דוחות בטיחות/תקריות בירי

Unintentional Gunshot Wounds

פצעי ירי לא מכוונים או בשוגג

מאז 1996, עם עשרות מיליוני כדורים שנורו מאקדחים, רובי ציד, רובים ותת-מקלעים, על ידי עשרות אלפי תלמידים מדי שנה, פרונט סייט חוותה רק מעט מאוד פצעי ירי שנגרמו מעצמם.

כל הפציעות הלא מכוונות, שנגרמו מעצמן, היו תוצאה של טיפול בנשק לא תקין הקשור לנרתיק.

About half of the injuries occurred when students negligently discharged their weapons into their leg while presenting a pistol from the holster.

About half occurred when students negligently discharged their weapons into their leg while holstering their pistols.

One occurred when a student negligently discharged his weapon into his hand while presenting his weapon from the holster.

החדשות הטובות הן שהתלמידים הללו התאוששו לחלוטין והיו רוצים שאחרים ילמדו מהטעויות שלהם.

אירוע מס’ 1 – להלן העובדות:

Incident occurred on February 15, 1999, the fourth day of a Four Day Defensive Handgun course at approximately 12:15 p.m.
15 students on the firing line with six Front Sight instructors observing and instructing the 15 students on the firing line. A ratio of one instructor for every 2 to 3 students.
Student has been “shooting for years” and was doing very well in the course with no indications of improper procedures or safety violations.
Student was presenting weapon from concealed holster when incident occurred.
Weapon used was a stock Sig 229 .40 S&W with no modifications. Student previously shot over 7000 rounds through the weapon without incident.
Bullet was 180 grain, full metal jacket, flat point.
Physical evidence of the spent case failing to eject from the weapon and powder burns on the student’s pants at the muzzle end of the holster, indicate that the weapon was fired while the gun was coming out of the holster, but still partially in the holster.
The bullet entered the lateral aspect of his upper thigh about 5 inches below the point of the hip, traveled deep into the thigh, past and across the back of the knee, and into the lower leg, finally stopping on the medial side of the lower leg about six inches from the ankle. The bullet could be felt lodged ¼ inch under the skin.
Total penetration was about 22 inches.
Immediate action taken at range was to assist student off the range; radio ambulance; locate entrance wound; locate any exit wounds (bullet found lodged just below skin in lower leg) establish distal pulses; apply pressure to femoral artery; keep student’s attention off his injury with casual conversation and questions; prevent shock and transport to ambulance.
Student was transported in patrol car of one of Front Sight’s instructors along with Dr. Piazza, Front Sight’s, Founder and Director and EMT Shannon Long. Patrol car radioed ahead to meet ambulance to shorten response time. Life Flight helicopter dispatched to rendezvous site. Decision made by Life Flight and ambulance crew to transport student by ground to Trauma Center-located 18 minutes away.
Student’s heart rate remained in the 60 – 70 beats per minute range from the time pulse was first taken, immediately following the injury and throughout transport to the hospital. Blood pressure remained steady. Student remained calm and coherent, answering random questions regarding current events.
X-rays revealed that the bullet did not strike any bones and did not deform.
Angiogram revealed no vascular damage.
Orthopedic neurologic examination revealed full motor control of extremity with discomfort and slight tingling sensation in lateral aspect of lower leg.
Student remained in hospital overnight for observation and was walking the next day at physical therapist’s direction. Student fully recovered in approximately eight weeks.

Opinions:

לתלמיד הזה היה מזל גדול.

When I first observed the location of the entrance wound on the lateral aspect of the upper thigh and the bullet was found lodged in the medial aspect of the lower leg, my immediate thoughts were broken leg, internal bleeding, and permanent nerve damage. The fact that no bones, arteries, veins, or nerves were damaged is truly amazing.

Equally amazing was the calm and cool attitude of the student. We kept checking his pulse because we expected it to be higher than 60 to 70 beats per minute.

His stable blood pressure, strong distal pulses, and lack of swelling or discoloration indicated that his injury was much less severe than it could have been.

Diagnostic tests at the hospital confirmed that he had no major damage.

Again, it could have been much worse. He is very fortunate.

The student sent his Sig P229 to a competent gunsmith for evaluation of any part failure that could have caused the weapon to discharge. The student did not recall placing his finger on the trigger and firing the weapon.

The gunsmith analysis failed to find any malfunction in the weapon.

The only way a weapon can be fired is to place the finger on the trigger and press the trigger.

Attempting to piece together how this could have happened with the physical evidence available, it appears the only explanation is the following:

Speculation is that the student may have failed to fully depress the decocking lever or depressed the slide release lever, thinking he had depressed the decocking lever.

This resulted in holstering the weapon with the hammer cocked back on a loaded chamber.

