I've written before about the need to use a pocket holster if you decide to carry a gun in your pocket. It's too easy for something to get caught up in the trigger guard and fire the gun when you don't want that to happen.
Now that lesson has been tragically reinforced, yet again.
Troy Earl Smith was found with a gunshot wound to the chest at 1pm on Thursday in the coastal city of St Petersburg.
The 25-year-old was pronounced dead later in hospital.
Detectives believe a handgun in his jacket pocket discharged as he rode his bike.
There's more at the link.
Folks, the rules are simple.
- If you carry a gun in your pocket, use a pocket holster that covers the trigger guard. ALWAYS.
- Remove everything else from that pocket, so that even if the gun slips out of the holster, partially or fully, there's nothing else in there that can get into the trigger guard.
- Don't fiddle with the gun, even by putting your hand into that pocket for other reasons. Leave it severely alone unless and until you need it.
Peter
This is why I have a dedicated pocket just for the small pistols and nothing else goes in that pocket--ever. It's also why my pocket-carry small pistols have double-action triggers.
ReplyDeleteYou left out the oldest solution to the SIGSW tragedy. STOP carrying your SA weapon with a round up the spout! 99.999999% of the time you will have more than enough time to rack the slide if you need the pistol. I can think of no valid reason why I would ever need to haul a hand gun day to day with a round under the hammer. --Ray
ReplyDeleteI'd guess carrying a revolver instead of an automatic might be a decent safety precaution as well as the holster.
ReplyDeletewith a bobbed hammer and/or DAO action as well as a fairly stiff trigger, its still a solid self defense choice but has a lower negligent discharge risk.
It could also be combined with the anon at 8:00 AM suggestion and carried with an empty cylinder under where the hammer 1st falls too.
It would take a tiny bit of training to double tap I suppose but it would not be heard to do as people tend to pull the trigger lots under stress anyway
4 shots isn't idea but its usually enough.
Concur with all, and Murph!
ReplyDeleteAnother reason a pocket holster is handy is because, when you need to remove the gun from your pocket for administrative purposes, the gun stays in the holster. No fuss, no muss, the gun and trigger are secure.
ReplyDeleteI toted my first carry piece, a Charter Undercover, in my pocket for years. The only reason I got a pocket holster was to stop having to iron patches on the inside of my pants as reinforcement--the front sight kept wearing holes in my pants leg!
ReplyDeleteOnly then did I discover several other good reasons to use one, some listed above.
Never hurts to keep getting the word out. Bravo, Peter.
--Tennessee Budd