In response to a piece written here, I was asked about the propriety of buying, carrying, issuing any pistol that requires a pull of the trigger for disassembly. I responded that it was beyond the scope of our operation; I don't care what you buy, carry, issue. The requirement to use a bit of sense when doing so is primary regardless if it's that type of gun or "the safest gun on Earth." This presumes that a machine can be safe. The answer is a bit complicated and goes beyond concepts of faith or some presumption that safety in humans is possible.
We're aware that people make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes have grave consequences. I've made mistakes. If you haven't, there's a good chance you simply haven't lived long enough. If you live a lifetime as long as mine or longer and you don't fall prey to errors in judgment and gunhandling, we'll run your name up to the Vatican in nomination.
I'm not in the running.
There's a story about a Russian member of service (described variously as an NCO and an officer), doing a show-and-tell of Combloc military weapons back in the day. When a Western (some say U.S.) member of service questioned the safety of a particular Soviet practice, the Russian is said to have answered, "Is gun, is NOT safe!"
Whether or not that happened, it reinforces the concept – the gun has to be predictable. If you press the trigger you should expect the hammer/striker to fly forward and, if a cartridge is present, to fire. If it doesn't act predictably in that reasonable, logical way, its utility is suspect.
Ruger makes fine guns. I'm a fan of the company and like every member of the organization that I've met. The SR9, likewise, is a good pistol. It's got enough safety features to make one wonder the purpose of the gun – to be "safe" (non-firing) or to save your life in a fight. The manual safety is fine, the mudflap chamber-loaded indicator is okay, the magazine disconnector less so. Forget the inanity of all gadgets and gizmos. Remember Rule 1: All Guns Are Loaded.
If you act in accordance with Rule 1, those "safety" features are superfluous. The magazine disconnector may or may not be functional and you must visually and physically check the piece. Relying on the magazine disconnector is unwise. Also the mudflap up top is not to be trusted. If it's up, there could potentially -- however unlikely -- be a reason other than a cartridge. If it's not up, I'm still cracking the slide open to affirmatively check. That California bureaucrats liked the "loaded chamber indicator fails to bring cheer – I trust them less than mechanical devices.
You see, like I know people are prone to mistakes I know that mechanical and electronic devices will at some time fail. The more numerous and complicated, the greater the chance of failure.
Guns aren't cars. Decockers, heavy triggers, magazine disconnectors aren't anti-lock braking systems. Even if they were, you still need to know how to brake on slick roads if there is no ABS. Maybe the "99% who shoot and disassemble once per year" need to get a bit of refresher before shooting and disassembling – if they're cops and they shoot only once a year, that's a management issue that will likely lead to tragedy operationally and otherwise – as well as setting the stage for civil liability.
I can't tell agencies not to buy Glocks – and I wouldn't tell them if they'd listen. Likewise, I'll tell agencies that a pattern of failure to train, manage and supervise is fraught with peril. They likely won't listen to that either.
Don't point guns at yourself or others. Lock the slide to the rear, check by sight & feel. Remember "SOS" – remove the SOURCE of ammunition - the magazine. Remove it from the gun and put it aside - in a pocket, on the table, anywhere but in your hands. Next, lock the slide OPEN. Take that opportunity to check the chamber visually and physically. Lower the slide and ensure that the muzzle is in a SAFE direction - a safe direction is one in which an unintended discharge will result in no physical injury and only minor property damage. Once that's completed, it's okay to press the trigger.
If you have or are issued a handgun that requires the slide to be locked open over an empty magazine well to take the gun apart, all the better. If you don't, you can still realize it's a time of some peril – follow the rules you should have been following every time you handled that gun.
-- Rich Grassi
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