An off-duty LAPD officer was shot in the back while driving in his truck by his 3 year old son who was able to get a hold of the officer’s Glock pistol. Now the officer is suing Glock, Uncle Mike’s / Bushnell (who made his holster), and the two stores that sold him the Glock and the holster; Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club and Turners Outdoorsman, respectively.
The officer was paralyzed as a result of the shooting, and cites the 5.5lb trigger pull frequently results in “accidental discharges” and the safety device is defective. The lawsuit alleges that the retailers knew of this and are also culpable.
I can’t even begin to argue the ignorance of this man’s allegations. So 5.5lb trigger pull weight isn’t safe? So what amount of weight is necessary to prevent ‘accidental’ (translation: negligent) discharges? 8lbs? 10lbs? How about 20lbs? No amount of trigger pull weight replaces common sense. Safety device? It’s called your finger. Keep it off the trigger until you want to shoot. Simple.
This lawsuit is just as bad as the one filed against Beretta several years ago where a teenager shot and killed a child with a Beretta 92FS after removing the magazine and not clearing the chamber. The parents of the killed child alleged that the pistol should not have fired without a magazine even though there was a round in the chamber. Obviously, you shouldn’t even be pointing a firearm at someone and pulling the trigger unless you have full intention of shooting that person.
In the current case, the real question is why the officer’s 3 year old was able to get hold of the gun while the father was driving. Last time I checked, in the State of California, you can be charged with a felony if a child under the age of 18 were able to gain access to your firearm. So why haven’t criminal charges been filed against this off-duty officer?
While it is unfortunate that this officer is now paralyzed, it is not appropriate to blame others for something you could have easily prevented had you used common sense.
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