Police said a Michigan concealed weapons teacher accidentally shot a student in the face during a demonstration. [More]See, I always assume guns are loaded with plastic bullets, too.
But wait--according to this:
The instructor of the course is certified by this state or a national organization to teach the 8-hour pistol safety training course described in this section.It's like The Wizard of Oz: They figure if you give the Scarecrow a diploma, he automatically has brains.
5 comments:
At least the shootee wasn't killed, unlike this guy:
November 2005,
MEXIA, Texas -- A school district police officer was killed Tuesday in an accidental shooting during a law enforcement training exercise in Mexia, Limestone County authorities said.
Limestone County Sheriff Dennis Wilson said Mexia Independent School District police Sgt. Scott Neal, 31, was participating in SWAT team training with six other officers when one of the officers accidentally shot Neal in the head.
Neal was airlifted from Mexia, about 40 miles east of Waco, to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco. He was later pronounced dead by McLennan County Justice of the Peace Billy Martin.
Even the news papers can't get it right....Michigan does not have "concealed weapons" instruction. They have, Concealed Pistol Permit instructors.
Idiots.
As for the instructor, this falls under NEGLIGENCE as it is the instructor's personal responsibility to check his firearm for the appropriate training device if inserted. And then, ususally, a smart instructor will open the piece and demonstrate all cylinders are clear of live ammo before inserting the plastic (usually blue, orange or red colored) dummies.
So, the police decide not to charge him with 'negligent discharge of a firearm inside city limits'.
How muuch do you want to be this 'instructor' is a retired police officer or is in business with various police officers in a side business?
Yeah, I know, I sound jaded....
A Michigan Resident Fed Up With Double Standards
Horrible. This is a violation of at least three of the Four Rules, and probably #4 as well.
Not that I'd want to give the regulators any ideas to turn into "requirements", but my CCW instructor in Colorado actually took training safety seriously. He is about as well-credentialed as they come in the private sector, and made sure we all knew that if he ever, ever committed a safety violation during the course, that he fully expected us to call him on it immediately. He used a red plastic 1911 for most of the demonstration, using a real firearm only when demonstrating the mechanics of the weapon itself--and even then every time he picked up the gun he talked us through what he was doing: "Okay, where is my muzzle pointed as I pick this up? At that wall. Will that stop a bullet if I fire the gun? Yes it will. Okay, then..."
Hell, this guy only committed a safety violation with the plastic gun when he was demonstrating the Tueller Drill and a reactive "in the hole" draw to demonstrate that with the right attitude, you can even win a fight which begins with you at gunpoint.
In the end, nobody should have to beg the state's permission for the means to protect themselves, period. But, for those who decide to jump through the permission hoops (you know, the ones that get progressively smaller and then get lit on fire), be prepared to walk out the second you see a safety violation--it's not worth it. And if you run across an instructor that excuses the Four Rules because only a real gun can "make it real", just walk out, because that's BS.
And once you've gotten real training for yourself--highly recommended!--you can look at this in a different way: a gun muzzle pointed at you or a known innocent should automatically send you into Condition Red. (This is why I've never been able to play paintball. :-)
As a certified instructor, this kind of thing just makes me sick. There is simply no excuse for it.
Negligence hardly begins to describe it. I'd call it criminal negligence at the very least.
I've been shooting for more than 30 years and have never had a negligent discharge - yet... But it can happen to anyone. Religious attention to the 4 rules is the only way to reduce the chance of hurting someone.
My students are all offered a full refund of the class fee if they catch me in a safety violation. So far, I've not had to make any refunds - but they watch me like a hawk!
Must be nra certified.
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