven't made their first mistake yet and cannot yet grasp how humans can "err" since they never have. I think that is terrific. I understand their outrage that I am embarrassing the human race and I envy their perfection.

Alas, I must confess, I am flawed. :banghead:

Some readers of this thread appear to be finding benefit from my "confession". For that, I am genuinely pleased.

I'm happy too for those who found this an opportunity to thump their chest. Ego's need exercise too.

 

[kda]

Thats a pretty nice wound for a FMJ. What brand of 9mm Ammo was it?

PMC Bronze. Most of the visible damage (skin loss) was likely muzzle blast.

 

[Rockwell1]

It appears that there is a magic circle of people out there that haven't made their first mistake yet and cannot yet grasp how humans can "err"

I never claimed perfection I claimed absolute adherance to the rule that you clear every weapon you touch every time you touch it.

(With the obvious exception of a weapon you've just loaded and intend to fire)

I am the only one with access to my safe there is one gun loaded in it and the rest are empty. Some of the empties haven't seen daylight in a year they still get cleared.

If I show you one of my (small) collection the weapon gets cleared and you get to look into to the chamber as well and you get asked " Do you agree that this weapon is clear?"

I am absolutely annal about that rule since the day I found a dud round in my wife's .380 after a range trip. So I guess that was my imperfection in not double checking that my wife had cleared her weapon before leaving the range.

I am also absolutely annal that no live ammunition is to be introduced into the cleaning area while weapons are being cleaned, if I clean my carry piece it is unloaded at the safe and carried to the cleaning area where it is cleared again before disassembly

Experience allows me to learn from my mistakes

Wisdom allows me to learn from your's

 

[Double Naught Spy]

You never pick up a weapon without clearing it

Why is that so hard to understand?

Because sometimes when you pick up a weapon, you want to shoot it?

Well yeah but other than that

So then that notion of "never" really doesn't apply, does it? Certainly the first thing I don't want to do when I pick up a gun in the middle of the night when I have heard something crashing against my front door is to clear my gun of ammo. That would be extremely counterproductive to having the gun ready for self defense.

 

[Rockwell1]

To then that notion of "never" really doesn't apply, does it?

You are absolutely correct, my carry weapon is loaded at all times (unless I've just shot it empty, unloaded it to load practice ammunition or unloaded it to clean it. Don't want to be imprecise now.) I also don't put my hand in front of the muzzle and pull the trigger.

What I'm doing has worked up to this point, if it ever doesn't I will let you know.

 

[jeepmor]

I'm sorry this happened to the OP and also thankful he was man enough to share his painful mistake as a simple reminder of safety and the consequences of slipping, if only just once.

 

[Gryffydd]

My Springfield XD 45.acp also requires the trigger pull to tear down.

The difference is that the process requires the slide to be pulled fully to the rear in order to flip the disassembly lever up. This necessitates you clearing the chamber to disassemble.

 

[Eightball]

Oh geez.......that's less than appealing looking.

 

[TwistedMinded_Biker]

Thanks for sharing, as soon as I seen your post I pulled both my boys and wife into to read, see that this could happen to the best of us.
I think it help make my point to them to clear-clear-clear ,and check again assume every gun they pick up or are handed is always load .Hey Man hope all works out , & IMO a stand up guy to post this to help others . Twisted

 

[Lonestar49]

...

Yep, to error is to be human, but.. Ouch!

Could have been a brain fart. Ya thought ya did, but didn't, but I bet ya will always pull the slide back, "one more time" to verify the chamber is empty from now on.. That's the lesson learned.. verify

Question: Had you seen a Doctor about your hand at the time of the photo was taken..?

And have you seen a Doctor about your hand at all..?

It really looks like it's gonna take some time to heal with that layer of flesh burned, blown, off, as the entry and exit wounds will heal far faster..

This should make for some good one-hand (off hand) shooting for ya for awhile..


Ls

 

[twofifty]

Thanks all

This has been an interesting and instructive thread, and I appreciate KDA's (the OP) candor in telling us how easily this accident happened.

His statement that "It isn't that I didn't know. Is it that I thought I had [cleared the gun] when I had not." is a quasi universal truth, and it needs saying and repeating, and for that I am grateful. Since I am fallible, this and similar accounts may help save me from the same or worse fate.

There is a reason that modern industrial safety programs rely on safety meetings and safety audits: humans are fallible, and safe behaviour/practices need frequent reinforcement.

To reinforce KDA's point, just a few weeks ago while demonstrating safe handgun practice to a new shooter I unholstered my handgun and cleared it while saying "now this gun is clear but..." and lo and behold, there was a round in the chamber. I wasn't really surprised as I expected the round to be there for I'd just loaded and holstered cocked and locked, but part of my mind was half-expecting the gun to be clear. It wasn't. Human minds are frail instruments indeed.


Rockwell1 tells us that "I am also absolutely anal that no live ammunition is to be introduced into the cleaning area while weapons are being cleaned."

Now that too is good advice. Stories here and elsewhere confirm that cleaning firearms is best done in a room that contains absolutely no ammo. A moments distraction can so easily lead to inadvertently 'dry firing' a loaded gun, for instance. Folk have shot their TVs that way.

I have not really added anything new here, but feel that nurturing this thread helps keep members of the community safe, uninjured and alive.
It sure has helped me.

Glad you're healing so well KDA.

 

[sarduy]

KDA i hope you get better soon man.