Upon hearing the whistle to present his weapon, he swept the concealment garment away, established the proper firing grip with finger along the outside of the holster.

As he began to withdraw the weapon from the holster, he may have violated Safety Rule 3 and allowed his finger inside the trigger guard which contacted the lighter, single action trigger instead of the heavier double action trigger causing the weapon to fire.

Another possibility, although much less likely is that upon sweeping the concealment garment away, it caught the hammer and cocked the weapon, resulting in the same hammer back condition. Either way, the main problem is a violation of Safety Rule 3.

Please remember that the proper draw stroke involves keeping your finger out of the trigger guard and off the trigger until the weapon is placed on the target and sight alignment is acquired.

Any violation of Safety Rule 3-Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target-will result in a negligent discharge of the weapon.

The only way a weapon can be fired is to contact the trigger and press the trigger.

אירוע מס’ 2 – להלן העובדות:

Incident occurred December 11, 2000 on the first morning of an instructor development course. The instructor candidate, a 22 year combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, had never attended a handgun course at Front Sight and was trying out for instructor positions with 67 other candidates of equally impressive backgrounds.
Earlier in the morning, the student had switched from a leather holster to a Kydex holster.
17 students on the firing line. 5 Front Sight instructors observing and instructing the 17 students on the firing line. A ratio of one instructor for every 3 to 4 students.
All students were warming up with dry practice drills prior to the morning Skills Evaluation Test to allow the instructors to watch for any potential safety violations or unsafe gun handling. This student demonstrated a smooth, quick presentation, keeping his finger outside the trigger guard until his sights were on the target. Upon holstering the weapon he also maintained proper trigger finger placement – outside the trigger guard, along the side of the frame. He holstered the weapon numerous times without any indication of problem or malfunction.
Weapon used was a Colt Gold Cup 1911 .45ACP with a long, wide trigger that is the same width as the trigger guard. Student had owned the handgun for approximately one year.
Immediately following the first controlled pair shots, while holstering the weapon, a negligent discharge occurred.
Bullet was 230 grain, full metal jacket, hollow point.
Physical evidence of the spent case failing to eject from the weapon and powder burns on the student’s pants from the muzzle end of the holster, and eye witness reports indicate that the weapon fired when the gun was fully seated into the holster – with the student’s finger off the trigger.
The bullet grazed the lateral aspect of his upper thigh for approximately 12 inches and struck the lateral aspect of his boot at the base of the small toe, deflecting off the boot.
The bullet was later recovered on the range. The hollow point was filled with the student’s pant material and deformed without expansion.
Immediate action taken on the firing line was to first convince the student that he had in fact been injured as he did not realize he was wounded. Two of Front Sight’s twelve, on-site medics walked with the student off the range and assisted him in removing his pants and boots.
Removing his pants and boots revealed a straight line of tissue damage approximately 12 inches in length down the lateral aspect of his thigh. The surface layers of skin had retracted in some areas to produce a very nasty looking wound, yet remarkably superficial. He also had a bruise developing at the lateral base of his small toe.
First aid in the form of a compression bandage and vital sign monitoring was administered by Front Sight’s EMT. The student remained remarkably calm with strong vital signs, and relatively no signs of pain from the injury. The student requested to return to the firing line to complete the course.
Upon evaluating the injury, physical and mental status of the student, Dr. Piazza assigned Front Sight instructor Fred Jones (retired police officer and EMT trained) to transport the student by ground transportation to the local emergency room – a 20 minute drive from the training site.
In transit to the emergency room, the Sheriff’s office was notified of the incident with no further action needed.
Emergency room treatment included cleansing the wound, bandages, and an antibiotic prescription and over the counter anti-inflammatory/pain medication.
Inspection of the Gold Cup 1911 and Kydex holster revealed the problem. The Gold Cup has a long and wide trigger. The holster the student purchased was for a standard Government Model 1911. The holster is equipped with plastic recesses that fit into the trigger guard to secure the weapon into the holster. The combination of the wide trigger on the Gold Cup, holster designed for a standard Government Model, and THE THUMB SAFETY NOT PROPERLY ENGAGED UPON HOLSTERING, created the potential for the weapon to fire upon holstering.
It is clear that the student holstered the weapon with his finger outside the trigger guard, but failed to properly engage the thumb safety. As the pistol was holstered, with the thumb safety off, the long, wide trigger came in contact with the kydex holster, discharging the weapon upon fully seating in the holster. There is some speculation that the frame of the weapon may have moved forward under the slide with just enough movement to further engage the trigger on the holster, but not so far as to disengage the firing mechanism. EITHER WAY, THE INCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD THE THUMB SAFETY BEEN PROPERLY ENGAGED UPON HOLSTERING.
Student returned that afternoon and completed the four day instructor development course with a Glock 9mm and holster supplied by Front Sight. This retired Marine is a very stout individual, both mentally and physically.

