An interesting story at the doctors office

[gspn]

I was leaving a doctor appointment last week and I ended up on the elevator with a guy who was wearing one of those boots to help your foot heal.

Just making small talk I asked "How long do you have the boot for?" I don't know if he didn't understand the question, or didn't hear me, but he answered by telling me HOW he got the boot.

Due to regional dialect differences I couldn't understand everything he was saying but he mentioned something about shooting his foot, and a concealed carry class.

I asked "You shot yourself in your concealed carry class?"

He replied "no man, I've had my carry permit since I was 21."

"Did you do it at the range? You said it happened while you were moving too fast."

"no man I was unloading groceries. I had it in my pocket and it just went off. Shot myself in the foot. It went right between the bones and didn't hit any nerves so I got lucky."

Already knowing the answer, I asked if it was in a holster. He said it wasn't, that he had just gotten cocky and was in a hurry so he just dropped it in his pocket when they went to the grocery store. They got home and were unloading groceries at the back of the car and BOOM!

I asked how long it took before he felt the pain. Usually when I take a big hit it takes a few second from the moment of impact until the full pain kicks in and I was curious if it was the same with being shot.

He said that when the gun went off his girlfriend asked "WHAT WAS THAT!?"

He looked around and said "I don't know." A few seconds later she pointed to his foot and said "You're bleeding!" It took about 45 seconds for the pain to come on. He was carrying a .40 caliber with hollow point ammo (didn't ask which type).

He then told me that his cousin was telling him that he should use a revolver because they won't do that...that made me laugh. He explained that he doesn't like revolvers because they look like the old west...which I thought was a nice line. Lots of people share the sentiment.

I let him know that his problem wasn't the fact it was a semi-auto, it's that it wasn't holstered. He agreed, and reiterated that he had just gotten complacent.

I asked if he had purchased a holster yet and he said "That's the thing...I already have one...i just didn't use it...got in a hurry."

He was a nice dude, and I wished him well on his recovery. All said, that one ended about as good as an accidental shooting could end.

 

[rondog]

Glock?

 

[gspn]

Glock?

I wish I'd asked the make. We parted ways in the parking lot before I could ask it.

 

[HHH]

A good friend recently had a discharge while holstering a Glock during a match. He is usually very knowledgeable and careful, but he now has several holes in his leg, and has been laid up since the event.

I won't comment futher, unless someone has a question.

HHH

 

[Plan2Live]

I won't comment futher, unless someone has a question.

okay, I'll bite, was it a Glock?

 

[FL-NC]

2 safest ways to carry a handgun (any handgun):
1. in a holster appropriate for that handgun
2. in your HAND, pointed in a safe direction, finger off the trigger

anything else is probably a safety violation and/or accident waiting to happen.

 

[Shaq]

Most likely a Glock or similar striker-fired pistol with no manual or grip safety. Not only is a holster required, care must be taken when holstering to ensure no clothing, drawstrings, etc. get into the holster while holstering. If it is pocketed without a holster & doesn't fire, normal activities may allow material to get into the trigger guard & move the trigger back. And the holster must completely cover the trigger guard & preferably be made of rigid material (such as kydex) that won't soften with use.

I always chuckle when someone replies, "Glocks don't fire unless you pull the trigger." Wrong. A Glock can fire when anything pulls the trigger - doesn't have to be a finger. You'd think someone who dry fired a Glock would realize how light the trigger is - around 5.5 lbs, compared to a D.A. revolver or D.A. auto - around 12 lbs.

 

[AnselHazen]

I have a Steyr, which is a step up from a Glock but same deal. They call it Reset Action but it's still a striker fired no safety weapon.

I deal with this issue by NEVER EVER having a round chambered. Not EVER. The magazine is full and I am more than confident I can rack a round fast enough.

Guns go off, as the previous stories have shown us. I keep mine in a holster at all times but never with a round chambered. I am not ever making that kind of phone call.

 

[OilyPablo]

Hate when that happens.

 

[MedWheeler]

He said it wasn't, that he had just gotten cocky and was in a hurry..

I see what you did there...

 

[Win73]

Most likely a Glock or similar striker-fired pistol with no manual or grip safety. Not only is a holster required, care must be taken when holstering to ensure no clothing, drawstrings, etc. get into the holster while holstering. If it is pocketed without a holster & doesn't fire, normal activities may allow material to get into the trigger guard & move the trigger back. And the holster must completely cover the trigger guard & preferably be made of rigid material (such as kydex) that won't soften with use.

I always chuckle when someone replies, "Glocks don't fire unless you pull the trigger." Wrong. A Glock can fire when anything pulls the trigger - doesn't have to be a finger. You'd think someone who dry fired a Glock would realize how light the trigger is - around 5.5 lbs, compared to a D.A. revolver or D.A. auto - around 12 lbs.

But how could a Glock fire like that? It has a safety!

Surely everyone recognizes that I am being facetious. It does bring up a question that I have never gotten a satisfactory answer to(to me anyway). What does that so called "safety" on the trigger buy you? How is it any safer than my Ruger P97 that does not have a safety? If your finger or anything else gets in the trigger guard of either one and pulls the trigger, the gun is going to fire. If nothing pulls the trigger neither one will fire.

 

[yugorpk]

I like Glocks, Ive owned quite a few and I wouldnt carry one in my pocket on a bet.

People think I'm funny for carrying a unmodified model 60 .357 with only 5 shots. If I need more than that Im in a war.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

"He looked around and said "I don't know." A few seconds later she pointed to his foot and said "You're bleeding!" It took about 45 seconds for the pain to come on. ..."

I believe the delay between being seriously injured and actually feeling the pain is a point a lot of folks miss about real-life trauma.

 

[lysanderxiii]

...You'd think someone who dry fired a Glock would realize how light the trigger is - around 5.5 lbs, compared to a D.A. revolver or D.A. auto - around 12 lbs.

I have, and for that reason alone, I will not buy a Glock.

My M1911 has a trigger pull of around 5 to 6 pounds, And I sure wouldn't carry that around loaded and cocked without the safety on....

In my opinion, a double action pistol needs to have either a very long trigger pull, or a heavy trigger pull, it should not have a short, light trigger pull....

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I used to carry a Bond Arms derringer in my pocket with no holster. The need to manually cock the hammer made me feel it was safe. Now my attitude is that I will not carry any gun without a holster that covers the trigger, and if a semi auto, preferably one that covers the magazine release also.

 

[Speedo66]

Lots of different trigger weights for a Glock. I still have my service gun, a Glock 26, in which my agency installed a NY+ trigger. It's about a 12 lb. pull, I never bothered to have it changed because that's what I'm used to.

Before that, we had revolvers with which we were directed to never pull the hammer back for single action. So I guess I'm just a heavy trigger pull kind of guy.

The fact is, you can easily and inexpensively change to a heavier trigger pull in a Glock if you feel that will make it safer. But let's face it, Glocks don't go off by themselves, there's always an element of user deficiency involved. Put the blame where it belongs, it's not the gun.

 

[goldpelican]

I deal with this issue by NEVER EVER having a round chambered. Not EVER. The magazine is full and I am more than confident I can rack a round fast enough.

Has a poll been done on THR before about carry practices like this? i.e. do you carry a semi auto with a loaded or empty chamber.

 

[WardenWolf]

And this is why I greatly dislike Glocks and other striker-fired single-action pistols without a manual safety. I do believe these pistols are inherently unsafe, despite their popularity, and would never own one. I believe the ATF made a mistake in interpreting the hinged trigger as a safety device, and that, at the very least, they should be required to have a grip safety as the XD does.

 

[Ryanxia]

Saying that carrying a Glock or similar gun isn't safe is a pretty ridiculous statement. Be safe and you won't have an issue.

Have a proper pocket holster that covers the trigger guard. Keep it pointed in a safe direction while you are putting gun into said holster. Don't keep anything else in the same pocket. Pretty simple.

I carry a Sig 938 and keep it cocked and locked with a nice snug pocket holster. There have been occasions (mainly when I was first carrying and rubbing up against things a bit more) where the safety flicked off, so even with a 1911 style, its really important to have something to guard the trigger.
I have friends that have been pocket carrying Glocks for years and never had a problem. It's not the gun it's all about carrying it correctly.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Has a poll been done on THR before about carry practices like this? i.e. do you carry a semi auto with a loaded or empty chamber.

Carry condition practices have been polled a lot.... but that being said, new members are joining all the time, so results may be different.

 

[MedWheeler]

GoldPelican writes:

Has a poll been done on THR before about carry practices like this? i.e. do you carry a semi auto with a loaded or empty chamber.

I don't remember any polls specifically, but numerous threads have beat that down pretty good.

At any rate, that's material for a new or different thread.

 

[WardenWolf]

Saying that carrying a Glock or similar gun isn't safe is a pretty ridiculous statement. Be safe and you won't have an issue.

Yet even a 1911 with the manual safety off wouldn't have discharged in this situation due to the grip safety. That's the key thing here. A Glock has NO safety devices whatsoever. Nada. Zilch. Compared to plenty of other firearms out there, they are significantly less safe.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I believe the delay between being seriously injured and actually feeling the pain is a point a lot of folks miss about real-life trauma.

No *****! The first time I was wounded, I didn't realize it until I looked down and saw my collar bone protruding through the skin. And until I saw that, it didn't even hurt.

Made up for it after that, though!

 

[RalphS]

These things always happen with Glocks.
The Glock fanboys always blame it on training.
But it's always a Glock.

Doesn't happen with a J frame. My 642 has a 12 lb trigger pull. I could pull the gun out of my pocket, lifting it by the trigger, and it would never fire.

Doesn't happen with a LCP with the long DA trigger pull.

Doesn't happen with an XD, XDm, XDs because they have a grip safety.

Always happens with a Glock and the fanboys always blame it on training.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

These things always happen with Glocks.
The Glock fanboys always blame it on training.
But it's always a Glock.

Doesn't happen with a J frame. My 642 has a 12 lb trigger pull. I could pull the gun out of my pocket, lifting it by the trigger, and it would never fire.

Doesn't happen with a LCP with the long DA trigger pull.

Doesn't happen with an XD, XDm, XDs because they have a grip safety.

Always happens with a Glock and the fanboys always blame it on training.

Well you're certainly welcome to share your opinion and far be it for any of us to try and change your mind, but I can say as a non-fanboy, I hate Glocks in almost every way.

I hate their looks, I hate the way they feel in my hand, I hate the plastic sights, I hate the squared off soulless feel they have, I hate the fact that despite my hate I shoot Glocks well, and I hate the rampant fanboyism that spreads through the internet and flows through out computer monitors.

Despite all that hate, I still say it was user error. The man admitted he got sloppy, and if a person is using good safety habits, and has a proper holster that covers the trigger, modern guns will not fire on their own. Now if Glock had a defect and guns were firing on their own, ok, blame Glock. But in each case though, the reason the gun fired was due to the end user, not the gun.