ESPN reported today that NY Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress turned himself into authorities after he shot himself in the leg with a Glock Saturday night in a nightclub. Allegedly the gun was tucked into his waistband and started to fall. He reached for it and it went off, shooting him in the leg. He was not seriously injured, but the fallout may be huge. Not only is he at risk for losing a $35 million dollar contract, he may also lose 3 1/2 years of freedom because America’s favorite mayor (Bloomberg) wants him prosecuted to the full extent of the law. With this story dominating the sports world, I thought I would remind you of a few things.
- If you gun starts to fall don’t grab for it. I have personally known several people who tried to snatch a gun in mid air only to find a bullet hole in them. One former customer was lucky enough to get 4 holes from one shot. Just let it hit the ground. It may be embarrassing to explain in public, but that is better than a trip to the hospital or worse the morgue.
- Use a holster. Stuffing a gun down your pants is not cool. Only someone with little regard for his own body does that. A holster keeps things stable and protects the trigger from objects like pens or knives that might cause and accidental discharge.
- If you ever have an accidental discharge, tell the truth the first time. Burress tried to cover his mistake by checking into the hospital under an assumed name. He then said the incident happened at Applebee’s and not the nightclub. Just get to the truth and own it.
- Stay away from places that are so seedy you have to have a gun even though it is illegal. Your mom told you nothing good happens after midnight. Believe her and you will save yourself a lot of grief.
I caught the tail end of this story on the radio this morning. The NYC DJs were talking about the “dangerous Glock’s” lack of safety. Apparently I didn’t get to my phone fast enough because another caller chimed in, giving the DJs a lesson on the Safe-Action system.
They soon went to a commercial break.
Oh, don’tcha know holsters ain’t fly?! 😉
Good point. Let’s all be reminded that while Glocks have no external safety to be manually manipulated they have three safety features. First there is the trigger safety. You need all your finger on the trigger to pull. Second there is a firing pin safety. A deliberate pull of the trigger moves this safety out of the way. Finally there is a drop safety. The trigger mechanism actually drops out off the safety ramp going down. This means once again you have to intentionally pull the trigger.
By the way, would a crocodile holster qualify as fly? Probably not.
The first safety mechanism on all firearms should be between the user’s ears. Unfortunately, this is the safety that failed for Plaxico!
You can defeat any safety with stupidity or carelessness.
Absolutely. Everyone should remember that there are only two types of shooters: Those who have had an AD and candidates. Be careful out there.