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There have been discussions in a few recent threads regarding NDs and their causes. The recent-ish Sig allegations have inspired me to research this area further. Was speaking with a friend and former co-worker about a recent ND where we used to work and it came up that he was tasked by the department to investigate when one of our officers had a gun that went off when it was not supposed to. He kindly agreed to some questions as to his findings and others he had good first-hand knowledge about. This person is one of the best investigators our department has ever had so I trust his work and opinions.
In every single case he investigated, there was a notable distraction involved before or during the event. Something that took the person's focus off the fact that they were handling a firearm. In none of the cases he personally investigated or knew about was there a malfunction of the firearm. Many of the events involved cleaning (or not clearing a firearm before beginning the act of cleaning). The events involved both revolvers and semi-automatic firearms.
I suspect this is a common cause outside of these investigations as well; losing focus and forgetting you are holding a firearm that can cause severe damage or death. Complacency. Happens with drivers too.
While working with a shooter at the range a few years ago, we were discussing dry fire training at home. We talked about safety (removing ammo, safe direction, no distractions, etc.) and I told this person that, I know it sounds strange but out loud, begin your session by saying, "I am now beginning my dry fire practice." When you are done say, "I have now finished by dry fire practice," put your gun away, and walk away from the area.
I saw a couple shooting down the line and the husband was listing to me talk with the shooter, which was of course fine. When I was done talking, he walked up and politely said, "Do what he says, trust me." He went on to explain that he was doing some dry fire training. Stopped. Loaded his gun and then after some time had elapsed, decided to do a few more with the predictable results. I very much appreciated him sharing this story to help others.
NDs are similar to car crashes in that there are three primary factors that are related to the cause, human, environmental, and mechanical. Just like car crashes, the human factor is nearly always the main culprit. Yes, the environment can present some challenges (walking on uneven terrain, darkness), and rarely is the vehicle/firearm the actual cause (it happens but is mostly only a contributing factor). The main problem is the human factor. And just like with car crashes, humans tend to deny they were at fault (I'm beginning to believe this is the case with the Sig-reported cases).
With the Sig cases I've reviewed, there is sometimes an "environmental" aspect (full-size gun carry in a pocket holster, gear bag slamming against a gun and holster). I also think there are mechanical issues (here comes the hate), striker fired guns with exceptionally light triggers and no manual safety. But the human factor still reigns.
For those of you who have not been privy to my ranting on this topic in other posts, let me state my case on SF guns and safeties. 1911s have a manual safety, a grip safety, and (depending on the model) internal safeties. What we are seeing now are firearms with no manual safety (or it is an option), no grip safety (a few have them), and trigger pull weights that rival that of 1911s or less. Some Sig models are touting 30% reduction in trigger pull weight. Good thing for accuracy, bad thing for NDs. If I told you that I removed the manual safety from my 1911 and duct taped the grip safety down and called it good, I would be labeled an idiot (and I would not disagree). But some do this or worse with an SF gun, put it in a pocket holster, and think they are fine after a concealed handgun class because they are now "trained."
As I ALWAYS say, carry as you wish, but IMHO we should have some intellectual honesty about SF guns without mechanical safeties for carry use, especially with newer shooters. But not always. Check out the interwebs where you will see EXTREMELY popular and often respected "trainers" slamming their SF guns sans safeties back into their holsters. Complacency is rampant in this area as it is easily observable at organized shoots as well. For those who say you will forget to take your safety off...training. It's like saying you will forget to pull the trigger, look at your sights, or find your optic. Train for it.
The safety will help 1) in the holster if you have an issue where something gets in there or your holster breaks and can press the trigger, 2) Coming out of the holster if a finger or something else gets to where it should not, and 3) going back into the holster. This is where many NDs happen. I agree, safeties do not help when you have your gun out and at a time when the safety should be off. Slightly heavier triggers will (according to some studies). Most folks who own guns or carry guns have not had the opportunity to draw a gun or have a gun out in a stressful situation. Some have a few times. Hearing a bump in the night, sure, is stressful, but different than when someone kicks your door in or a crazy guy comes at you with a knife at Walmart (it is usually at a Walmart BTW). Fingers can and will end up in places they are not supposed to be. The aforementioned "distractions" will be present. Adrenaline will be coursing through your veins. Re-holstering may be a complicated task, involving a jacket that you are not used to wearing with those tie cords now dangling dangerously close to the mouth of your holster as your try to get a SF gun with a 3.5# trigger back in its place. Might it be better to have an extra layer of protection from a manual safety at this moment? It is up to each person to decide.
