Westport-Officer accidently shoots himself at Westport gun range

[mikeyp]

Even if there was a mechanical malfunction, it is still his fault.
I started teaching my son to shoot when he was 7. Every range trip, every dry fire exercise, you hammer home the rules.
I have always told him, if you never point a firearm at someone or yourself, you will never accidentally shoot someone.

I am still amazed when I go to the range and see someone turn a pistol 90 degrees to load a magazine, or remove a casing, or rack a slide behind the line and turn towards the firing line and sweep everyone at the range.
It really is a hard concept for people to understand when just handling a firearm while not on the firing line. What finally drove it home for my son, was when I started putting a laser on a pistol and leaving it on all the time. That little red dot got his attention. Now it is second nature.

On our walk to shoot his bb gun my son's always had to recite the safety rules, he couldn't shoot until he had them all and right

 

[Dennis in MA]

There's a very real argument for increased confidence in all their other available tools if they know their skills further up the force curve are solid.

That is, if I'm super confident in my grappling and weapons manipulation, I'll be more willing to keep talking because my ability to react in those "split-second" events is greater. However, if I know I can't hit a the broad side of a barn from the inside, I'm going to make damn sure I'm the first one at that lethal stage, so I have time enough to spray and pray.

Is this a bunch of hogwash? I sure don't know, but "based on my training and experience" it seems plausible..."reasonable" even.

That has to depend on department and policy.

'I don't disagree one bit with that.

I'd say grappling skills > marksmanship every time as well. I don't know the police pass/fail grade, but it likely involves shots at 25 50 and maybe even 100 feet. Short of the North Hollyweird Bank Heist, can you think of many cases that a Westport or FR cop would fire a gun from a distance greater than. . . . 15-20 feet????

Spending that time getting the cops on a mat and working on grappling is probably, again, a far more likely skill than pulling a gun and firing it. By a large margin.

So I'm right with you. But it's like a guy (not an 8yo, a dude. 30) bringing his glove to a baseball game. "A screaming liner might come at my head." Sure. And I wear 3 condoms at all times - just in case this hot very diseased chick wanders right into my life and wants to bang me RIGHT THERE. Sometimes we're preparing for the little stuff and missing more of the big stuff.

Obviously, the cop has a higher likelihood of shooting than either of the above, it's still a far slimmer chance than talking people off the proverbial ledge AND grappling.

 

[Dadstoys]

This one was a pisser.

Maine sheriff shot by fellow officer at shooting range

A Maine sheriff said his body armor protected him when he was stuck in the back by a bullet from a fellow officer’s gun at a firing range.

www.boston.com

This article was a bit short on detail , but the Chief was downrange changing targets and two of his idiots were finger F*cking a gun on the line while he was down there.
What I want to know was how things went after he got up off the ground.
I suspect there may have been some ass whipping .

 

[fencer]

It seems to be common knowledge among police firearms instructors that most police officers are not very good shots.

I think that is probably a bit of a misconception, and that it just really stands out when a cop can't shoot well. Are they all as good as competitive shooters? No,most are not, but a few are, and every person that carries a badge has at least some firearms training. Not true of the general public. Even a guy that shoots once or twice a year is going to shoot better than most first time shooters.
I also think it is also more common in the Northeast. We forget that in a lot of the country, shooting is much more common.

I think cops are really just like any other profession. Some folks like guns and shooting, or hunting and shooting clays, some folks don't.
It's been my unofficial observation that for whatever reason, there seems to be a ton of Firefighters that enjoy shooting and shooting sports.

It's my opinion that anyone who carries a gun has a moral obligation to be proficient enough to not shoot up the country side ..... Training is very expensive and most agencies (except federal) don't have the money required for extensive training. That's not an excuse, just an explanation.

This x 1000. Not to mention you can bet your ass that even if there is a cost, if I am going to open carry a firearm and interact with criminals on a regular basis, I am going to be confident that I can draw and shoot well.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

It was a 40 so it’s only a deep bruise

Sure, after it went through that brown bear first....

 

[ThePreBanMan]

View: https://youtu.be/XTGmTrQXrwg

Oh Tex....... Poor dude.....

 

[MisterHappy]

My kid's first job was at a grocery store. When he was on the register, and picked up the scanner, his finger was on the side, away from the trigger. He had no accidental/negligent price scans.

 

[AHM]

My kid's first job was at a grocery store. When he was on the register, and picked up the scanner, his finger was on the side, away from the trigger. He had no accidental/negligent price scans UPC pops.

FTFY.

 

[whacko]

Was there a dog humping his leg?
Why’d he shoot himself? What?

I see what you did there.

 

[dgrafton]

Wonder if was using a Blackhawk Serpa?

8 years of competitive shooting 4-5 matches/month plus training. Never had an issue with my Serpa

 

[ScottS]

This one was a pisser.

Maine sheriff shot by fellow officer at shooting range

A Maine sheriff said his body armor protected him when he was stuck in the back by a bullet from a fellow officer’s gun at a firing range.

www.boston.com

This article was a bit short on detail , but the Chief was downrange changing targets and two of his idiots were finger F*cking a gun on the line while he was down there.
What I want to know was how things went after he got up off the ground.
I suspect there may have been some ass whipping .

2012? You had to dig for that one.

 

[beaker]

Was his name Tex?

 

[fencer]

This one was a pisser.

Maine sheriff shot by fellow officer at shooting range

A Maine sheriff said his body armor protected him when he was stuck in the back by a bullet from a fellow officer’s gun at a firing range.

www.boston.com

This article was a bit short on detail , but the Chief was downrange changing targets and two of his idiots were finger F*cking a gun on the line while he was down there.
What I want to know was how things went after he got up off the ground.
I suspect there may have been some ass whipping .

Reminds me of what happened during "grass week" on Parris Island. For those not familiar, Marines in boot camp spend two full weeks on the rifle range. One week of live fire and one whole week with empty rifles, in "shooting positions" to train you how to settle in and build a solid base. Sitting position was the worst. Legs crossed "Indian" style, with your elbows resting on the inside of your knees to create a stable shooting platform.
After a couple hours sitting that way, your legs go numb and your hips cramp up. When they finally let you stand up you can't walk for a few minutes.
These drills are not on the actual range itself but open grassy areas nearby.
It was July and it must have been 100 degrees, and most of us were in agony after a couple of hours, but this one kid was so comfortable he literally fell asleep. Sure as shit, the meanest DI caught him. So we went off to the pit where he PT'd us to exhaustion, and told us we would spend the entire afternoon after chow in the sitting position.
Hours later, eyes burning from sweat pouring into them, support hand going numb from the sling being wrapped around it, the same drill instructor was walking down range to let the RSO they were going to be moving the platoon, you heard one "click" as a trigger was dropped on an empty chamber, then another "click" as another guy dry fired at the DI. Then, as if on cue, the entire platoon..."click!". The senior DI laughed out loud and it was loud enough that the DI we were all aiming at heard it.
He was smiling as he came back. But he PT'd us to death the rest of the day. Worth it.

 

[Dadstoys]

2012? You had to dig for that one.

Na, it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this story.