Bad Press: Negligent Discharge

[FLSquirrelHunter]

Nashville - Nashville Scene - Pith in the Wind - Oops! Handgun Permit Holder Shoots His Wife While Watching Cher on TV

The article:
Here's more proof of how much safer Tennessee has become since our elected officials, in their infinite wisdom, decided to let a couple hundred thousand Barney Fifes walk around with loaded handguns. One of those highly trained, absolutely responsible, law-abiding citizens who are licensed to carry handguns in Tennessee almost killed his wife with his Glock. The Tennessean reports:

Stephen Summers was showing his wife, Evy Elaine Summers, 53, how to clean and disassemble a Glock at their Bolden Drive home just before 3 p.m. Sunday when he accidentally shot her, according to a police report filed Monday at the Murfreesboro Police Department.

"Mr. Summers advised that he and his wife were watching 'Cher' on television and must have been distracted," Murfreesboro Police Officer Palmer Gibbs reported. "Mr. Summers cocked the Glock and it went off and struck Mrs. Summers in her right wrist, left breast and (traveled) out her left tricept."

The accident led Murfreesboro police spokesman Kyle Evans to reiterate some significant points of handgun safety. Rule No. 1: When cleaning your gun, make sure it's empty first. Rule No. 2: Don't point your gun at your wife unless you plan to shoot her.

We learn that Mr. Summers is licensed to carry a handgun by checking the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Tennessee handgun carry permit database. That's the list that gun advocates are trying to close to the public so we can't find out what permit holders are doing.

First Thoughts:
1- ND. No excuse.
2- Designing a pistol to require trigger pull to disassemble, then putting the only external safety on trigger, is not smart. XD(m) wouldn't have discharged while slide was removed.
3- Seems like a BG would like access to CCW holder info. Why post it online? Are driver license records online in TN? Voter registration records?
4- Glad this reporter was so objective .... NOT!
4 1/2- Cher? uh ... ewww

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[mrm]

I agree with most of what your saying but blaming the handgun "Glock" which in alot of peoples opinion is the best is unfair any idiot who owns a glock realizes you need to take the chamber load out before cleaning remember if you look there is no lack of stupid people.

[Blackeagle]

Always point a gun in a safe direction before you pull the trigger!

[hybrid]

Wow talk about a biased reporter.

I would accidentally discharge mine too if my wife watched cher, I'm joking I'm joking I would accidentally do it to the TV instead.

[sigmanluke]

I agree that it is very dumb to require the trigger to be pulled for disassembly, even if the safety is NOT on the trigger. I was always taught that the trigger should only be pulled when you want to FIRE the weapon. Horrible design IMO

[kazzaerexys]

It is obviously the owner's fault and not the gun's, but...

Not everybody who gets a gun is going to spend a lot of time studying it and practicing with it. This isn't a good thing, but it is pretty much a given. Add to that the fact that Glocks are popular guns and cheap ones, too, and it is not surprising that lot of, shall we say, less dedicated gun folks end up buying them, and that the Glock design requires a trigger pull for takedown...

No, I am not going to blame Glocks per se, but it does not surprise me to see that they seem to show up often in these sorts of stories.

[sigmanluke]

I'm definately NOT blaming the gun for the ND. Just pointing out an obvious design problem, and a reason I will NEVER own a Glock.

[JOHNSMITH]

Funny how a single incident suddenly makes all concealed carry a bad idea (even though this could have happened to a guy without a license as well, or a felon, or a cop, etc... stupidity is stupidity - follow the 4 rules and this would not have happened!!), yet when all these victims end up being victimized, and coudl have walked away had they had a weapon they knew how to use, these same media folks are completely quiet. Or when a police officer has a weapons incident, they don't say anything about all officers carrying guns.

Double standard... get real. They just dislike that people actually have the ability to defend themselves and the take the real world more seriously than they do, in their fantasy world. I guess life is easy when you sit in a crappy cubicle deciding what your world is like by writing about it in a blog or newspaper.

[GreenHorn]

I'm definately NOT blaming the gun for the ND. Just pointing out an obvious design problem, and a reason I will NEVER own a Glock.

