Did you bring up the fact that whenever a bill regarding requiring "smart gun" type technology is introduced, it always contains wording exempting police officers at the insistance of police unions?Well...the cop described that there was most likely a struggle and he was killed. The teacher mentioned how a finger print system on the gun could have prevented that.
I then raise my hand and asked if the lack of an external safety on the Glock that he carries and that the Butler officer most likely carried had a direct result in the ability of the perp to easily fire off a shot.
He then goes into the pro-glock safety rhetoric saying how the gun won't fire when dropped out of an airplane.
After he finishes with that I say, well the Glock Safe Action safety is very successful in preventing accidental firing when dropped, thrown, or bumped...and I ask him if the fact that there is not a single external safety to stop any person from grabbing the gun, pulling the trigger, and subsequently firing off a round is a contributing factor to officers being killed by their own firearm. He then said that he is not aware of a pistol with an external safety and his old service revolver did not.
I said well...the Beretta that I carry in the Army has an external safety and the Steyr that I carry on the street has an external safety and so does, 1911 series, HK's, CZ's, and many others.
He said he doesn't think it would make a difference and he would not want to have to worry about a safety in a critical situation.
I then dropped it...wasn't hitting home. I think I might e-mail the reporter though and maybe shine a little firearm education his way. I like Glocks, and everything...but I also like an external safety and that is why I carry a Steyr.
????Cops have never commonly issued weapons with external safeties simply becuase they don't like having to worry about an on/off switch on their firearms.
I ask him if the fact that there is not a single external safety to stop any person from grabbing the gun, pulling the trigger, and subsequently firing off a round is a contributing factor to officers being killed by their own firearm.
The teacher mentioned how a finger print system on the gun could have prevented that.
A student then asked if there was a strap holding the gun in the holster, the cop said no. He then said that he had his own gun taken away once, but luckily had a backup and surprised the criminal.
1911s have never been issued to police? I'm sure that's news to Colt and Kimber and Springfield Armory, not to mention Para Ordnance, who are selling a lot of their LDAs to police departments precisely because they DO have a safety.
ScottsGT and Mr. Mysterious, I'm with you. I take comfort in my external safety. I don't like Glocks and revolvers for CCW for that reason.
Jeff, you're right. An external safety should not be counted on to prevent unauthorized use of a firearm.
OTOH, the NRA research and my own experience says that anyone who is NOT a serious gunnie (and most bad guys aren't) needs a few seconds to figure out this safety thing. I want those seconds.