Let's Stop Shooting Each Other

We're shooting each other. Just this week on Officer.com police related headlines from across the country have reported that officers have: shot themselves, shot other officers and allowed a three year old son access to a live firearm which resulted in the boy shooting himself. Tragedy, stupidity and complacency are to blame. This must stop and here's how we’ll fix it.

Four Firearms Safety Rules

The universal four basic firearm safety rules have stood the test of time and bare repeating. They are:

Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
Don't point the muzzle at anything you don't wish to shoot, kill or destroy.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you've made the conscious decision to shoot.
Be sure of your target and what's behind it.

And yet we have: Officers that shoot their own hands while "clearing" pistols prior to cleaning; Officers that shoot refrigerators, plasma TVs, through the walls of their homes and into a neighbors; Officers that shoot other officers after conducting firearms training and prior to cleaning; a DEA agent caught on tape shooting himself in the leg after "clearing" his pistol and then proclaiming, "I'm the only one professional enough in this room to carry a Glock .40." Indeed go to any police range or firearms training facility and ask to see the holes from accidental discharges. All manner of table, walls, ceilings and the like have been shot by officers; but property damage is only one aspect. Sadly two officers' names will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C. this year who were killed in "accidental shootings" while cleaning after or while conducting some type of firearms training. This is not an aberration and unless we introduce sound protocols and training tools to stop these tragedies, they will go on. Some will say things like, "Well if he kept his finger off the trigger there would not have been a problem." Such statements do nothing to prevent further injury or death and are ignorant. If it was that simple, Zippy, we wouldn't have a problem in the first place.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

A fellow firearms instructor tells students, "I'm good with a gun. Matter-of-fact I'm so good I'm probably on the verge of having an accidental discharge." His point is that some of us deal with firearms on such a regular basis that when a gun (pistol, subgun, shotgun or carbine) is in our hands it is as if magic happens. So practiced are we that we are beginning to act without conscious thought in terms of safety and this is extremely bad.

To counter-act the possibility of experiencing an accidental discharge we should do things methodically. We should have a methodical system to both:

load from the holster and make ready, and
unload, clear and re-holster.

The first step is to have a safe backstop - something solid that will stop your gunfire. Range backstops are primo but charging barrels, the new Safe Direction™ ballistic containment systems, or even a concrete block wall must be used to properly clear. The system I favor which is taught by my good friend and fellow firearms instructor Chris Cerino is to:

Draw to full presentation;
Bring the Weapon back into your "workspace";
Remove the source of ammunition (magazine) and place it in your pocket;
Lock the slide to the rear;
Visually and manually check to make sure that the chamber and magazine well are empty;
Look away and then visually/manually check the pistol again (ever look at your watch only not see what time it was only to have to repeat it? Same concept...).

If your pistol requires that you press the trigger prior to disassembly then the pistol should be brought back up to eye level, the slide should be sent forward and a sight picture obtained prior to pressing the trigger. If this last step is not done on the line, under control, then officers will press the trigger somewhere unsafe. If you want to be doubly sure, and why not, put a clearing barrel or Safe Direction pad at a point prior to entering the cleaning room.

To load, once again on the line or while pointed at a charging barrel, safe backstop or Safe Direction pad, you:

Draw to full presentation;
Bring the pistol back into the workspace;
Lock the slide to the rear;
Load a magazine from a magazine carrier;
Manually operate the slide or use the slide stop to chamber a round while coming back on target with a good sight picture;
Start breathing and expanding you vision;
Return to high-ready and perform a press check;
Return to the holster.

While methodically conducting the loading and unloading process as mentioned, you give yourself opportunities to develop good sound habits and you learn to "run the gun" - the mark of a true professional.

Training Tools and Devices

Sadly even firearms instructors have fallen victim to the "familiarity breeds contempt" rule which has resulted in instructors wounding and killing students as well as themselves. Sound training devices exist which can reduce the need to demonstrate with live firearms. Rings® Blueguns are available in all makes and models and are closely molded so that they can be holstered (an issue with today's injection molded holsters). Unless the situation calls for airsoft, Simunitions® FX cartridge training or dry fire using real firearms, use Blueguns - they are much safer. Glock, as an example, has the non-functional red framed Training Pistol. This solid barrel training devices can seat a magazine, chamber a training round and has the same trigger press as a standard Glock but can be safely used in the classroom.

Although barrel blocks can be made from electrical zip ties or colored paracord, commercial versions are available. Bladetech® has recently developed a Training Barrel made of polymer that replaces the barrel on many pistols. This yellow solid plastic barrel allows safer dry fire practice in basic firearms programs.

Inert training rounds are a must and I prefer those from Law Enforcement Targets. These metal case training rounds feature orange plastic "bullets" and because of the brass cases can be cycled hundreds of times without damage.

I've already mentioned Safe Direction but I would like to talk about some of their innovative products. With products such as: The Academy Pad (which can fit in a three ring binder); Pro Shooting Bag; Armorer's Transport Cases; and Wall Board for both Pistol and Rifle, Safe Direction offers much to provide easily portable ballistic containment. Safe Direction products are sound, inexpensive and a worthwhile investment for every agency.

Accidental, Unintentional or Negligent Discharge

Let's not get hung up on what we call the incident as it serves no purpose, let's focus on prevention. Let's conduct firearms training and unloading, clearing and cleaning as well as the subsequent loading process methodically and as safely as possible. Let's be victors from our training experience not victims to it. Remember the four firearms safety rules and always handle firearms with conscious thought and with safety in mind at all times.