Negligent discharges.... fault of gun or the person using it?

[Bear44]

It's called "indexing" and is the first drill I teach a new student. I have thrown people out of class for repeatedly failing to index. I have worked with several cops that admit the police instructors put little or no emphasis on it. So....BOOM.

 

[cskiles]

It's called "indexing" and is the first drill I teach a new student. I have thrown people out of class for repeatedly failing to index. I have worked with several cops that admit the police instructors put little or no emphasis on it. So....BOOM.

When I first learned to shoot/handle a weapon (at about 7 or 8 years old) I was taught that way. My dad didn't call it indexing, he just said this is how you safely handle a firearm - your finger doesn't touch the trigger until you are ready fire. I train my son the same way - trigger finger on the slide/gun body until you are ready to fire. That being said, I also teach him to always be aware of where the weapon is pointed regardless of whether it is loaded or unloaded (learn and practice the correct way to handle a weapon and it becomes second nature); it still amazes me when I am at a range or gun store and some jack hole is slinging a weapon around with the muzzle pointed at everything in the room (including people).

 

[spencer60]

Loved this part...
------------------------------------------------
'Training scars'

L.A. County sheriff's deputies learning to shoot the Beretta were taught to rest a finger on the trigger as soon as they took aim. The mantra was "on target, on trigger." With M&Ps and Glocks, the trigger finger should stay on the side of the gun until the last moment...

--------------------------------------------------

So they were basically walking around, finger-on-trigger with only the slide-safety to keep a round from going off. No wonder they have twice as many ND's with the M&P.

 

[Bear44]

When I first learned to shoot/handle a weapon (at about 7 or 8 years old) I was taught that way. My dad didn't call it indexing, he just said this is how you safely handle a firearm - your finger doesn't touch the trigger until you are ready fire. I train my son the same way - trigger finger on the slide/gun body until you are ready to fire. That being said, I also teach him to always be aware of where the weapon is pointed regardless of whether it is loaded or unloaded (learn and practice the correct way to handle a weapon and it becomes second nature); it still amazes me when I am at a range or gun store and some jack hole is slinging a weapon around with the muzzle pointed at everything in the room (including people).

The thing that is most frustrating about this is that they can be trained properly to index without firing a shot or even having to go to a range. The same is true of muzzle control. The LAST thing a person should be taught is to actually FIRE the weapon.

 

[bearpugh]

always taught my girls to keep that finger pointed when you handle a gun.

 

[RexProcer]

I think he took the figurative saying a touch too literally. Oh well.

 

[mgonza]

idiots with guns want to blame the gun.

 

[EddyT]

It's not the guns fault. This is like dropping a 45# plate on you foot at the gym and blaming the plate. Even if the plate is slick and your hands are sweaty, you should know this and adjust accordingly.

 

[Cadcom]

Here is the root of the damn problem:

"The switch was prompted, in part, by the threat of a lawsuit by women who had failed the Sheriff's Academy, the Times said."

 

[Spiderman11]

Seems like cops are the biggest fudds around when it comes to anything guns.

And part of it is simply the leftist culture out there and unfortunately this is just a natural progression. Think about it, I'm not sure if you've ever lived in California but I did for about two years. Guns are just not part of life for the large majority of people there, especially in the southern cities (Minus the gangs lol). Now you have a whole generation growing up, joining the workforce to include law enforcement, and they have likely never touched a gun in their life. May be great people and make great officers but just dont have any life experience with a firearm. Now you give them a gun to carry on their side every day, then change it to a completely different platform from what you originally trained them on, . . . . this is actually not very surprising at all unfortunately.