Dalhart: Teenage burglar shoots self with stolen weapon

[seamusTX]

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What goes around comes around.

- Jim

[C-dub]

"The gun accidentally went off."

Dingleberry was playing with a loaded gun and accidentally pulled the trigger. Too bad he wasn't a better shot. Oh, the pigmies are gonna get me for that one.

[ELB]

I took a course from a firearms instructor who also acted as an expert witness in court. At the time he said he had just consulted on a case where Joe Convict had gotten out of prison for burglary and was staying at his sister's house. One day while she was at work, he decided to occupy his time by burgling her neighbor's house. He stole several items including a Glock handgun he found in its plastic case. When sister came home, she spotted all this "new" stuff, figured out what her idiot brother had done, and demanded he put it all back before the neighbors got home. He did so, but while putting the Glock back in its case he discharged it into his abdomen, ran all over the house, and finally got back to his sister's house. He expired at some point. The cops figure all this out because they only had to follow the blood trail back to the neighbor's house, thru all the rooms, to the gun.

Of course Joe Convict's family was suing Glock for killing Joe. Never heard how this came out.

50% chance the little burglar's family does the same thing.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

He shot himself in the face. That's going to leave a mark.

As Sammy Davis, Jr. used to say "Ouch, babe!"

The burglar's mother was proved correct when she told him
"That's not a toy. You'll put an eye out if you're not careful."

SIA

[seamusTX]

Of course Joe Convict's family was suing Glock for killing Joe. Never heard how this came out.

Since the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act passed in 2005, no lawsuit against a manufacturer of a firearm that functioned as designed has gotten anywhere, AFAIK.

People who have no training in firearms handling seem to have an impulse to pull the trigger with zero muzzle control. I've seen it more than once. It must be those evil gun rays.

- Jim

[Zee]

Long ago a friend picked up a 22 I had and shot it into the floor. He said he he did it because he was wondering if it was loaded. I don't remember what I said. Normally I appreciate the simplest way to answer a question.

[Lodge2004]

People who have no training in firearms handling seem to have an impulse to pull the trigger with zero muzzle control. I've seen it more than once. It must be those evil gun rays. - Jim

Don't know if it's "natural" to put your finger on the trigger or just something people learn from TV, but everyone I've ever handed a firearm (who had not handled one previously) grasps it with their finger on the trigger. I just assume they will pull the trigger immediately and plan accordingly.

When my youngest recently turned 6, I bought her a Red Ryder and explained/demonstrated how to hold it. It took LOTS of concentration for her to NOT put her finger on the trigger.

[Zee]

After the friend shot the floor I realized not everyone has the level of common sense that I was assuming. This was in the pre-kid period and I thought folks generally knew what was what. It was a simple lesson for me and only cost a .22 size hole in the floor to learn.

[Keith B]

I took some of my pistols and Mossberg 500 back with me to visit family recently. Nephews wanted to go shooting and there are lots of places to shoot on family property.

One nephew (15) is a duck hunter and appropriately kept finger off the trigger when he picked up a gun. 2 other nephews (17 and 14) that have been around guns quite a bit immediately had fingers on triggers and had to be warned 2 - 3 times before they got in the mode of keeping the them finger along side of the frame. The one that really got me was my Father-In-Law. While he has been a hunter for 65 years, when I handed him the pistol, his finger went right into the trigger guard. I hadn't been shooting with him in a lot of years, but don't remember him having that bad habit before. We then sat down and had a nice long discussion on firearms safety and proper techniques. Luckily it didn't take long to break the offenders of their bad habits. Hopefully they will continue to practice safe gun handling from now on .

[seamusTX]

Don't know if it's "natural" to put your finger on the trigger or just something people learn from TV,...

The ergonomic design of a handgun just begs for it to be gripped that way. I think that's why even 2-year-olds can discharge handguns sometimes. They certainly don't see handguns on Sesame Street.

- Jim

[mgood]

People who have no training in firearms handling seem to have an impulse to pull the trigger with zero muzzle control. I've seen it more than once. It must be those evil gun rays. - Jim

Don't know if it's "natural" to put your finger on the trigger or just something people learn from TV, but everyone I've ever handed a firearm (who had not handled one previously) grasps it with their finger on the trigger. I just assume they will pull the trigger immediately and plan accordingly.

