One must ask, why should anyone carry a Concealed Carry, or open carry sidearm? Easy answer, is for protection.
Protection. That means from all threats. All threats.
What actions, might be taken, by the sidearm owner, that could make his use of a sidearm, a problem, rather than an asset?
The one problem, that comes up over and over, all across this country, is the recurrence of something called ND, or Negligent Discharge.
Simply put, the gun goes bang, before the gun owner was ready, or when the owner was not expecting a shot would be fired. ND's result in property damage, Injury, and Loss Of Life.
Hundreds of Police Officers, and many more hundreds of gun owners experience ND's in their daily lives, each year.
The number one way to prevent an ND from happening, is follow a Gun Safety Protocol, and NEVER deviate from that. NEVER.
For some people, that might be NEVER remove a handgun from a holster, unless you intend to unload it, or fire it.
Other people may follow the Big 3, or Big 4 Gun Safety Rules. They feel, this will keep them safe.
Some people rely on certain types of guns, to increase their odds of carrying safely. Long, hard trigger pulls, might be one example.
Some people, never carry a round in the chamber, until they are ready to shoot.
Some people, watch a few videos, dry fire a few hundred times, while watching a John Wayne movie, and figure it could never happen to them.
How do I, personally, work at never having an ND?
I am big on Gun Safes. Guns are locked up, when not on my person.
I keep doors, windows locked.
I keep ammo separate from stored guns (except for a couple SHTF guns, I have locked up, to spring into action, if the need comes up quickly, allowing me to get to other guns, and stores of ammo)
My CC choice is Glock, with a few exceptions, reservations, and alterations. I DO NOT, give my Glock's, trigger jobs. A two pound trigger pull, on a Glock, is like leaning out a 8 story window, while standing on banana peals. Not prudent, IMHO. I leave factory Glocks, well enough alone, in the trigger department. If Glock sells an internal component part, that is good enough for me.
One good thing about Glock, and one bad thing, is no external, manually applied safety. It is good, because when you need your gun to go bang, all you have to do is pull the trigger, and if she has a round in the chamber, she goes bang.
The bad thing, is all you have to do is pull the trigger, and she goes bang. It is a two sided coin, a two edge sward.
Reading owners manuals, safety manuals, you come away with the impression, do not chamber a round, as that can be dangerous. Yes, that can be.
Dangerous also, having a gun, unloaded, and you need a loaded gun. That sometimes, is also not prudent.
So how does one carry a Glock, loaded, fully loaded, and be safe from ND's?
Some say, a holster, with a covered trigger.
Others say, as level 2 holster, or level 3. Sure, that does help.
I use a level 2 holster.
Is there anything that can be done, to ensure the gun, cannot be fired, in the times, I am loading the gun, or unloading the gun, and the Glock is out of the holster?
The answer to that , is 100% yes.
How does one do that? Before any rounds go into my Glock 23C, I place on the gun, something called a Trigger Block Safety. Installed,, takes a split second, the trigger cannot be depressed. It can be removed in a split second, if need be.
First I place the Trigger Block Safety on my Glock, then I load my magazine in the gun, rack my slide, drop the magazine, top it back off, return the magazine to the gun, then place the gun, chambered round, magazine, into my level 2 holster, and I m ready to go.
Unloading, all ammo, comes out of the gun, while the Trigger Block Safety is in the gun.
100% hard fast safety rule: No ammo in the Glock, until after the Trigger Block Safety is installed.
Following this safety rule, along with the NRA gun handling rules, I am confident, I have a pretty good chance of never having an ND in my lifetime.
Do I teach this to students in my CHP class? No, I feel it is off the subject, and most students do not come to my class with a Glock. I do offer a Glock class, where I teach what I know about Glocks, as a Glock Armorer, and in that class, I do let them try out a Trigger Block Safety. I suggest my students, follow their Glock Owners manual, and follow that pretty close, and do academy level training, if they intend to carry with one live in the chamber, trigger block safety, or not.