For those (few) of you that got this far, thanks for listening to my thoughts. I've been writing this in my head for about two years now. Again, each person should be free to carry as they wish. But they should also understand that if we choose to do something that carries more risk, we have to accept that responsibility as well (just like carrying a gun adds to the "risk" in some areas but we choose to do so because an honest evaluation of risk to reward/benefit).
In every single case he investigated, there was a notable distraction involved before or during the event. Something that took the person's focus off the fact that they were handling a firearm. In none of the cases he personally investigated or knew about was there a malfunction of the firearm. Many of the events involved cleaning (or not clearing a firearm before beginning the act of cleaning). The events involved both revolvers and semi-automatic firearms.
I suspect this is a common cause outside of these investigations as well; losing focus and forgetting you are holding a firearm that can cause severe damage or death. Complacency. Happens with drivers too.
While working with a shooter at the range a few years ago, we were discussing dry fire training at home. We talked about safety (removing ammo, safe direction, no distractions, etc.) and I told this person that, I know it sounds strange but out loud, begin your session by saying, "I am now beginning my dry fire practice." When you are done say, "I have now finished by dry fire practice," put your gun away, and walk away from the area.
I saw a couple shooting down the line and the husband was listing to me talk with the shooter, which was of course fine. When I was done talking, he walked up and politely said, "Do what he says, trust me." He went on to explain that he was doing some dry fire training. Stopped. Loaded his gun and then after some time had elapsed, decided to do a few more with the predictable results. I very much appreciated him sharing this story to help others.
NDs are similar to car crashes in that there are three primary factors that are related to the cause, human, environmental, and mechanical. Just like car crashes, the human factor is nearly always the main culprit. Yes, the environment can present some challenges (walking on uneven terrain, darkness), and rarely is the vehicle/firearm the actual cause (it happens but is mostly only a contributing factor). The main problem is the human factor. And just like with car crashes, humans tend to deny they were at fault (I'm beginning to believe this is the case with the Sig-reported cases).
With the Sig cases I've reviewed, there is sometimes an "environmental" aspect (full-size gun carry in a pocket holster, gear bag slamming against a gun and holster). I also think there are mechanical issues (here comes the hate), striker fired guns with exceptionally light triggers and no manual safety. But the human factor still reigns.
For those of you who have not been privy to my ranting on this topic in other posts, let me state my case on SF guns and safeties. 1911s have a manual safety, a grip safety, and (depending on the model) internal safeties. What we are seeing now are firearms with no manual safety (or it is an option), no grip safety (a few have them), and trigger pull weights that rival that of 1911s or less. Some Sig models are touting 30% reduction in trigger pull weight. Good thing for accuracy, bad thing for NDs. If I told you that I removed the manual safety from my 1911 and duct taped the grip safety down and called it good, I would be labeled an idiot (and I would not disagree). But some do this or worse with an SF gun, put it in a pocket holster, and think they are fine after a concealed handgun class because they are now "trained."
As I ALWAYS say, carry as you wish, but IMHO we should have some intellectual honesty about SF guns without mechanical safeties for carry use, especially with newer shooters. But not always. Check out the interwebs where you will see EXTREMELY popular and often respected "trainers" slamming their SF guns sans safeties back into their holsters. Complacency is rampant in this area as it is easily observable at organized shoots as well. For those who say you will forget to take your safety off...training. It's like saying you will forget to pull the trigger, look at your sights, or find your optic. Train for it.
The safety will help 1) in the holster if you have an issue where something gets in there or your holster breaks and can press the trigger, 2) Coming out of the holster if a finger or something else gets to where it should not, and 3) going back into the holster. This is where many NDs happen. I agree, safeties do not help when you have your gun out and at a time when the safety should be off. Slightly heavier triggers will (according to some studies). Most folks who own guns or carry guns have not had the opportunity to draw a gun or have a gun out in a stressful situation. Some have a few times. Hearing a bump in the night, sure, is stressful, but different than when someone kicks your door in or a crazy guy comes at you with a knife at Walmart (it is usually at a Walmart BTW). Fingers can and will end up in places they are not supposed to be. The aforementioned "distractions" will be present. Adrenaline will be coursing through your veins. Re-holstering may be a complicated task, involving a jacket that you are not used to wearing with those tie cords now dangling dangerously close to the mouth of your holster as your try to get a SF gun with a 3.5# trigger back in its place. Might it be better to have an extra layer of protection from a manual safety at this moment? It is up to each person to decide.
For those (few) of you that got this far, thanks for listening to my thoughts. I've been writing this in my head for about two years now. Again, each person should be free to carry as they wish. But they should also understand that if we choose to do something that carries more risk, we have to accept that responsibility as well (just like carrying a gun adds to the "risk" in some areas but we choose to do so because an honest evaluation of risk to reward/benefit).
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