AD with holstered gun

[Kendahl]

Here is a link to a story about a guy who was shot in the butt when his holstered handgun fired.

http://concealednation.org/2016/02/when-bad-holsters-turn-worse-this-guy-took-one-right-in-the-a-heres-why-a-proper-holster-is-essential/

I've never felt comfortable about a gun whose only safety is the trigger. In this case, it appears that the primary cause was a soft holster that failed to protect the trigger. Even a holster molded to fit your gun won't save you if something catches on the trigger as you re-holster.

[tstuart34]

Your right a trigger like a Glock will be at risk of a ND when reholstering. But this would require something to slide into the rigger guard as it's going into the holster. the "operator" needs to take some responsibility when reholstering a hot gun. He needs to make sure everythnf is clear of obstructions and take your time. Who the he'll is in hurry to holster your gun?

As far as that holsters... As a holster maker I would really like to see nylon holsters go away. They are horrible in all ways.... People need to be educated on the importance of a quality holster. But I honestly think thinking have something to do with the operator again.... Like the holster was not adjusted properly.

I will also throw out carrying in the small of the back is not a smart idea. It would Take a lot of practice and a very weird draw to not sweep yourself either removing or reholstering the firearm.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[JTH]

Quote from the article:
"What likely happened was a ‘bunching’ of the t-shirt that got into the trigger guard of the pistol, and pushed the nylon material inward."

Does this sentence make sense?  (If something got into the trigger guard, it wouldn't have pushed the nylon inward.)

"I've never felt comfortable about a gun whose only safety is the trigger."

Don't like revolvers? 


Truthfully, reading the article and looking at the pictures, I'm not sure they are coming to the correct conclusions.  Put it this way:

Look at this picture:
http://concealednation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Image000054.jpg

The bullet obviously came out of the gun when the muzzle end of the gun was only halfway into the holster, yes?  (Given where the destruction of the holster started.)

So it looks like the gun wasn't even in the holster (which is unsurprising, since this was a $5 nylon sausage sack) --- instead, the gun was already halfway out of the holster.

Whether that came about because of movement, a shirt tucked into the holster (a common problem with people who don't frickin' pay attention when holstering), or whatever, I don't know.

Even better---given the entry wound and direction, he was either carrying in the worst-managed almost-small-of-the-back carry mode I've ever seen for a right-handed person, or was left-handed and had pushed the gun completely behind him.  Either way, considering what the belt hook is like on that holster, the holster itself was just about ready to come off the belt because that holster only does straight-up-and-down, and the entry/exit wounds show the gun was at an angle.

(It also shows clearly that muzzle exit gases at close range do a lot of damage.)

Here's my overall point:  Most people who commit safety infractions don't know it, and when they do, won't admit it.  The extended discussion on how the gun was checked and wouldn't go off by itself, the owner had been carrying for years, etc----I don't care.  I don't find that convincing, and I flat-out don't trust what people say after they have shot themselves.

So:  I don't know exactly what happened here.  That being said:

• It looks to me like the holster wasn't actually securely on the belt at the time due to the angle of the shot.
• It looks to me like the holster placement itself on the body makes almost no sense for an experienced gun owner in terms of this holster type due to where the round hit.
• It looks to me like the gun was only about halfway into the holster at the time due to the damage to the holster.

Thus:

• If the gun was only halfway into the holster, the trigger guard was going to be accessible.
• If the holster was in a weird position and he was about to sit down, it would be pretty normal for many people to reach back and adjust it, especially it is was in the small-of-the-back like it seemed to have been.

If he had been "climbing around stuff and going through boxes" I can completely see him moving the holster around behind his body because having it on the side of his hip would have been in the way.  But he wouldn't want to keep it there when sitting down back in the car.

If the gun had been in the holster, the idea that a tucked-in-shirt would have slowly managed to work its way down into the holster, enough so that over time it would bunch up in the trigger guard and eventually pull the trigger...is not convincing to me.  And some other comment about "pushed the nylon material inward" doesn't make sense either if you have ever handled one of these nylon holsters.

Lastly:

"When I left, I walked outside and opened the car door. I went to go get in the car and just heard a loud bang,” Matt explained."

Look at these picture:
http://concealednation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Image000064.jpg

Closeup:

http://concealednation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Image000074.jpg

He got shot through the LEFT buttock, downward and at an angle outward.  So....if he was getting into his car, how did that shot hit the car in that place?  Does he get into his car by turning sideways, leaning against the car between the front and rear doors, and then falling partially sideways into the car?

I don't know what happened here in this situation.  That being said, a number of the things make no sense to me, and an explanation that makes more sense to me than the one given (and that fits the facts better, IMO) is that he moved his holster to the small of his back to crawl around the storage area, when he got back to his car he started to adjust it back, the gun wasn't secure in the holster and he reflexively grabbed it and lit one off as he was standing there before getting into the car because it was in an awkward position and his trigger finger control was poor.

That may be completely wrong.  But....it actually fits the pictures and comments better than "What likely happened was a ‘bunching’ of the t-shirt that got into the trigger guard of the pistol, and pushed the nylon material inward" which makes no sense.

Short form:
1) Use good holsters that fit your gun, and retain your gun.
2) Don't screw around with your gun.
3) Safety isn't something you do only sometimes.  If you have poor muzzle control or poor trigger finger control, there will be consequences.
4) Don't shoot yourself.


Am I missing something, or misunderstanding the pictures?

[WallPhone]

Old thread, but I'd speculate he had the holster middle of back (i.e. 6:00 position) , and while lowering himself to the seat, leaned over the center console and attempted to slide the holster to a 3:00 position, instead pulling it far enoough out of the holster to manipulate the trigger.

If you align the hole that runs almost directly downward through his untanned anatomy, with the angle of a hole entering middle of seat and exiting bottom of door jamb, he would have to have been leaning halfway into the passenger seat when the unintended did his end in.

Funny we know more about the cartridge and the holster than the make/model of the particular striker-fired weapon.

[Les]

Old thread, but I'd speculate he had the holster middle of back (i.e. 6:00 position) , and while lowering himself to the seat, leaned over the center console and attempted to slide the holster to a 3:00 position, instead pulling it far enoough out of the holster to manipulate the trigger.

If you align the hole that runs almost directly downward through his untanned anatomy, with the angle of a hole entering middle of seat and exiting bottom of door jamb, he would have to have been leaning halfway into the passenger seat when the unintended did his end in.

Funny we know more about the cartridge and the holster than the make/model of the particular striker-fired weapon.

Seems odd they didn't include make and model of said firearm instead focusing on just the holster, albeit a terrible choice.  I have an issue with calling it "Accidental" more like negligent. 

[depserv]

Good thing he was carrying it in back instead of in front when it went off. 

The Glock is safe to carry.  No gun is safe to carry in a cheap holster.  And no gun in any holster is safe if the one carrying it does not have his mind 100% on what he's doing when he handles the gun.

[Mali]

Carrying a gun is always dangerous. You have to constantly remember that or you will have a ND. But to me the two most dangerous times of carry a firearm are

• When you first start carrying it and you haven't the experience regarding how to handle it. It's easy to make a mistake at this time.
• You have learned how to carry firearms safely and have the experience to know better than mishandle it. It's easy to get complacent and shoot yourself in the butt (or any other body part)

May I never forget that fact.

[Les]

Good thing he was carrying it in back instead of in front when it went off. 

The Glock is safe to carry.  No gun is safe to carry in a cheap holster.  And no gun in any holster is safe if the one carrying it does not have his mind 100% on what he's doing when he handles the gun.

Agreed on Glock being safe to carry.  The safety is between your ears.