So Chief, Your Department’s Unintentional Discharges Have Gone Up and You’re Surprised?

(This article was written by a friend in the industry who prefers to remain anonymous at this time. He is among the few of us who have always championed DA/SA guns and he is frustrated with what he is seeing. – SLG)

Law enforcement agencies in the U.S. have seen a sweeping change in their choice

of sidearm in the last thirty years. In the mid 1980’s we began seeing agencies make

the switch from revolvers to semi-automatic pistols. Police departments felt the

need to increase the amount of ammunition available to their officers as well as the

ability to more readily reload the pistol. The trend then was towards the Smith and

Wesson 59 series pistols and later the compact 6904’s, also from S&W. Also liberally

used were Beretta 92’s and SIG P228’s and 226’s. Agencies were transitioning from

double action revolvers so there was seemingly never any issue with the long

double action first shot of these pistols, officers were used to it and after the first

shot, then found it easier to shoot their pistols effectively with the subsequent single

action trigger. Many agencies found themselves happily well armed with these

“wonder nines” for many years, that is until a new Austrian company came along

and simply changed everything.

Suddenly the double action first shot became an almost insurmountable issue and

departments began dropping the DA/SA pistol for the new striker fired Glock. Truth

be told, the trigger was not the only attraction to the Glock pistol. It was at the same

time, simple, easy to armor and maintain and very inexpensive compared to the

pistols it was replacing. Glock recognized the opportunities and often traded

departments into their pistol for little or no cash outlay.

But the trigger seems to have remained the largest single rallying cry for the

striker guns and as other gun companies began launching their own striker pistols,

agencies continued to move in that direction.

So, what have agencies given up in that transition, what are the benefits of the

DA/SA pistol? I’m so glad you asked…

1. The DA first shot offers a level of safety not available with a striker when

police officers are doing what they do the most. Law enforcement pistols are

largely threat management tools as police officers point their pistols at2. 3. suspects far more than they actually discharge them. So, the striker fired

pistol removes the level of safety that the first long, double action trigger

press allows and effectively compresses the officer’s ability to stop his trigger

press as the dynamics of the situation change.

More Manageable Follow Up Shots. Once the officer is engaged in an actual

firefight, they are firing their pistol in single action mode, utilizing a trigger

press that is far more manageable than any striker pistol could ever be. This

allows the officer the best opportunity to get solid hits and end the fight with

the least number of rounds possible.

Holstering Safety On a DA/SA pistol this activity is far safer than with any

striker pistol. A large percentage of unintentional discharges in LE come as

the pistol is being returned to the holster. It is not at all unusual for a foreign

object to make its way into the trigger guard and manipulate the trigger.

Should this happen, the pistol will do exactly what it was designed to do and

discharge. The DA pistol offers a longer trigger stroke, effectively reducing

this possibility, but more importantly the exposed hammer allows the user to

maintain positive control over the firing mechanism. Officers should be

trained to place their thumb on the hammer of the pistol when holstering, as

the pistol goes into the holster, the officer will immediately get feedback that

the trigger is moving to the rear and can stop and take preventative action.

This might be a good time to look at how many of the AD’s occur with striker

fired pistols.

• Pulling the trigger under stress. There is virtually no tactile feedback on

these triggers, they are, for most part, digital switches. As a result, the officer

has little indication that the trigger is being pulled in between start of

inadvertent unintentional movement and a loud noise.

• Holstering – This seems to be the most common cause of AD’s with strikers. A

piece of… whatever, gets into the trigger guard and manipulates the trigger

as the pistol is being pressed into the holster. Having little trigger travel todeal with and giving no feedback thru the hammer, discharging the pistol just

isn’t a heavy lift.

• While holstered – We consistently see a number of AD’s that “just happen”

while the pistol is holstered. Given that modern semi-automatic pistols have

redundant safeties, it is likely that most (if not all) of these discharges are the

result of something working its way into the trigger guard and manipulating

that short, light trigger. These discharges are very difficult to have happen on

a DA/SA pistol, the trigger arc is much longer and requires much more

movement. In addition, most modern police duty holsters cover the hammer

and stop its motion, effectively locking the pistol.

• Discharge while cleaning – Mostly a Glock thing, but there are other strikers

on the market that require some type of mechanical movement to field strip.

The very design of a striker leaves the pistol cocked (meaning the sear is up

and holding the striker back) That sear has to be lowered to field strip, how

it’s done has caused many an inadvertent loud noise in many a police station.

Sadly, the benefits of a DA/SA pistol, both from a shooting and safety perspective

have been largely lost on an entire generation of police officers as they demand

manufacturers race to see who can build a gun with the shortest and lightest trigger.

After Glock had become popular, we began seeing aftermarket kits to make their

triggers shorter and lighter and it became clear that what customers want is a

trigger that feels like a 1911 but with no manual safety.

What we currently have is a culture that is quick to blame the operator but places

no culpability on the equipment. Concerns are easily swept away with “Keep your

booger hook off the bang switch, dude!” Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to dismiss

the reason why accidents occur. These guns are operated by humans who make

mistakes… a lot. While it hurts the ego of the average police officer, the vast majority

are amateurs when it comes to firearms and these single action pistols (yes, striker

fired pistols are single action) are guns for experts.So why are they becoming the pervasive system in law enforcement? There are a

number of reasons;

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. They are easy. There is no question that a DA/SA pistol takes a bit more time

and dedication to master and, frankly, striker pistols have made instructors

lazy.

They are inexpensive. Along with the striker firing mechanism, these pistols

are largely polymer framed and the combination of an injection molded

lower and a much smaller number of parts reduces costs tremendously. A

metal framed, hammer fired pistol is typically $200 more expensive than a

polymer striker and most departments are happy to take advantage of that

savings.

They are prolific. Firearms manufacturers have moved in mass to striker

pistols narrowing the available options should an agency want a DA/SA

pistol.

Holster and accessory availability. Kind of a chicken and an egg thing here,

DA pistols have become less popular so holster and accessory manufacturers

make less product to support them. This in turn forces shooters to look at

striker pistols even if they might not have otherwise.

Striker pistols seem to have a cool factor. Much of the gun buying public and

police officers in general feel they are “behind the times” if the carry a metal

framed DA pistol, it’s just not what the cool kids are doing.

I believe this rush to single action duty pistols is and will continue to bite law

enforcement where is doesn’t want to be bitten. If departments take a long hard

look at their recorded discharges they may find that the chosen trigger action may

have played a role in the discharge.