VA - Police officer gun "malfunctions"

[JJVP]

The Roanoke County Police Department is checking their department-issued handguns after an officer's gun misfired Monday as he attempted to shoot a man wielding a shotgun, officials said.

An internal investigation showed a police armorer — a trained officer who services the department's weapons — failed to replace the handgun's firing pin spring during routine maintenance in 2010.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/309212" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[baldeagle]

The Roanoke County Police Department is checking their department-issued handguns after an officer's gun misfired Monday as he attempted to shoot a man wielding a shotgun, officials said.

An internal investigation showed a police armorer — a trained officer who services the department's weapons — failed to replace the handgun's firing pin spring during routine maintenance in 2010.

Two years and he never shot his gun. Not even at the shooting range. No wonder percentage of hits by the police is so low.

I'll bet he checks it more often now.

[Texas Dan Mosby]

Fail to replace as in "replace with a new one in accordance with maintenance standards" or fail to replace as in "failed to put the spring back in the gun resulting in the user walking around with a gun with no FP spring....for two years."

Complacency....

Sometimes it can be painful. Sometimes lethal.

[Jumping Frog]

Fail to replace as in "replace with a new one in accordance with maintenance standards" or fail to replace as in "failed to put the spring back in the gun resulting in the user walking around with a gun with no FP spring....for two years."

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.

If it had been non-functional for two years, that just sends a chill down the back.

[C-dub]

Not one of my guns has gone that long without being fired. Does anyone have one that has not been fired in over two years?

[Jumping Frog]

Not one of my guns has gone that long without being fired. Does anyone have one that has not been fired in over two years?

I've got a couple of shotguns I haven't shot in at least a couple of years. My home defense shotgun has been, but not some of the others. I probably have some rifles that have been idle that long.

All my handguns have been shot. I'm predominantly a handgun shooter anyway.

[chasfm11]

It sounds like there is a lot more wrong here. Don't most police departments require that their officers qualify with their service weapons at least once a year? Perhaps it is just a Texas thing or maybe a random department thing. But it sounds like a good thing to me.

I don't make a living with my guns and they ALL have been fired more often than that. How the heck can you expect to hit anything with it if it only spends time in a holster?

[Keith B]

Per Andy's article above

Mason said the gun had fired correctly "on a number of occasions" at biannual qualifications at the county's firing range, and subsequently fired correctly during tests after the Monday incident.

So sounds like he failed to replace te firing pin spring with a new one, and the old one may be weak.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

His gun didn't fire - but it was only when he was confronting a shotgun-wielding BG. Is that a bad time? :-)

SIA

[Dave2]

I wonder if he had a BUG on him? Unless I missed it, the article didn't say.

[sjfcontrol]

His gun didn't fire - but it was only when he was confronting a shotgun-wielding BG. Is that a bad time? :-)

SIA

No, just sounds like Murphy's Law to me.

Actually, I guess it's MacGillicuddy's Corollary

If anything can go wrong, it will
Corollary: It can
Corollary: It should
MacGillicuddy's Corollary: At the most inopportune time
Extension: it will be all your fault, and everyone will know it.

[Bullwhip]

big city major PD, probably use the same guns from the armory for annual shooting, so they don't "wear out" carry guns.

Sound stupid? I seen it before.

[philip964]

Well no one has mentioned how lucky the BG was. He apparently complied with the officers request, after the officer's gun misfired.

Maybe the BG found God after he heard the click, or maybe he was not a bad guy and was just drunk, slow and lucky.

While the BG lowered his shotgun, it went off striking the ground. Seems like someone was looking out for everyone.