Accidentally shoots self in Chest while switching to safety

[philip964]

http://www.khou.com/news/neighborhood-n ... 78305.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Due to event and time of day my initial reaction was that he committed suicide, called 911 and said it was an accident.

However he was responding to an alarm notification at his place of employment at 2:30 in the morning. He said he switched the safety on and it discharged into his chest.

A workman's compensation claim now?

[Heartland Patriot]

Not knowing the model of firearm makes it more than a little difficult to discuss the possibility of turning off a safety making the firearm discharge.

[seamusTX]

Dead people can't collect workers comp. That is for medical treatment of on-the-job injuries.

Most employers carry accidental death insurance for on-the-job deaths. It's inexpensive in most industries.

It's also not clear from news reports whether the man was an employee or owner.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas ... 440885.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[FishInTx]

Not knowing the model of firearm makes it more than a little difficult to discuss the possibility of turning off a safety making the firearm discharge.

What model of firearm requires you to point the gun to your chest to turn off the safety? J/K!! Sounds like a sad tragic accident to me.

[Keith B]

Maybe he was left handed and trying to use his right hand to engage the safety. It can happen. It happened to a CCW student in Missouri. Here is a recreation of the event " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Just ignore how the draw was done and think about someone rotating the gun to try and click of the safety.

[Scott in Houston]

Yet another reason to carry GLOCK !

[seamusTX]

If this account is accurate at all (debatable), I would guess it was a case of an inexperienced shooter who was anxious, awakened in the middle of the night, and not focusing on what he was doing.

I have seen many people point handguns at themselves unintentionally or wave them around.

I would be calling 911 from my vehicle. Everything I own is in a safe, insured, easily replaceable, too heavy to move, or otherwise not worth dying for.

- Jim

[FishInTx]

Maybe he was left handed and trying to use his right hand to engage the safety. It can happen. It happened to a CCW student in Missouri. Here is a recreation of the event " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Just ignore how the draw was done and think about someone rotating the gun to try and click of the safety.

Most miss fires occur when? Turning safety on and off? Clearing jams? Load/Unloading gun? Itchy trigger finger? I'd look it up but I gotta go to bed!!

[AEA]

Most miss fires occur when?

When they have their finger on the trigger.........even on Glocks!

[The Annoyed Man]

Yet another reason to carry GLOCK !

Or a revolver.

[seamusTX]

According to the Galveston County Daily News, the deceased man in this case was an "administrator" of the medical clinic where the alarm went off. Presumably he was an employee.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/302938" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[Oldgringo]

Yet another reason to carry GLOCK !

Or a revolver.

Or an ambi-safety equipped 1911 or Hi-Power, etc. Even then, one should know what one is doing, eh?

[fickman]

Yet another reason to carry GLOCK !

Now he's gonna shoot himself in the leg while cleaning his gun, too?! Hasn't he been through enough?

[seamusTX]

While we all like to whistle past the graveyard, a man has died here. Probably he left behind a grieving family. Unless someone wants to pry loose the detailed police reports, we probably will never know what kind of weapon it was or exactly what went wrong.

I can guarantee that everyone who accidentally shot himself or someone else thought he knew exactly what he was doing until the weapon fired.

- Jim

[LSL]

Maybe he was left handed and trying to use his right hand to engage the safety. It can happen. It happened to a CCW student in Missouri. Here is a recreation of the event " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Just ignore how the draw was done and think about someone rotating the gun to try and click of the safety.

For the sake of clarity:

"receation" = fun activity while "re-ceation" is a renactment or "do over" of something that occurred earlier.