I agree, If someone can't remember to unload thier gun before cleaning they shouldn't own a Glock. (or any gun) For our safety.

[PaulG]

I can't believe how many people say the Glock is a bad design.

After years of bad mouthing "tactical Tupperware" I have become a Glock convert. Why? Because that ugly little sucker is user friendly and VERY reliable.

The design is not bad or a mistake.

Think about what you are saying. Any idiot who can't make 1000000% sure that the gun is unloaded before trying to dissemble it should not own a gun OF ANY TYPE.

Even when cleaning my 1911, the last thing I do before taking it apart is that I point the gun in a safe direction and I PULL THE TRIGGER!!!!!

If I have done my job and cleared the gun it won't go off. If I am so stupid that I failed to do my job and the gun goes bang, two things will happen:

1) nothing will get hurt or destroyed except my pride and

2) I will then realize that I am in fact too stupid to own a gun and I will give them all to my brother.

OK. I'm better now. Rant off.

[rcsnpr]

I can't believe how many people say the Glock is a bad design.

After years of bad mouthing "tactical Tupperware" I have become a Glock convert. Why? Because that ugly little sucker is user friendly and VERY reliable.

The design is not bad or a mistake.

Think about what you are saying. Any idiot who can't make 1000000% sure that the gun is unloaded before trying to dissemble it should not own a gun OF ANY TYPE.

Even when cleaning my 1911, the last thing I do before taking it apart is that I point the gun in a safe direction and I PULL THE TRIGGER!!!!!

If I have done my job and cleared the gun it won't go off. If I am so stupid that I failed to do my job and the gun goes bang, two things will happen:

1) nothing will get hurt or destroyed except my pride and

2) I will then realize that I am in fact too stupid to own a gun and I will give them all to my brother.

OK. I'm better now. Rant off.

I do that also, but with my XD 40. So far so good only been hearing a "Click" and never a "Bang". And I really like point number 2) But doesn't knowing you are too stupid make you not "that' stupid? or just knowing you aren't the stupidest just stupid enough not to be around dangerous things? I don't have a glock because I don’t like the grip angle. And the XD has a grip safety. Oh I don't have a glock because this Man has one. And I don't want to be associated with anything about him

YouTube - DEA AGENT SHOOTS OWN FOOT
But I sure do like sharing this Video...

[sigmanluke]

I can't believe how many people say the Glock is a bad design.

After years of bad mouthing "tactical Tupperware" I have become a Glock convert. Why? Because that ugly little sucker is user friendly and VERY reliable.

The design is not bad or a mistake.

Think about what you are saying. Any idiot who can't make 1000000% sure that the gun is unloaded before trying to dissemble it should not own a gun OF ANY TYPE.

Even when cleaning my 1911, the last thing I do before taking it apart is that I point the gun in a safe direction and I PULL THE TRIGGER!!!!!
If I have done my job and cleared the gun it won't go off. If I am so stupid that I failed to do my job and the gun goes bang, two things will happen:

1) nothing will get hurt or destroyed except my pride and

2) I will then realize that I am in fact too stupid to own a gun and I will give them all to my brother.

OK. I'm better now. Rant off.

WHY???? This goes against everything I have learned about gun safety.

[ImaShepardRU]

The article: ............. "Mr. Summers cocked the Glock and it went off and struck Mrs. Summers in her right wrist, left breast and (traveled) out her left tricept."

Uh...'cocked' the Glock?

[ImaShepardRU]

I agree with most of what your saying but blaming the handgun "Glock" which in alot of peoples opinion is the best is unfair any idiot who owns a glock realizes you need to take the chamber load out before cleaning remember if you look there is no lack of stupid people.

Actually, I don't know of any firearm where it is not necessary to make the chamber EMPTY, (which would in turn render it 'safe') to clean it properly. I agree with the sentiment that any idiot should know this.

[ImaShepardRU]

WHY???? This goes against everything I have learned about gun safety.

Actually, there are several firearms that you have to 'pull the trigger' on to release the hammer spring tension before field stripping. Ruger MkII .22 is one of them I believe. I know I have encountered others, but memory doesn't serve me at the moment.