5 Jan 22
“Funny things, accidents. You never have them, until you’re having them!”
AA Milne
From a police chief in TX:
“Last week, a fellow and his wife were parked after dark at one of our local convenience stores.
Before going into the store, the male (driver) retrieved a kydex IWB holster containing his M&P Shield (9mm, no manual safety) from the console of his SUV and was attempting to put the whole thing inside his waistband (appendix position) while still sitting in the vehicle.
While trying to finesse the package into place inside his pants, the gun discharged!
The round was a Hornady 9mm Critical Defense. It performed as advertised! The single round entered his
abdomen and did not exit.
The pistol (now clear of the holster) was subsequently found by our officers on the passenger-side floorboard, with the spent case still in the chamber.
A bystander stopped and rendered aid, holding pressure on the entry wound, probably saving the injured man’s life!
Our EMS arrived quickly and transported the man to our local hospital where surgery was performed immediately.
Surgeons subsequently informed me that the bullet mercifully missed the femoral artery, but bleeding was still profuse!
The victim lived through it, but with some permanent disability likely.
The holster in question was well-used, and poorly maintained. One of the screws that secures it to the backing was loose. Another was missing. This allowed plenty of ‘flop,’ and the pistol was thus not well supported.
The culprit in this case was likely an errant finger, which is the usual cause of UDs, but at this point a definitive cause is probably not discoverable.
Lessons:
Guns are dangerous! Can we say that too often? Poor gun-handling habits represent a time-bomb, as we see!
When you can’t continuously wear your holster and gun while driving, get a combo that you can. Unnecessary gun-handling, such as taking guns off and putting them back on several times during the day, is relentlessly associated with UDs. If you’re going to wear a gun, wear it all day and don’t touch it (absent good cause).
Holstering a pistol while seated in a vehicle is not recommended, but when it is to be done, it has to be done with much care and attention to detail. I would not recommend putting a holster containing a loaded pistol (any brand of pistol) into your pants, in the appendix position, while seated in a vehicle, in the dark, under any circumstances!
Maintain your equipment! Most kydex holsters have screws. Screws come loose! Floppy, loose, worn-out, broken holsters are an invitation to disaster. Worn-out holsters need to be replaced with new ones!
Always have your trauma kit close-by, and be sure you know how and when to use everything in it. The bullet-hole you treat might be in you! Help may be on the way, but you are still the ‘first responder!’”
My comment: I don’t think it is possible to handle deadly weapons “safely.” Yet, I think we can handle them carefully.
Risk attaches to having guns in your life, no matter what brand of gun, and no matter what procedure you adhere to.
Risk also attaches to not having guns in your life!
We can teach you how to own, keep, store, carry, and use modern guns correctly, but there are still no guarantees.
In plain English, the term “guarantee,” translates to “false promise!”
/John
