I've said several times before that if you're carrying a firearm in a pocket or purse, it needs to be in a holster to avoid things catching in or on the trigger, which might cause a tragedy.
Well, it just happened again.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Police said the mother of a teen daughter who was shot Saturday night reports the gun that killed her fired off accidentally ... The victim was taken to the hospital, where she died of a single gunshot wound.
Police said the teen’s mother told detectives her unholstered .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol was inside her purse and accidentally fired while she was attempting to grab her keys. Charges have not been placed.
There's more at the link.
Anti-gun activists will doubtless seek to portray this as yet another incident of "gun violence", and blame the gun - the instrument - for the girl's death. They're entirely wrong. The gun was not at fault. Careless and negligent handling of the gun was at fault.
Tragically, that mother will have to remember for the rest of her life that her daughter is dead because she was careless and/or negligent. This death was her fault, nobody else's. I wonder how the rest of her family will handle that?
May we, at least, learn from her bad example, and not make the same mistake.
Peter
The actual anti-gun activist line wouldn't be to portray this as "gun violence"--if they did use this as an example, it would be to support the claim that you, or those close to you, are more likely to be harmed by a gun that you own than you are to use one for self-defense, and that therefore we should ban guns.
ReplyDeleteNote: I do not agree with this line of reasoning; I'm just explaining it.
"The gun was not at fault"
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe.
Did the gun have a safety, or did it have a Glock type 'trigger safety' not-a-safety that lets the gun fire whenever the trigger is pulled, like could easily happen when she was grabbing her keys from the purse?
There is NO reason for this stupidity! Period!
ReplyDeleteI really like the pocket holster I carry my Sig P938 in and I didn't think I would. I also dont ever carry anything else in that pocket so I'm never reaching for keys ar anything else. I actually got that holster because I was following your advice here on this forum. Sometimes an old dog can learn new tricks.
ReplyDeleteThere are not many good reasons to NOT carry your pistol in a holster that covers the trigger/guard, even if it is in a ladies purse. This is why.
ReplyDeleteI understand the rationale behind the "glock trigger" style safety. But a gun with an actual thumb safety is much safer and with training and practice no more difficult to put into action. Some tragedies are avoidable. This is one of them.
ReplyDelete"Well, if I just yank on this harder..."
ReplyDeleteThere are no ADs. There are only NDs.
Are we actually sure that this was an accidental discharge?
ReplyDeleteAnd, if so, then the gun worked as designed. So it's not the gun's fault. If not, then the gun worked as designed. So it's not the gun's fault either. Nor the manufacturer whether it was an AD/ND or purposeful discharge.
My wife has a special purse just for carrying concealed, with a special pocket ONLY for the handgun. Inside the pocket is a holster. Nothing else ever goes in that pocket. If she reaches in, the trigger is covered by the holster until she intentionally draws the gun. That is the only way I would ever consent to her carrying off-body.
ReplyDeleteIn Mississippi it's constitutional carry but the weapon must be in a holster. A cheap Blackhawk pocket holster is fine for the remington RM380 that goes everywhere I do. A hammer fired DAO(double action only), long trigger pull. Exterior safeties are appropriate for single action pistols, but they are one more thing you have to do when time may be short. None of my revolvers or mag-fed DA/SA pistols have exterior safeties. I wouldn't even trust a cocked and locked SA in almost any IWB holster. They used to have the best triggers, but modern striker fired pistol triggers are fine for the majority of shooters. Opinions are just that, and gratis.
ReplyDelete