Particulars of a McClain County Sheriff’s Workplace college useful resource deputy’s unintentional discharge, which occurred on the playground of Blanchard Elementary College in December, have emerged, highlighting the significance of substances selections and holster design when carrying a firearm in public.
See the Full Press launch under.
McCLAIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Landy Offolter, Sheriff
December seventeenth, 2024 – PRESS RELEASE
Ref: Unintended Discharge at Blanchard Elementary College
On December thirteenth, 2024, a McClain County Sheriff’s Workplace College Useful resource Deputy’s service pistol by chance discharged whereas interacting with college students on the playground at Blanchard Elementary College.
The McClain County Sheriff’s Workplace instantly started conducting an investigation into the unintentional discharge. Throughout the course of the investigation, it was realized {that a} Deputy was seated on a picket bench handing out stickers to a number of college students. The Deputy started aiding a baby in zipping up their jacket when the Deputy heard his gun discharge. The Deputy turned conscious of a kid on his gun facet and started checking this baby and different college students for any potential accidents. The kid advised the Deputy and a instructor he made the gun “shoot.”
The Deputy’s service pistol, a SIG Sauer P320, was nonetheless secured contained in the Deputy’s Safariland holster and remained secured within the holster till Detectives arrived. The Deputy, with the help of Blanchard College staff, eliminated the scholars from the affected space whereas the Deputy waited for responding Detectives.
Detectives, upon inspection of the Deputy’s service pistol, realized the SIG Sauer P320’s slide was nonetheless locked in place with the spent shell casing nonetheless chambered, indicating the service pistol was seated and secured contained in the Deputy’s holster on the time of unintentional discharge. Detectives needed to manually eject the spent shell casing.
Upon additional inspection of the Streamlight TLR1 HL flashlight mounted to the SIG Sauer P320 contained in the Safariland 6000 collection holster, a major hole was positioned between the P320’s set off guard and the holster’s set off guard, permitting for the set off to be simply manipulated and gun to be discharged whereas the service weapon was secured contained in the holster with the holster’s retention mechanism engaged.
Detectives carried out a collection of checks in an try to recreate the occasion. Detectives have been profitable in recreating the occasion with the unloaded weapon and holster utilizing grownup fingers, confirming a baby’s finger would simply be capable to manipulate the set off via the hole within the holster. Based mostly on the findings of the investigation, Detectives concluded the kid manipulated the set off of the Deputy’s weapon, inflicting it to discharge whereas within the holster.
These findings have additionally been in line with different companies’ unintentional discharge investigations associated to related service pistols and holsters, together with the Oklahoma Freeway Patrol.
At the moment, Deputies present their very own service pistol and responsibility holster. The McClain County Sheriff’s Workplace is conducting an intensive evaluation of all weapons programs carried by its Deputies and will likely be reviewing Division-issued weapons programs choices transferring ahead.
This has all the time been some extent of competition for me when selecting a holster, as protection of the set off guard has all the time been a priority. And it isn’t simply the thought of a prying finger slipping contained in the holster both, as particles, clothes, drawstrings and any variety of issues may discover their approach right into a holster, inflicting an unintentional discharge or a malfunction at a most inopportune second.
Let’s check out my Glock 47 geared up with a Holosun SCS MOS optic, Surefire X300 and manufacturing facility threaded barrel inserted into my Safariland 6354RDSO ALS Degree 2 and Alien Gear Fast Drive Degree 3 holsters.
I’m not selecting on one versus the opposite and have been utilizing them with out problem for fairly some time. I’m largely pleased with each programs however wish to level out the distinction in set off guard protection, nonetheless slight it might be. It has been confirmed time and time once more that any obstruction that may make its approach into this crevice will be trigger for concern. Within the case of this Oklahoma college useful resource deputy, that obstruction appears to have been the diminutive nature of a kid’s finger.
The identical precept is true of hid carry holsters that, whereas tucked away, ought to have sufficient protection to guard a firearm from being by chance discharged by any article of clothes or particles which may discover its approach into the holster.
To my extra skilled gun house owners who’ve heard this 1,000,000 occasions, let this incident function a reminder. The intent of pointing this out is to coach newer firearms house owners and carriers, of which there have been many since COVID-19 and the 2020 BLM and Antifa riots, on what to search for and think about relying on how and the place you carry a firearm. Whereas the chance of one thing working its approach into your holster is ever current and will all the time be one thing to examine for and concentrate on, maybe larger ranges of retention and higher set off guard protection are essential if you’re working or touring in additional densely populated settings, and particularly round kids who’s curiosity to fiddle with something they’ll get their fingers on has but to be quenched.
Except for this consciousness, I’ll add that vigilance, coaching and repetition are the keys to protected gun dealing with. Most accidents occur whereas holstering and unholstering a loaded firearm. Do your self a favor and observe these procedures together with your handgun unloaded and the holster you propose to make use of. Work in some dry fireplace coaching when you’re at it. You could catch a crooked smile out of your partner for hard-core LARPing, however that’s okay. You’ll be a safer gun proprietor and higher shooter due to it. And please, be certain it’s unloaded! I needed to say that twice.
Product and gun evaluations are carried out independently and product mentions made primarily based on the standard of the product and worth of curiosity to gun house owners. Nonetheless, if you purchase via hyperlinks on our web site, we might earn a fee to assist help the prices of working the positioning and retaining it free for our guests.
