The day after an Idaho toddler found a gun in his mother’s purse in a Wal-Mart checkout line and accidentally shot and killed her, the toddler’s grandpa is telling gun control groups to quit grandstanding on the tragedy and quit using the accident to push gun control.
21 Comments on IDAHO TODDLER’S GRANDPA: QUIT USING OUR ACCIDENT TO PUSH GUN CONTROL
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I’ve mentioned this here before, I hate the idea of a concealed weapon in a purse, backpack, man bag, whatever. It’s to easy to lose control of the weapon. What a terrible tragedy..
The moral of this story is – If you have a gun in your purse, your purse should be on your shoulder
and – was this a Glock or was the safety off?
The left needs blood to push their programs forward.
I know the kid didn’t cock the slide back. I would advise against keeping one in the chamber unless in a threatening area. You have to be extra careful with children.
With out one in the chamber you might as well not carry. Average distance for a gun fight is 7 yards. No time to rack the slide. I really like Sigs decocking lever safety for carrying.
I’m on the same page as Brad. In our class I always preach that unless you are wearing the firearm you could become complacent and NOT be in control of it.
And not keeping a round chambered could easily get you killed, especially if you don’t practice on a regular basis, that extra movement under stress could be your last.
” was this a Glock or was the safety off”
Have you ever held a Glock? Most people compare the grip to a 2×4. I have large hands so it’s fine with me. A little larger grip and it would be too much for almost anyone.
I sincerely doubt a two-year-old gripped a Glock and pulled the trigger. I’m guessing a very small gun of some kind.
Would like to know what it was, though.
Agreed on purse carry, Brad. Purse snatching has been around for thousands of years. Seems very stupid to carry that way.
@Dadof4 – The reason I mentioned Glock is because they do not have an active safety, pulling the trigger WILL fire a chambered round. The child could have picked the gun up by the trigger guard (it would look like a handle to a two year old) and fired it that way.
The point is – was the safety off? or was it a passive safety?
Glocks do have the highest incidents of A.D.’s of any gun.
My advise was aimed at mothers with 2 year-olds. Obviously, carrying with one in the chamber can also get mothers with 2 year-olds killed.
I’m not real up to date with the newer simi-autos. I carry a Ruger .357 with a single-action pull that might be too much for a little kid to pull, but I would not want to test it. It’s a hair trigger if you cock it.
There’s a movie out there where a woman becomes a bounty hunter. She kept her gun in her purse. It was a constant theme throughout the movie that she could never get to her gun in time, find her purse, whatever. I was watching this with my wife and I kept yelling throughout the movie “NEVER KEEP YOUR GUN IN YOUR PURSE! AAAAAARRRGGG!!!!! STUPID STUPID STUPID BUY A HOLSTER YOU IDIOT!”
I know a gal whose husband is a big time gun owner, and she carries of course. IN HER PURSE! But, at LEAST she has a special purse that is made for carrying a pistol. Still, I don’t get it. I’m sure he makes her drill and practice.
My wife carries her glock19 appendix carry with a holster. She prints now and then but no-one ever suspects a thing. Yeah it’s a big gun, but my wife is of german/swiss heritage and very sturdy lol. She tried several guns at the store and preferred the G19 above them all.
This situation is SAD though. At least the family isn’t falling for the anti-gun nut rhetoric.
Brad, I subscribe to the “No such thing as an accidental discharge – only negligent discharges”
I think this one falls into that category too. The gun went off when the trigger was pulled – precisely like it was built to do. It’s not like she “accidently” dropped it and it went off – which is still negligence anyway.
Lady was negligent to leave it in her purse and accessible to someone else.
If you have a mechanically faulty gun that shoots when it’s not supposed to, that would be a different case. Or even a hang fire that goes off while you inspect why it didn’t fire when you pulled the trigger.
While tragic, I see this as an example of negligence not an accident.
I still doubt a 2 year old could shoot a Glock with ease.
This method of firing from picking up by the trigger guard and firing is not right either. The trigger does have a prevention mechanism for improper handling. You have to give it opposing resistance to trip it- meaning holding it by the grip.
I’m guessing neither of you own one.
It has three safeties. BTW no accidental shooting of a Glock – only negligent ones.
Add: No Glock ever went off by dropping it. No matter what height you drop it from.
That’s how good it’s safeties are.
On that point it is safer than a locked and loaded 1911.
Dadof4,
Well in this situation the 1911 would have been the SAFEST gun. The weapon was obviously in single action, be it a wheel gun or pistol with the hammer back, or a hammerless semi auto ready to run. The kid wouldn’t be strong enough to squeeze it off double action, kids hand aren’t large enough to wrap around the grip. the kid obviously reached in and touched off the trigger. Every gun I mentioned will go bang except the 1911. Beaver Tail Safety.
glock 19 is double action only, trigger pull is 5.5 lbs. With the trigger “safe action” lever that the glocks have, the finger has to be directly on the trigger and pulling it back, not possible to brush alongside the trigger area and pull it that way.
Glocks do not have grip safeties – we can agree to disagree.
I say it is hard for a 2 year old to fire any pistol with ease – but he did it. Either the safety was off or it was a passive safety gun.
Bob: The Glock 19 (had one since 1996) is not double-action. The slide must be racked and a round placed in the chamber for it to be cocked and in Condition One.
A Ruger P89 is double-action. An H&K USP is double-action. A Walther P38 is double-action. A Glock is not.
I often carry a Keltec P-3AT around the house. There is no safety on this gun. I carry it in a large pocket for speedy access and with no round chambered. One day, while on my property, a large dog made a dash toward my wife’s beloved cat with the intent to attack it. I was later amazed at how quickly I removed the pistol from my pocket and chambered a round and brought the muzzle to bear on the attacking dog. It seemed like the blink of an eye. Lucky for the neighbors K-9, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of my command to stop, just before I fired and I didn’t end his life. Training made all the difference.
oops correction : I carry a Ruger .357 with a double-action pull that might be too much for a little kid to pull. Not single. The single action cocking of the hammer gives it that hair trigger. Not the first time I got those mixed up.
Glocks are more like half cocked when ready to go.
Show me a Glock A.D. and I’ll show you an operator error. They are not unsafe guns.
I’m with dad on this. I’m sorry but this was negligence. If you carry, all responsibilities lie with you. And if chambering a round beforehand is necessary, you need more practice. I can chamber between draw and point without slowing down because I practice frequently. Its my responsibility as a CC holder.