This is why I dont shoot my Glock that much, you have to pull the trigger to disassemble it for cleaning. The moron who thought that up should be drawn and quartered!

there is nothing wrong with that. and that moron as you call him, build one of the best gun so far.

just follow this directions and you'll find that glock are as safe as any other gun to disassemble.

1. point in a safe direction & finger off the trigger
2. remove the magazine
3. move the slide back and forward 3/4 times
4. LOOK AT THE CHAMBER, MAKE SURE IT'S EMPTY.
5. disassemble it.

if step 2,3,4 fails step 1 will get you cover.

 

[FlyinBryan]

lol, i would be willing to bet that this never happens to kda again.

 

[Rockwell1]

lol, i would be willing to bet that this never happens to kda again.

And I bet he's going to be more of a jerk than I am about clearing his weapon.

. move the slide back and forward 3/4 times

Just me but I don't like that one. I preffer locking the action open and inspecting the chamber.

 

[mbt2001]

Everyone that lives in a suburban / urban area should have get a Safe Direction plate. http://www.safedirection.com/ That allows you to have you muzzle in a safe direction, so, God forbid, you have an incident like this, it harmlessly goes into the plate.

I have explained to people over and over again that the 4 rules are such that IF you follow 1 of them, no one gets hurt. In order for someone to get hurt you have to violate all 4 simultainiosly.

 

[Boba Fett]

Everyone that lives in a suburban / urban area should have get a Safe Direction plate. http://www.safedirection.com/ That allows you to have you muzzle in a safe direction, so, God forbid, you have an incident like this, it harmlessly goes into the plate.

Those are pretty interesting. Good link.

 

[kda]

...

... but I bet ya will always pull the slide back, "one more time" to verify the chamber is empty from now on.. That's the lesson learned.. verify

Question: Had you seen a Doctor about your hand at the time of the photo was taken..?
Ls

Lonestar 49 ... that is a bet you would almost certainly win. Nothing will get one to refocus on fundamentals like a hole in one's hand.

To answer some of your other questions and fill in some blanks .. the first pictures (posted with the original message at the start of this thread) were taken by me with my good hand when I got home from the ER/Doctor's office. I just went out on the patio with my little Canon camera and made a record so that I would never ever forget.

After the incident, I went to ER. They flushed it out with salt water, gave me an IV to restore my body fluids and to get my Blood Pressure back up from 45/20. Then they took x-rays and sent me immediately to a hand surgeon to see if any additional treatment was needed.

All medical personnel agreed to just leave the wound open and uncovered until it healed. Except for the nerves in that area, it has healed surprisingly quickly and without meaningful external scaring. I do have quite a lump of something very hard under the skin right where the center of the would was ... I'm guessing it is scar tissue. The doctor seemed to think so. No infection at all and the wound is still painful if I press on it directly. Soaking that entire hand twice daily (30 minutes per soak) in Hydrogen Peroxide seemed to solve any potential infection issues for the wound stayed very clean. As I indicated, I soaked twice daily in HP, 30 minutes per soak for several weeks. Four weeks I think it was. Walmart was scrambling to keep supplied.

I've seen the hand surgeon twice since ER and have been released from all medical care at this point. Browse a couple of my follow up posts (above) for additional detail and thanks for your best wishes and encouragement. I appreciate it.

Lesson learned ... the hard way for me.

In the ER, I mentioned that if they REALLY WERE going to force saline solution through the wound to flush it out they should, at the very least, give me a "stick to bite" or a "stiff shot of bar whiskey" .... But they didn't. The ER Nurse was a little surprised that I just sat there and watched it all. Then as we visited the nurse noted that it is usually the young "toughs" from the street gangs that whine, scream and cry through it all.

In reality, the salt water hurt a lot less than the disinfectant they poured on it first.

 

[JImbothefiveth]

I've got one question: Does the g19 require you point it in an unsafe direction? Because I might have to take that one off my list.

 

[Lou McGopher]

Most likely his glock does too.

I love the posts blaming the gun design.

Good luck with the healing.

I didn't think Glocks had that... but I just learned they do come with that now. When did they start adding that feature?

And I wasn't blaming the gun design. But would you not agree that this sort of thing would happen less often if all guns had a light that flashed red when there was a round in the chamber? (I apologize in advance for opening my mouth if that sort of technology is mandated any future gun control legislation.) People make mistakes when using machines, but that isn't to say the machines can't have features that reduce the likelihood of a person screwing up with it.

 

[Smithiac]

Lets not forget muzzle control if that was not pointed away from the important stuff you would have been an article in the paper not a post on the internet. Thank you for sharing, its a tiny reminder to us all to be more carefull. I haven't been in your shoes but I have been close.

Thanks again

 

[cchris]

I cannot disclose by what means or where, but I see these things everyday, some of them give me nightmares. Lucky it didn't do too much damage, but I'm guessing the largely-scarred area around the entry point was caused by the ignition of the powder?

 

[highmountain78]

My sincere apology if I came off too judgemental, for I assure you I was not judging.

I simply wanted to point out some principles of muzzle control. However, I made a BIG goof about thirty some years ago.

A friend and I had enjoyed an evening of poker and more than few scotch's, he felt inclined to show me his latest pistol purchase.

He handed me the pistol, a Colt 45 ACP, nice I said, looking over the gun.

I flipped the thumb safety off, pointed the gun at the wall, and squeezed the trigger.

BANG!!!! a hole in the wall, He exclaimed SHI@, and I did it! I still don't know what caused me not to check the gun or why he had not.

Poor Rich has since passed on, I sometimes wonder if that incident took a couple years off his life?

I know, SHI# does happen.

Live, learn and prosper.