30July05

Self-inflicted accident in OR:

A Salem, OR deputy sheriff was shot in his leg when he exited his patrol vehicle last week. The injury was "substantial," and he wil l likely suffer permanent disability as a result.

An internal investigation revealed that the bullet in question came from th e officer's own pistol, and that the pistol was still fully seated in the holster at the moment of discharge (Glock pistol, model, caliber, and brand of ammunition, all unreported. Brand of holster was also unreported). Investigators say that the AD was not the result of mishandling of the hand gun. The deputy was wearing a jacket with drawstrings and cylindrical, plastic toggl es around the waistband. It is believed that one of the toggles worked its wa y into the holster and became entangled within the trigger guard. When the deputy subsequently extended his arm to push open the car door, his coat be came taut as the waistband pulled up. As a result, the drawstring apparently tightened around the trigger with sufficient tension to discharge the pisto l.

We can talk about the inadvisability of wearing jackets with drawstring and

toggles while carrying a pistol in a waist holster. And, we can also talk about being careful upon holstering a pistol, and routinely performing a "Push; Pull; Sweep" drill to assure that articles of clothing are not inadv ertently jammed into the magazine well or the holster itself. Both were obviously contributing factors in the foregoing incident, but I'd like to also address the subject of Glocks and NY Triggers.

The installation of a NY Trigger will increase the trigger pull weight on most Glocks from five to eight pounds. Equally important, the weight of trigger take-up is increased from a nominal two pounds to six pounds. In p ractical use, most shooters barely notice the difference. I've timed myself and many students drawing and firing with and without the NY Trigger, and I=80 ve consistently discovered the difference in time to be statistically unmeasur able.

What the NY Trigger does is make the operator aware that his finger is in contact with the trigger. I have NY Triggers on all my Glocks and highly recommend them for any Glock used for serious purposes, particularly those carried in holsters.

Of course, I can't be sure the installation of a NY Trigger would ha ve made any difference in the foregoing incident. However, in my informal tracking , departments with NY triggers installed on their Glocks consistently experience fewer accidents than do those with standard triggers. If you ow n and carry any Glock pistol for serious purposes, it is my recommendation that you install a NY Trigger without delay!

/John