Shame on me, I lost a knife today due to my own fault. I went out to the NY State office building in Hauppauge this morning for a job interview. I emptied my pockets into the tray to go through security, including a Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife. The guard told me I could not take it inside. Since I was almost running late for my interview, I think I had all of 4 or 5 minutes to spare, I asked if they would hold it there and he said no. I politely asked again explaining I did not have time to bring it back to my car on the other end of the parking lot because I had an interview; he still refused. I then asked where there was a trash can so could throw it out and he called over a supervisor to dispose of it. I asked the supervisor if he could just keep it in their office until I returned and he said no that he had to throw it out if I did not want to bring it back to my car. I let him dispose of it as time was ticking and I did not want to be late for my interview (the potential of getting the job being worth more).
I should note that I had also asked if I could go through the trash to retrieve it, after my interview but he was adamant I could not look for it and they could not be held responsible for it. Oh well, force of habit had me stick it in my pocket this morning. Live and learn by way of wake up calls and screw-ups like this one.
Since it was the version with the corkscrew, as opposed to my other Huntsman without the corkscrew (BSA version lacks the corkscrew), I will have to order another so as to have the one with that vital piece of hardware.
All the best,
Glenn B
Back in January, I wrote a blog-post about the potential of drawstrings being a problem when handling and holstering weapons, see:
http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2014/01/handling-guns-little-details-that-can.html
Today, I received an email with a video attached that showed just how serious a problem a drawstring can pose when holstering a handgun. The video depicts a man who has holstered his Glock pistol and then tries to adjust his jacket after the pistol is secure in his holster. Luckily for him, the resulting gunshot wound appears to have been a graze.
Click the link for the video, sorry it would not allow me to embed it:
http://youtu.be/FrJMQupYxaw
While this accident happened with a Glock, it could have happened with a wide variety of pistols in various types of holsters. It might even happen with a revolver in certain types of holster. In addition, not only could it happen by pulling up on the jacket, just holstering a pistol, with the drawstring caught in the trigger guard, could potentially cause the gun to discharge if the draw string was taut not allowing enough slack for the gun to go into the holster with the trigger being pulled. The best thing to do would be to avoid clothing with drawstrings, or cut off drawstrings, that could interfere with the trigger. If you have clothing like that and do not want to cut off the drawstring at least be very careful to assure that the drawstring does not interfere with the trigger or any other operating part on your firearm.
As for this particular incident, all the blame goes to the guy who shot himself. You may think that harsh considering how the gun was fired but I am a stickler for firearms safety and the guy handling the pistol was not following safety protocols. First of all, when the gun store owner handed him the pistol the customer accepts it while it is apparently pointing at the store owner, then he immediately places his finger on the trigger, then he handles the pistol and points it at his own hand seemingly pushing the muzzle into his hand, then after he draws and holsters his Glock (without looking at the holster as he holsters the pistol) it appears to be obvious to him that something has caught his jacket right in the vicinity of his holster. What he was thinking, when he tugged on his jacket without looking to see if it had somehow become snagged by the pistol he had just put back in the holster, is beyond me. Judging by his other three instances of unsafely handling the pistol (just moments before) I would have to guess that maybe he was not thinking at all. That is a major problem when people handle firearms, THAT THEY DO NOT THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING. He most assuredly should have been using those little gray cells a bit more effectively as far as I am concerned. In fact, I think he should have looked at his holster when holstering in a non-confrontational situation or at least gingerly felt around his holster to see why his jacket suddenly was caught up on something.
Then again, he was probably never before informed about such a potential hazard nor trained in what to do should he holster a weapon and then feel something was not right with clothing adjacent to the holster. I realize it was obviously an accident and while it certainly could have been avoided I also understand how it could have happened to anyone. Yet, I still fault this guy because he already had at least three other firearms handling strikes against him as apparently seen in the video and, in my opinion, he evidently was not paying as much attention to what he was doing as he should have been doing. Anyway, let that incident be your wake up call - when handling firearms - be attentive! My guess is that he has learned his lesson, I hope you learn from his misfortune before causing any for yourself.
A hat tip to Peter Q for the email with the video and for taking the time and making the effort to share that with others who carry firearms.
All the best,
Glenn B
