8-12-09 Boy's Shooting Death - "jostled a backpack"

[A-R]

Agree with all previous posts. IF this scenario is true, it is most likely a Glock-style 9mm. The only three handguns I own are all capable of being "accidentally" discharged in this manner if sufficient force is placed on the trigger and a live round is in the chamber (Glock 23, Ruger LCP, S&W 638). For this reason alone (in addition to others) I am EXTREMELY careful at all times how and where I store my handguns. If they are not holstered on my person, they go in a safe or lockbox PERIOD. And when stored in a safe or lockbox for an extended period (more than just running into a no-carry premises like my children's school), they are left WITHOUT a round in the chamber.

To carry such a weapon (with no additional manual safety) loosely placed in a bag of any kind is NEGLIGENCE. This includes women who toss a Glock-type weapon into any ol' purse without a round in the chamber and nothing covering or blocking the trigger.

[bdickens]

Not only do we hot have the whole story, the media almost always gets the story wrong anyway.

[joe817]

This is so sad. Now all the lives in that family are affected forever. There were 3 brothers, ages 10, 11, and 14 all searching for a phone book. Like the others, I think there's more to the story that we just do not know.

When I first read the story, I thought of the backpack being stored on a shelf in a closet next to the phone books. A boy reached for the phone book, knocked the backpack off the shelf and it fell to the floor, discharging the loaded and cocked pistol. It's just one scenario. And a tragic one.

If backpack was on the floor and the boys knew a loaded pistol was in there, perhaps their curiosity(which is overwhelming to a boy that age) got the best of them and they started playing with it, and it discharged. Another tragedy.

If that were the case, and I am NOT saying it is, then the boys did not fully comprehend the lethality of a loaded weapon, and the consequences of handling it.

I believe gun safety should be, no....has to be taught to children when firearms are kept in the home. It's a moral responsibility for a parent to teach a child that a gun is deadly and it kills, and it's not to be played with under any circumstances. That was drilled into my head by both my mom and dad when I was their age, time and time again. Gun safety education is the key element in preventing accidents from happening.....and knowing that a gun is NOT a toy, or an object to be handled recklessly, or handled with reckless disregard.

Sorry....I went off on a tangent. But gun accidents caused by kids playing with them just sends me off on a tirade.

[cdc101]

Not only do we hot have the whole story, the media almost always gets the story wrong anyway.

^^^^ - 100% agreed.

[Bart]

If the story is true it was probably a cheap-o pistol. Otherwise it seems a lot more likely the kids were doing something they knew they shouldn't be doing and made up a story to cover.

[nedmoore]

Moms boyfriend was arrested for tampering with evidence, seems someone was playing with the gun and accidentally discharged.

[USA1]

Moms boyfriend was arrested for tampering with evidence, seems someone was playing with the gun and accidentally discharged.

yep , i just saw the latest news update .

[Vic303]

Got a link to the update? I can't find it from the original story link.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

portsider44:

Not only was Plaxico Burress (sp?) carrying his Glock .40 in his waistband without a holster,
but he was wearing SWEAT PANTS!

I wouldn't think of carrying a handgun in REGULAR pants without a holster.
************************************************************************************************************

Speaking of Glocks and negligent discharges, I read of an undercover LEO who was wearing a
sweatshirt with the cinching string around the bottom. When he holstered his Glock, the string's
knot at the end caught in the trigger and he shot himself in the leg.

I would never own a Glock since they only have the trigger safety. No way Jose.

SIA

[Pete92FS]

portsider44:

I would never own a Glock since they only have the trigger safety. No way Jose.

SIA

I love the Para GI Expert I bought last month and can see why there is such a staunch 1911 crowd. I'm converted.

[Liberty]

portsider44:


I would never own a Glock since they only have the trigger safety. No way Jose.

SIA

Oh, no! Now you went and did it.

[blc]

The updated story:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 72195.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Hmm.. the backpack didn't have a hole in it. *strange* [just sayin']

[Crossfire]

portsider44:


I would never own a Glock since they only have the trigger safety. No way Jose.

SIA

Oh, no! Now you went and did it.

Those who must depend on mechanical safeties to protect them should not own Glocks. Those with the ability to depend on the safety between their ears, can.

Apparently, this family falls into the "none of the above" category. No mechanical safety is robust enough to compensate for the curiosity of an untrained child.

[The Annoyed Man]

portsider44:


I would never own a Glock since they only have the trigger safety. No way Jose.

SIA

Oh, no! Now you went and did it.

Those who must depend on mechanical safeties to protect them should not own Glocks. Those with the ability to depend on the safety between their ears, can.

Apparently, this family falls into the "none of the above" category. No mechanical safety is robust enough to compensate for the curiosity of an untrained child.

Ditto that! My wife owns, and carries, two different guns - neither of which has a mechanical safety. One is a .38 caliber S&W revolver, and the other is a 9mm Glock.

Safety is a mindset.

Now, I tend to carry either 1911s, cocked and locked, or a USP compact, also cocked and locked. But that's just me. I wouldn't feel any less safe carrying my wife's Glock - because I keep my booger hook off the bang switch until I'm ready to fire, and, as others have pointed out, my pistol's trigger is always covered by a holster until it is drawn for firing! I even keep them in the holster when I'm not wearing them, unless they are in the safe.

In this particular case in the OP, even if it had turned out to be caused by a child finding his mother's pistol in a backpack, the fault isn't in the pistol design. The fault would have been in a stupid mother leaving her backpack laying around with a gun in it within reach of small children. However, the reality in this case is that the boyfriend was playing around with mom's gun, not one of the kids. If this fool was dumb enough to point a gun at a young boy's head and pull the trigger, would a mechanical safety have been enough to prevent the gun from discharging? Remember, the operative word here is "fool."

[GeekwithaGun]

[quote="The Annoyed Man]
Ditto that! My wife owns, and carries, two different guns - neither of which has a mechanical safety. One is a .38 caliber S&W revolver, and the other is a 9mm Glock.

Safety is a mindset.

Now, I tend to carry either 1911s, cocked and locked, or a USP compact, also cocked and locked. But that's just me. I wouldn't feel any less safe carrying my wife's Glock - because I keep my booger hook off the bang switch until I'm ready to fire, and, as others have pointed out, my pistol's trigger is always covered by a holster until it is drawn for firing! I even keep them in the holster when I'm not wearing them, unless they are in the safe.

In this particular case in the OP, even if it had turned out to be caused by a child finding his mother's pistol in a backpack, the fault isn't in the pistol design. The fault would have been in a stupid mother leaving her backpack laying around with a gun in it within reach of small children. However, the reality in this case is that the boyfriend was playing around with mom's gun, not one of the kids. If this fool was dumb enough to point a gun at a young boy's head and pull the trigger, would a mechanical safety have been enough to prevent the gun from discharging? Remember, the operative word here is "fool."[/quote]


I own an S&W M&P 9mm that has only a magazine safety. Having no trigger saftey or other mechanical thumb safety makes me think about how I handle that gun. My holsters have full cover of the trigger gaurd, it does not get put anywhere except the safe without a holster. I also didn't care for the idea of a trigger safety because of what could happen if something other than a trigger finger ready to fire happened to get in there, like the pull string of a sweat shirt/pants as previously mentioned. No offense, it's just my preference.