Westport-Officer accidently shoots himself at Westport gun range

[EC1]

how about calling it an unintentional discharge?

 

[Sparky123]

Looks like guns DO shoot people.

I don't know about other guns but I know that Glock's do.

 

[ScottS]

how about calling it an unintentional discharge?

Too sexual.

 

[EC1]

nah, that would be a premature discharge.

 

[StevieP]

how about calling it an unintentional discharge?

I learned early on in life that these two sentences, while having the same words, mean very different things.

I did not mean to hurt myself

I did mean not to hurt myself.

This applies in a lot of situations. I mean not to crash my car, break a bone, hook myself on a crankbait, cut myself, burn myself, or even stub my toe. I'm a comfort-seaking creature and actively participate in my self-preservation.

If this guy shot himself in the leg, he wasn't paying attention and wasn't taking care NOT to shoot himself in the leg. Maybe he was in a hurry. Maybe he'd done it 10,000 times before with success and this time something changed. I don't know.

I just know what got hammered into me at all the trainings I've been to.

"Gun Safety in the Home" class I took before getting my MA LTC.
Hunting Safety class
NRA Range officer class
NC required training including live fire exercises to get concealed handgun permit down here.

If you pay attention to the four golden rules (and more if you include all the extra hunting considerations), and are actively participating in the act of not shooting yourself or anyone else, you won't shoot yourself or anyone else.

Obligatory "cops should know better" comment, too.

Negligent shooting.

"Out."

 

[johnnymac101]

Guns don't shoot people... Cops shoot people!

 

[one-eyed Jack]

He caused the gun to fire and the bullet hit him. So there. Jack.

 

[Dadstoys]

Now remember the general public should not own firearms.
The police are highly trained individuals who.. BANG , fuuuuuuuuu*ck

 

[Deleted member 12999]

So the piss poorly trained idiot had his booger hook on the bang switch, either drawing or going back to the holster. "Poorly trained" as most likely that department Armorer/ Instructor didn't spend the time or pay attention to train these individuals in creating, instinctive muscle memory, so that it becomes such that a person will place their trigger finger along the frame or slide when coming out of and returning to the holster.

Having spent the last 12 years teaching my department, the MPTC, and other departments... its not always that simple. I have people that I CONSTANTLY fix, and they do no training on their own. I document everything, and it's on the department to take their gun and melt it down because they are beyond help.

But I've also seen way more instructors that suck than I should as well.

 

[AHM]

An ... off-duty officer shot himself in the thigh with a 40 caliber bullet accidentally as he was putting in or taking his gun out of the holster.

The thigh was coming right for us.

I wonder what the oh-shit-I-shot-myself-in-the-leg rate is among cops as compared to non-cop gun owners who carry daily.

When a cop has a traffic stop pop trying to clear someone's CCW,
I wonder who gets shot more often - the cop, or the motorist.

A pedantic subtlety that's absolutely lost on a newspaper. I'm just glad they chose to assign blame accordingly "He accidentally shot himself." rather than anthropomorphize the gun "the firearm discharged. " Baby steps.

That's passive voice.

 

[LT5]

Too sexual.

How about premature discharge?

Awww hell.
Beaten to the punch by EC1.

 

[Knob Creek]

Officer accidently shoots himself at Westport gun range

An officer reportedly accidently shot himself today at a gun range in Westport on Adirondack Lane that is used by local police departments. According to an officer who was on scene, an off-duty officer shot himself in the thigh with a 40 caliber bullet accidentally as he was putting in or taking...

fallriverreporter.com

An officer reportedly accidently shot himself today at a gun range in Westport on Adirondack Lane that is used by local police departments.

According to an officer who was on scene, an off-duty officer shot himself in the thigh with a 40 caliber bullet accidentally as he was putting in or taking his gun out of the holster.

The incident occurred just after noon.

It was a Fall River cop. And initial response was that it was a ‘Training Exercise’. Then they said he was not on duty. They sent like three ambulances for some reason. BTW this is the Fall River Gun Club. People hold cops up to be these gun experts just because they cary one. Using that same logic they must be Formula one drivers because they drive a car.

 

[weekendracer]

Everyone already knows what would happen to a civilian who did that and who pays that big medical bill?

Worker's Comp.

 

[weekendracer]

It was a Fall River cop. And initial response was that it was a ‘Training Exercise’. Then they said he was not on duty. They sent like three ambulances for some reason. BTW this is the Fall River Gun Club. People hold cops up to be these gun experts just because they cary one. Using that same logic they must be Formula one drivers because they drive a car.

I've said it before, most cops shoot like crap.

I have a trainee here who was a cop before. He looked at me the other day and said "I thought I was pretty good, then I got here". He's getting better, but ugh, the bad habits are tough to break. Don't get me started on military trained shooters.

 

[Hoover]

• The Gun Maker
• The Gun Shop
• The Ammo Maker
• The Projectile Maker
• The Gunpowder Maker
• The Brass Maker
• The Primer Maker
• The State that allows these items to be sold
• The US Govt.
• The NRA
• Donald Trump
• The respective Hospitals were all these defendants were born

gun broker because why not. Lol

 

[Boghog1]

People hold cops up to be these gun experts just because they cary one.

Cops and non gun owners are the ones that seem to think cops are the experts

 

[ccm75]

how about calling it an unintentional discharge?

I used to have those in the middle of the night when I was a kid....

 

[FisherTech]

Having spent the last 12 years teaching my department, the MPTC, and other departments... its not always that simple. I have people that I CONSTANTLY fix, and they do no training on their own. I document everything, and it's on the department to take their gun and melt it down because they are beyond help.

But I've also seen way more instructors that suck than I should as well.

I also was an Instructor/ Armorer, Trained at S&W and the old training council. I too documented everything and was adamant about trigger finger location and would keep repeating the drills until it was instinct muscle memory. Yeah I took a bit of heat for it. But that was my job.

I agree, The standards set by the Training council or whatever they call themselves now are too low. There was more of a push on qualification than training. When we pursued more training with the qualifications our agency didn't blink. Since you are a current trainer, You can ask Mike Grady or John Pajak about that.

 

[Quantavious G]

Nothing good comes out of a .40

the .40 is like a high performance italian sportscar. In the firm, steady hands of a capable shooter it comes as close to synergy between man and machine as will ever be found absent an actual merger between man and machine. But in unskilled or overconfident hands, it is a powerful, uncontrolled maelstrom, delivering death and destruction with hurricane efficiency.

 

[CRSIII]

I used to have those in the middle of the night when I was a kid....

Glockturnal emissions?

 

[fencer]

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.

 

[gerrycaruso]

It seems to be common knowledge among police firearms instructors that most police officers are not very good shots. 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 but I pose this question. If an Olympic athlete was only allowed to practice twice a year, how well do you suppose he or she would perform on the big day? 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.

 

[Mesatchornug]

It seems to be common knowledge among police firearms instructors that most police officers are not very good shots. 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 but I pose this question. If an Olympic athlete was only allowed to practice twice a year, how well do you suppose he or she would perform on the big day? 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.

But that athlete would be expected to make time on their own. Most other professions practice on their own, and take advanced training on their own dime. And most other professions aren't entitled to overtime pay...

 

[Boghog1]

It seems to be common knowledge among police firearms instructors that most police officers are not very good shots. 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 but I pose this question. If an Olympic athlete was only allowed to practice twice a year, how well do you suppose he or she would perform on the big day? 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.

Dry fire training is cheap

 

[Dennis in MA]

It was a Fall River cop. And initial response was that it was a ‘Training Exercise’. Then they said he was not on duty. They sent like three ambulances for some reason. BTW this is the Fall River Gun Club. People hold cops up to be these gun experts just because they cary one. Using that same logic they must be Formula one drivers because they drive a car.

Yeah. Most cops struggle-bus to pass qualifications. They just don't shoot.

Which, when you think about it, is a good thing. How many times is an officer in a shoot situation in their career?? How many domestic disturbances??? While I want them to have good force training, a cop with a good demeanor and ability to manage a situation is better than having Carlos Hathcock (hey M60!) walking a beat.

 

[alpineboard]

Some cops very first exposure to any firearm ever in their lifetime, is at the police academy.

 

[Quantavious G]

It seems to be common knowledge among police firearms instructors that most police officers are not very good shots. 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 but I pose this question. If an Olympic athlete was only allowed to practice twice a year, how well do you suppose he or she would perform on the big day? 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.

I heard that cops can draw free ammo for practicing. I don't know if this is actually true. If it were, I'd be drawing 500 rounds at a time and living at the range.

 

[Deleted member 12999]

I heard that cops can draw free ammo for practicing. I don't know if this is actually true. If it were, I'd be drawing 500 rounds at a time and living at the range.

Yeah... no. Thats not a thing on a vast majority of departments

 

[Mesatchornug]

Yeah. Most cops struggle-bus to pass qualifications. They just don't shoot.

Which, when you think about it, is a good thing. How many times is an officer in a shoot situation in their career?? How many domestic disturbances??? While I want them to have good force training, a cop with a good demeanor and ability to manage a situation is better than having Carlos Hathcock (hey M60!) walking a beat.

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.

I heard that cops can draw free ammo for practicing. I don't know if this is actually true. If it were, I'd be drawing 500 rounds at a time and living at the range.

That has to depend on department and policy.

 

[Deleted member 12999]

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.

This is so true it hurts. I'll talk to people all day, because if they want to do something else it's gonna end really bad for them really fast and make my life really irritating after.

Really.