Opinions:

Front Sight does not recommend the Gold Cup design as a self defense weapon for many reasons- the long wide trigger design being one of the reasons. Other reasons include: numerous sharp edges requiring dehorning; tight tolerances that may enhance inherent accuracy, but adversely affect reliability; adjustable sights that are not required, have sharp edges and can loosen under repeated use.

Front Sight does use and recommends the Kydex type holster. All of our instructors wear Kydex holsters.

In this incident, equipment played a part in the negligent discharge. The combination of the long and wide Gold Cup trigger, and the Kydex holster with its trigger guard securing design created the potential for a negligent discharge to occur should the thumb safety not be engaged.

However, we must recognize that the failure to employ the thumb safety on a 1911 pistol-any 1911 style pistol-is a violation of proper gun handling with the single-action, auto-loading pistol and is the underlying cause of this unfortunate incident.

אירוע מס’ 3 – להלן העובדות:

Incident occurred on January 27, 2003, the fourth day of a Four-Day Defensive Handgun course at approximately 8:25 a.m.
16 students on the firing line with six Front Sight instructors observing and instructing the 16 students on the firing line. A ratio of one instructor for every 2 to 3 students.
The student was a seasoned shooter, having first received instruction at another school in 1988. Interestingly, the student first met Dr. Piazza in that course in 1988 and Brad Ackman (now Front Sight’s Operations Manager) was an instructor in that course.
The student is the Range Master for his police department in California.
Student was presenting his weapon from concealed holster when the incident occurred.
Weapon used was a full-size Para Ordnance in 45 ACP.
Bullet was Winchester 230 grain, full metal jacket, “ball”.
The student was shot in the support (left) hand. The bullet entered the palm side of the hand near the web between the thumb and forefinger. The bullet exited through the back of the hand.
Physical evidence, eye-witness accounts, and the student’s own description of the event support the premise that the student placed his support hand in front of the muzzle and fired one shot.
Immediate action taken at range was to administer first aid, assist the student off the range, and telephone for ambulance transport.
On-site medical care was delivered by Front Sight’s EMT’s and Paramedics. Medical care was in the form of a compression bandage and vital sign monitoring. The student was in considerable pain but was able to move each of his fingers and had sensation in each of his fingertips.
In transit to the emergency room, the Nye County Sheriff’s office was notified of the incident with no further action needed.
The student contacted Front Sight’s corporate office from the Emergency Room and stated that the injury was no one’s fault but his own. He also stated that he was trained to draw the gun at (previous school) with the support-side hand out in front of the body. “I reverted to how I was taught at (previous school) and when I brought the weapon up, the muzzle must have run into my hand and I pulled the trigger.”
The student is expected to make a complete recovery and looks forward to returning to Front Sight as soon as his hand heals.
On a follow-up call, the student stated “You guys at Front Sight are teaching the right stuff. I wish all police officers received your training in the academy. Keep up the good work”.

Opinions:

This student, like the two described above, arrived at Front Sight with years of practice in the techniques which were less than state-of-the-art. For years, this student diligently practiced a technique of presenting the handgun from the holster which, although accepted in 1988 and is still in use today throughout the industry, can create the type of problem the student experienced. Long ago, Front Sight recognized the peril in this and numerous other techniques taught throughout the industry. Before Front Sight began training its first students back in April 1996, we chose or developed techniques which were not only most effective in a gunfight and also the safest for the student.

Front Sight’s staff, at a ratio of 1 instructor for every 2-3 students on the firing line that weekend, had been working with this student during the course to correct his improper techniques. To the student’s credit, he was making terrific progress in replacing his bad habits with the new, safer Front Sight techniques. However, years of muscle memory takes time and lots of dry practice to change. And in one fleeting moment he reverted to his old habits and it finally caught up with him. His injury resulted when he committed four errors in immediate succession. Those errors were:

Placing his support side hand (in this case his left hand) out in front of his body and in line between the holster and the target.
Disengaging the thumb safety of his weapon sooner than Count 4 of the presentation.
Placing his finger on the trigger before the weapon intersected his line of sight.
Firing the weapon before both hands were securely on the frame of the weapon and his sights were on the target.

Below are two suites of photographs. The first suite describes the proper presentation of a handgun from a holster. The second is a recreation of the events which resulted in an injury for the student. The model in the photographs below is using an inert, plastic training weapon or “red gun”.

הערה : יש עוד הרבה דוחות וסיכומים על טעויות מי שרוצה יש את הלינק שלהם ויכול לקרוא על עוד תקלות

https://www.frontsight.com/SafetyReports.asp…