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Originally Posted by Taribor
-If you have kids, find another means of self defense. Not sure about the public, but on the federal side we are actually required by agency policy to lock our weapons up at home. The "pistol under the pillow" crap in hollywood is a good way to get hurt.
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Yeah, when you have kids, things get infinitely more complicated. However, I wouldn't deter someone from having a firearm simply on the basis of having children though. My only case is to make sure that people plan and train properly.
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-To those who think trained individuals do not have accidental/negligent discharges, you are wrong. Google the video of the DEA agent who shot himself during a school presentation. There are numerous others. Familiarity breeds laziness sometimes.
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As for that video, yeah, I've seen it years ago. The agent was SUPPOSE to be trained, but he clearly broke the 4 Cardinal Rules of Firearm Safety. Something that is taught in every NRA-certified basic handgun safety, and regardless of skill level, it should be ingrained into every shooter's psyche so deeply that we should be mumbling it in our sleep.
Even though he's DEA, based on what we've seen of his gun handling on the video, he didn't fit our definition of "trained". After a while, you can generally tell just by the way someone handles a firearm, but it also shows in the steps he took. For example, when you present a firearm, you remove the magazine, rack the slide and lock it open, and make sure you have the round from the chamber in your other hand. That's all you do. Leave the slide locked open, don't go anywhere near the trigger.
What happened next is what went awry. First, I don't think he accounted for the round in the chamber. Second, he released the slide. No need to do that, especially since doing so does not provide visual confirmation that the chamber is empty. Last but not least, he went near and even squeezed the trigger. If memory serves me, I think it was a Glock, and as a former Glock guy myself, I understand the rationale for doing so to release the firing pin spring. However, that's also the problem: These extra steps are meant for storage or field stripping, NOT for presenting firearms. Using one procedure for designed for another purpose suggests "untrained" or at least "under-trained". Cardinal Rules were broken as a result. I heard that after the incident, that agent has been desked.
This may seem harsh and critical, but unfortunate fact is, just because someone is in law enforcement, it doesn't automatically mean that they are a trained shooter. Skill levels vary even amongst the LE community. I've known officers whose gun handling skills are simply awe inspiring (and extremely safe!), and I've known ones that simply scare the crap out of me that they even have a firearm on their side.