When my youngest recently turned 6, I bought her a Red Ryder and explained/demonstrated how to hold it. It took LOTS of concentration for her to NOT put her finger on the trigger.

Don't know if it's "natural" to put your finger on the trigger or just something people learn from TV,...

The ergonomic design of a handgun just begs for it to be gripped that way. I think that's why even 2-year-olds can discharge handguns sometimes. They certainly don't see handguns on Sesame Street.

I agree that firearms are designed to be held with finger on the trigger. That's the most ergonomic position. It actually requires a little more training/thinking to extend one's finger straight along the frame above the trigger guard.
When I worked in a gun store, I often handed guns across the counter to inexperienced customers. Nearly every newbie immediately places the trigger finger inside the trigger guard, often with the weapon pointed at me.
Maybe they didn't come there for a lecture, but as far as I was concerned, firearms safety training started right then. They often did it repeatedly after being politely instructed not to place their finger in the trigger guard until they're ready to shoot. We allowed, and even encouraged dry firing, but wanted them to be aware of what they were doing and point the weapon in a safe direction. I'd ask them not to put their finger on the trigger and even show them how to hold it. And very often, within a few seconds, their finger was right back on the trigger, waving the gun around at whoever was near them, while asking me a question. Rather than immediately answering the question, I'd again correct their finger placement, and then answer whatever it was they'd asked. Some people would do it over and over and seem to get annoyed that I kept correcting them, or be completely unaware that they had swept someone with the muzzle when it was pointed out to them. Maybe some of them thought I was a little pushy. But some of them probably had no one to teach them, and what little instruction they got from me just might have prevented a serious injury later on.

Ok, I'm rambling off topic again.

[MechAg94]

Growing up, when my Dad taught my brother and I to shoot, muzzle control and keeping the chamber clear were stressed much more than keeping fingers off the trigger. My Dad used to try to get us not to even point our toy guns at each other.

I have gotten into the habit of keeping my finger on the trigger guard now. Once you make a point of it and actually do it a few times, it starts to feel more natural.

[ELB]

Of course Joe Convict's family was suing Glock for killing Joe. Never heard how this came out.

Since the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act passed in 2005, no lawsuit against a manufacturer of a firearm that functioned as designed has gotten anywhere, AFAIK.

People who have no training in firearms handling seem to have an impulse to pull the trigger with zero muzzle control. I've seen it more than once. It must be those evil gun rays.

- Jim

This was about that same time, in a very gun-unfriendly city, altho I am sure it was eventually quashed, but it still eats up time and money to go thru the motions. It got far enough that subject matter experts had to be brought in.

WRT to gun-handling and the urge to pull the trigger -- I found it very hard to keep my finger safe when picking my pistol up off of a flat surface, like a table. It is just so "natural" to use the trigger as a hook to when it is laying flat. Even when I focused intently, without giving my trigger finger something specific to do, it just ended up finding its way toward the trigger area. I finally taught myself that my first contact with the gun (when on a table or in a drawer) is to put my trigger finger on the slide at the normal register point, THEN move the rest of my hand into position, using my thumb to get under the gun.

Such a simple thing, picking it up, and yet it can be very risky if not paying attention. Every time I reach for my gun for administrative purposes, I try my best to focus on the gun and what I am doing, and only that, until I am finished.

[seamusTX]

WRT to gun-handling and the urge to pull the trigger -- I found it very hard to keep my finger safe when picking my pistol up off of a flat surface, like a table. It is just so "natural" to use the trigger as a hook to when it is laying flat. Even when I focused intently, without giving my trigger finger something specific to do, it just ended up finding its way toward the trigger area.

It can only be those evil gun rays.

Having the manual of arms drilled into one by a Marine is pretty convincing.

I never was in the military, but a Marine taught me to shoot.

Every time I reach for my gun for administrative purposes, I try my best to focus on the gun and what I am doing, and only that, until I am finished.

Words to live by.

- Jim

[Fangs]

Don't know if it's "natural" to put your finger on the trigger or just something people learn from TV,...

The ergonomic design of a handgun just begs for it to be gripped that way. I think that's why even 2-year-olds can discharge handguns sometimes. They certainly don't see handguns on Sesame Street.

- Jim

Are you sure?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNaJnS1wzAo