Most accidental discharges are not really accidents, Michael Yon points out:
The bullet flies because there was a round in the chamber, the safety was disengaged, and the trigger was pulled, probably by a right index finger. Dropping a US military pistol or rifle will not make it shoot. Using the weapons as a hammer is a bad idea, but they still will not shoot unless something crucial is broken, which is rare. The weapons will not fire accidentally so long as the user never deviates from simple procedures.
During an infantry exercise in US, a unit was training with live ammunition. A soldier did not follow procedure by failing to put his safety on when moving. He fired a bullet, which struck Colonel David Petraeus in the back. Petraeus nearly died.
There were at least four mistakes:
- Weapon not on safe.
- Finger on trigger.
- Finger pulled trigger.
- Muzzle pointed in unsafe direction.
Had any one of these procedures been followed, General Petraeus would not have been shot.
- I was with Lithuanian soldiers when I heard a BANG. A nearby soldier was preparing to clean his weapon and it “went off.” It went off because there was a round in the chamber, the safety was off and he pulled trigger.
- I was with Iraqi forces when… Never mind. Too many to remember. Same with Afghans. Not all armies are well trained. But we are not talking about their rules.
- I was with British forces in Sangin, Afghanistan. I was talking on the sat-phone when BANG! Big commotion. A soldier about to clean his weapon shot his buddy who nearly died and is today messed up for life.
- Canadian Brigadier General Daniel Menard was preparing to board a US helicopter in 2010 in Kandahar. He fired a couple rounds that missed everyone and the helicopter.
The weapons don’t fire magically unless they are very hot due to heavy firing.
All of the above incidents illustrate sloppiness. Some forces are sloppier than others.
I’ve been handling guns my entire life. I’ve worn the barrels out on two rifles, which takes typically about eight to nine thousand rounds. I’ve been firing guns, using them in rough terrain hunting, and carrying them around fully loaded in day-to-day use for about 30 years now. I’ve fallen down hills with loaded rifles. I’ve dropped guns countless times due to rough terrain.
And despite all of this, I have never — never — had a gun go off without the trigger being pulled. End of story, modern guns will not fire unless you pull the trigger. Granted, you may not have intended to pull the trigger, but the fact is, if the gun went off, it is because you told it to.
There is no such thing as an accidental discharge. There is only negligent discharge, and I am of the belief that any peace officer that has their gun “go off” (in their words) should be suspended without pay until they can take a retraining course on proper gun handling. The course should be rigorous, and failure shuld be instantaneous upon any instructor seeing an officer place a finger on a trigger prior to being prepared to fire. No strikes. One time, you’re out, and you are no longer allowed to be a law enforcement officer because you are a dangerous menace.
I’ve had competent human beings who are casual gun-owners look at me blankly when I mentioned that your finger should not be on the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.
I would look at you blankly if you said that to me. I would also look at you blankly if you casually mentioned you should not hold a knife by the blade and try to cut things with the handle. Maybe you misinterpreted their blank looks?
That got a chuckle out of me, Doctor Pat, but, no, the subject came up in conversation, and his earnest reply was, “Really?” He’d never heard of keeping your finger on the frame until you had the sights lined up on your target and you had made the decision to shoot.
:(