By John Farnam
Ft Collins, CO –-(Ammoland.com)- “Friends” Like These:
I’ve been, and continue to be, involved as an expert assistant in a number of product-liability lawsuits, many involving Glock pistols.
During the course of such litigation, I’ve been treated (so long as my gag-reflex holds out) to sham arguments by sleazy plaintiff’s attorneys. They typically say,
“If only Glock pistols had manual safety levers, if only Glock trigger strokes were longer, my client would not have been injured… ad nauseam”
Never a word, of course, about the pistol being carelessly pointed in unsafe directions, nor fingers being in contact with triggers at inappropriate times, nor other blatant safety violations.
We may expect this kind of nescient rubbish from the mouths of the willfully ignorant, anti-gun crowd. When it come from the mouth of one who purports to be a Second-Amendment supporter, it makes me openly question whose side he is really on!
In an editorial appearing in the 19 May 15 issue of the LA Times, Mr Bob Owens, describes Glock pistols as “a danger to us all!” Mr Owens is editor of a blog, bearingarms.com, which is generally pro-gun.
Citing several antidotal shooting accidents, Owens decries Glock’s lack of a manual safety and “short” trigger-stroke, saying,
“The underlying problem with these [Glock] pistols is a short trigger-pull and the lack of an external safety”
“Though short trigger-pull guns dominate the law-enforcement market, they aren’t the only game in town. A number of major and minor agencies use guns with much longer double-action triggers that are just as easy to fire deliberately but are much harder to fire accidentally.”
Of course, he fails to name any of these non-Glock-using agencies!
In addition, he fails to name a single pistol that would live up to his “ standards”
In the end, he simply says,
“Let’s arm our police with firearms that go off only when the officers mean to fire them”
Again, he never gets specific. We curiously never get to know exactly what gun(s) he’s talking about!
I suspect Mr Owens doesn’t even carry a gun!
I notice in his blog, he has subsequently admitted,
“Sadly, the truly incompetent bottom-performers will still have issues, regardless of the platform used.”
Okay! There is apparently no pistol those people should have!
This is yet another example of the weary, “You’re too stupid to own a gun” contention.
The entire industry devoted to the manufacture of serious pistols is currently making guns that work, from the user standpoint, just like Glocks, like the SIG P320, H&K P9, Walther PPQ, FNC, S&W M&P, Kahr, SA/XD, Beretta APX! Right now, when you want to sell serious duty pistols they need to be (1) polymer-framed, (2) striker-fired, (3) with no manual safety lever or button, and (4) no manual decocking lever. Nearly all have “short” triggers, at least by Mr Owen’s standards. Some do have manual safeties, or offer them as an option, but the vast majority don’t!
Most all old, DA/SA pistols, which he apparently likes, are now long-since out of production. The few still in production sit on the poorly-lighted, bottom rung of store shelves, gathering dust!
Any one who says police should be banned from using modern arms make me angry! When Glocks, and all the other pistols named above, are “too dangerous” for police, well, they must be too dangerous for anyone!
And, we’re right back in the courtroom, and the newspaper editorial office, learning that we’re apparently all too stupid to own any kind of gun!
Once again, with “friends like these,” we don’t need enemies!
/John
About John Farnam & Defense Training International, Inc
As a defensive weapons and tactics instructor John Farnam will urge you, based on your own beliefs, to make up your mind in advance as to what you would do when faced with an imminent and unlawful lethal threat. You should, of course, also decide what preparations you should make in advance, if any. Defense Training International wants to make sure that their students fully understand the physical, legal, psychological, and societal consequences of their actions or inactions.
It is our duty to make you aware of certain unpleasant physical realities intrinsic to the Planet Earth. Mr Farnam is happy to be your counselor and advisor. Visit: www.defense-training.com
I have a few pistols beretta 9 mil has safety in a police response that extra movment might cost them there life the trained officer needs that extra edge.I also would like to add whatever they are most comfortable with using no one should tell them you have to use a particular pistol.
Glock is a fine arm to issue to police officers, but TEACH how to use them (how load/unload, handle, aim, and shoot the Glock).
Glock isn’t the only game in town there are plenty of other reliable pistols out there. And maybe you should look into safety improvements. Yes its easy to say better training, keep your finger off the trigger, but in the heat of the moment mistakes are sometimes made. You can minimize mistakes by training but not rule them out entirely.
I wish people would stop publicizing Bob Owens’ “work.” Owens is a copsucker of the first order. I stopped following his blog after he celebrated the cops summarially executing Chris Dorner by burning the house down around him a la Waco. To add insult to that injury, he blocked me (and presumably all other dissenters) from comments after I criticized his praise of the barbecue by posting a comment stating that the police state response was irresponsible, reprehensible, and way over the top (remember how the cops wounded several innocent people, riddling their vehicles with dozens of rounds, despite the… Read more »
by putting this kind of article in the L.A. Times Owens gives more ammo to the anti gun crowd. I for one do not trust or read his blog anymore.
I like Glock, because its system works and works well. However, the lack of a thumb safety is and will always be an issue for me. Why, because I know several people who have had discharges holstering their pistols when the trigger shoe was depressed during the holstering. Perhaps it was a faulty holster or their fingers were still on the trigger, but a safety would have prevented that. My next gun purchase will be a Glock 21, and I will purchase the very best solid holster for it that I can, but would still prefer a thumb safety, as… Read more »
While I agree in essence with much of your article, let us not put all DA/SA pistols out pasture. What about the Beretta 92? This has been the pistol issued to our armed forces for 30 years (1985 to present).
Well sometimes Police dont slow down and think about what they are doing, like Anchorage Police drawing weapons on suspects with 6 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic as a back stop . Only 1 officer of 7 moved to position himself to use a concrete wall as a back stop . Good thing the criminals surrendered .
If the police are having issues with side arms, I believe it is more an issue of lack of training, not a defective pistol. An additional thought is that the recruits are not experienced in gun safety or prior training, in fact, many probably never shot a gun of any kind. There were plenty of these in the army also. If this is the case, the academies need to train-train-train then train some more.
I carry 2 different pistols (depending on occasion and required dress) as a lawful CCW daily, a XDs 3.3″ and a S&W MP9c, neither have external safeties and I have managed to not shoot myself or anyone else. I have never had either pistol discharge when I did not want it to at the range or on my person. I have read many stories of guns WITH external safeties going off with the safety engaged so I guess the theory of this “safe” gun that can be handled incorrectly and dangerously and not harm anyone should be taken with a… Read more »