Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Gardena school shooting-Glock AD?

WSJ reports that a Glock semi-automatic pistol was recovered. And the shooting was reported to be accidental as the gun discharged when the gun fired from within the backpack that contained the gun. I've never heard of a Glock firing in this manner and can't imagine what kind of malfunction might cause this. I don't accept the opinion that it was accidental.

All it would take is for something in the backpack to snag and pull the trigger. It's not a very hard scenario to imagine. He could have been reaching in for something and inadvertently pushed or pulled something that was in contact with the trigger.

Taking the report at face value, apparently something in the backpack put 5.6 lbs of pressure on the 5.5 lb trigger.

So to follow this line of "logic" one would have to accept the premise that somehow a pencil was aligned with the primary trigger of the Glock and moved it to the rear for .2 inches, then contacting the main trigger to overcome the trigger safety, and continued to the rear for another .3 inches with an additional 5 pounds of force overcoming the firing pin safety and fully cocking the striker and firing the weapon. Unless the pistol had serious defects or was highly modified and had a mechanical failure resulting in an accidental discharge; it was a Negligent discharge caused by a 1/2 inch pull on the trigger with 5 1/2 pounds of force; (with a finger). Apparently one witness saw the suspects hand in the backpack before the shot was fired. And, two students were arrested today for concealing evidence.

Pencil, finger, or a tube of Rolo's, I dunno. Getting a DAO pistol to fire isn't rocket science.

If indeed an unintended discharge, it wasn't a malfunction of the pistol, it was the fact that it was transported and handled stupidly. The gun did what it was designed to do, and didn't care if it was a finger or a tube of Necco Wafers that triggered the shot.

The most common firearms involved in the "AD"s" that I was personally aware of during my career were Glocks. In each case (and this is not limited to the Glock incidents), the culprit attempted to blame the pistol (or the long gun) for maliciously discharging all by itself. In each case, the culprit turned out to be the culprit, not the firearm.

Having said that, Glocks are not very forgiving if handled stupidly...and they can bump fire several rounds if hung by the trigger guard on the coat hook of a toilet booth in a public restroom. Makes for an interesting police report.

"Did your pistol just go full auto?"

"No, no, that was the burrito I had for lunch - I swear."

Yep. It would be hard to imagine this happening to a cocked and locked 1911. Three distinct things would need to be engaged/disengaged first.

I dont buy it either. IMO 99% of all ADs happen with a finger on the trigger.

Most guns arent.

I seriously doubt that a Glock would fire multiple rounds if hung on a coathook. Try getting one to cycle when you limpwrist one. Rotsa Ruck!

Hey when an inexperienced individual has possession of a loaded firearm anything is possible. The only thing I would say is that this was not an accidental discharge; it was a negligent discharge and there is a huge difference. This kid should face serious repercussions

I tend to agree with that assessment. Welcome to the 'Fire

Yep.

Negligent is the better word. You're right. Welcome to the Fire.