RNB65
Member
I just HATE when that happens!
Guard wounded by his own pistol
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
A security guard at the federal courthouse in downtown Richmond was slightly wounded this morning when a handgun he was handling accidentally discharged.
The guard was grazed in the right upper thigh area by a lone bullet fired from a .40-caliber Glock 23 pistol, and he was taken to VCU Medical Center, where he was treated and released, said Jim Daley, the supervising deputy in charge of the U.S. Marshals Service in Richmond.
The guard, whose name was not released, is employed by Akal Security, which provides 22 security officers for the courthouse at 10th and East Main streets.
Daley said the guard had just reported for work about 7 a.m. and was putting on his equipment in a third-floor room used to store weapons, radios and other equipment. As the guard was putting the gun in his holster, it discharged, Daley said.
The bullet struck a filing cabinet and broke apart. No other injuries were reported.
Authorities are unsure why the weapon fired, Daley said. The Glock 23 has no external safety.
"We're going to check and make sure there are no defects with the gun and go from there," he said.
Articles like this REALLY sadden me. There are those who view the Glock pistol as "unsafe" due to the fact there is no external manually operated safety. The Glock Pistol does have a external safety, the trigger safety, coupled with the firing pin safety and the drop safety.....thats three! They all sequentially disengage while pulling the trigger and automatically reengage when releasing the trigger. "Glock Perfection." I could post hundreds of articles in reference to self inflicted gun shot wounds involving almost every weapon manufactured. Fact is, guns don't shoot people, people shoot people and sometimes themselves, it happens. It just seems that Glock always seems to take the heat because there are no levers, buttons and switches to throw before firing. Its funny how they always note that, when a Glock is involved, "it has no safety." In my opinion, Glock weapons are the finest, most accurate combat handguns made. When it comes to a life and death situation, the adreniline slams through your body causing tunnel vision and everything goes into slow motion, I wish you luck with the levers, buttons and switches. If you have never been there its hard to understand. You deploy a Glock, point it, pull the trigger and it goes bang! I have heard all the rebuttals, the big one, "Practice and train, when it happens it will be automatic, it will be like a reflex!" I TOTALLY agree, we need to train and practice to be prepared. But, when the sh#* hits the fan, it does not always work. Through my years, again and again, I have seen students, in high stress situations, do everything from trying to draw their weapon and holster at the same time from a triple retention to continually pulling the trigger with the safety engaged and believing the weapon was actually firing. I guess my point, before getting off the subject is: When it comes to self defense, life and death, win or loose, simplicity is the way to go. Keep training and practicing for every situation you can imagine. Shoot from different positions and ALWAYS incorporate movement into your drills. Thank you for the opportunity and the freedom to voice my opinion. BE SAFE and burn lots of ammo! Ten Bears
Revolvers are for stupid people anyway 
