The following happened at Frontsight.
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.
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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.
leasantry:
