One of the ways I keep an eye on Unintentional Discharges is via Google Alerts on a weekly basis. Although I prefer the LAPD definition of Unintentional Discharge, the most common phrase found in the news is ‘accidental discharge,’ so that’s what my search is set for. I know that “negligent discharge” is the common vernacular in the firearms community but as Marty Hayes of Armed Citizens’ Legal Defense Network https://armedcitizensnetwork.org/ has pointed out, ‘negligent’ has a specific meaning in legal terms that does not fit the circumstances of most UDs. Consequently, I don’t use ‘negligent discharge’ except when the applicable legal definition fits the incident. If we’re going to pick nits about the difference between ‘clip’ and ‘magazine,’ let’s pick nits consistently.

Here is this week’s list:

Google Alert – “accidental discharge”

From:    Google Alerts (googlealerts-noreply@google.com)

To:          me

Date:     Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 08:06 PM EDT

Google

“accidental discharge”

Weekly update ⋅ May 5, 2022

3 Piqua PD officers injured in accidental discharge incident – WDTN.com

3 Piqua PD officers injured in accidental discharge incident … PIQUA, Ohio (WDTN) — A firearm was accidentally discharged inside the Piqua police …

https://www.wdtn.com/news/local-news/3-piqua-pd-officers-injured-in-accidental-discharge-incident/

‘Accidental’ Gun Discharge Hits Douglassville Woman – The Sanatoga Post

… Police from the Troop L Barracks in Reading reported Friday (April 29, 2022), in what they said was an “accidental discharge of a firearm.”.

https://sanatogapost.com/2022/05/02/douglassville-woman-accidental-firearm-victim/

Victim of reported accidental shooting ID’d as 64-year-old – Bring Me The News

The man who died after being shot in the head as a result of a reported accidental discharge has been identified. The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s …

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/victim-of-reported-accidental-shooting-idd-as-64-year-old

Capitol Police incompetence: Officer suspended over accidental gun discharge | Just The News

The accidental discharge comes as Capitol Police are already under fire for a series of mistakes. The department ordered the Capitol to be …

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/capitol-police-incompetence-officer-suspended-over-accidental-gun-discharge

Soldier who accidentally killed comrade is convicted of manslaughter | The Times of Israel

Staff Sgt. Yonatan Granot, killed by an apparent accidental discharge from another serviceman’s weapon in the Jordan Valley (Courtesy).

https://www.timesofisrael.com/soldier-who-accidentally-killed-comrade-is-convicted-of-manslaughter/

Union Township woman wounded accidentally, state police say – The Mercury

Troopers said the incident was an accidental discharge of a firearm. The woman was taken to the Reading Hospital, where she was treated for …

https://www.pottsmerc.com/2022/04/29/union-township-accidental-shooting/

Uncle allegedly shoots 4-year-child in Taylor in accidental shooting – The News Herald

… remains under investigation, Canning said preliminarily it appears to be a case of gross negligence — an accidental discharge of a firearm.

https://www.thenewsherald.com/2022/05/04/uncle-allegedly-shoots-4-year-child-in-taylor-in-accidental-shooting/

Incident Reports & Arrests April 22-26 – The Post-Searchlight

Accidental discharge of firearm reported on the 200 block of Hales Landing Rd. · Criminal trespass reported on the 700 block of E. · Burglary reported …

https://www.thepostsearchlight.com/2022/04/28/incident-reports-arrests-april-22-26/

Lake Lillian Shooting Victim Identified | KDUZ

The initial news release said at 10:34 p.m., a person called the sheriff’s office to report an accidental discharge of a firearm that hit Coulston …

https://kduz.com/2022/04/29/lake-lillian-shooting-victim-identified/

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If you would like to purchase my ebook Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make click on the image below.

#mindsetmonday

My friend and colleague, Ken Hackathorn, has some pertinent thoughts about what he calls “The New Reality” in America. His presentation is well worth watching.

He addresses two separate topics in the video. The first is the rapid changes that are occurring in our legal environment. Things have a way of coming full circle. A couple of decades ago, the NRA made a DVD based on the Personal Protection In The Home course.

It reflected the predominant thinking at the time in the firearms community about the consequences of a self-defense shooting. The train of thought then was that any shooting, regardless of justification or location, was going to result in long term interaction with the legal system. Being arrested, handcuffed, doing the perp walk, and, at the least, arraigned were our expectations.

Over a period of 20 years or so, that perception changed due to “Make My Day,” “Castle Doctrine,” and “Stand Your Ground” laws. However, the public perception of the justification of a shooting can clearly change the legal situation, regardless of the law. Several nightmarish legal cases in recent memory that were ultimately found Not Guilty are clear examples. Attorney Steven Harris has commented:

Never forget, it’s not a level legal playing field despite Constitutional protections and even the best defense counsel lawyering; it’s an uphill battle, often nothing but a crap-shoot.

Attorney Steven Harris

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=19230#more-19230

The full NRA video is available here. https://vimeopro.com/user19079434/ppith/video/125252291

Note: I claim no rights to the NRA PPITH video and post the link for authentication purposes only.

My previous posts about breaking contact are here:

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2021/04/10/breaking-contact-part-i/

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2021/04/19/breaking-contact-our-objective/

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2021/05/04/breaking-contact-part-2/

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2021/05/14/breaking-contact-part-3/

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2021/05/19/breaking-contact-part-4/

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2021/05/31/breaking-contact-part-5/

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2021/07/13/the-opposite-of-breaking-contact/

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2021/10/27/breaking-contact-part-6/

The second thing Ken addresses is ammunition availability, usage, and stockpiling. Since very few of my readers shoot 100 rounds a month in practice and shoot a monthly IDPA match, a broader context of looking at the issue bears discussion. That topic will be covered in a future post. The short version, to paraphrase my late colleague Paul Gomez, is:

Get familiar with yor guns!

Tactical Professor books (all PDF)

• Indoor Range Practice Sessions http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com
• Concealed Carry Skills and Drills http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com
• Advanced Pistol Practice http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice
• Real Shootouts of the LAPD https://realshootoutsofthelapd.com/
• Thinking Clearly about Self-defense and Personal Protection https://www.payloadz.com/go?id=3377208
• Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com
• Shooting Your Black Rifle http://shootingyourblackrifle.com
• Package deal of Thinking Clearly about Self-defense and Personal Protection, Serious Mistakes, Indoor Sessions, Concealed Carry, and Shooting Your Black Rifle (50% off) https://store.payloadz.com/details/2644448-ebooks-sports-shooting-drills-package.html

Purchase of any book includes Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make.

STOPP Presentation at Rangemaster Tactical Conference

https://www.payloadz.com/go?id=3381307

The second Fundamental of Pistol Shooting is:

‘Visually index the pistol on target.’

This post is NOT intended to arouse more of the point shooting versus sighted fire debate. Those arguments are loaded with fuzzy definitions and the Telephone Game. The Telephone Game and the Training Industry Rather, it is an acknowledgement that humans are visual creatures. We are much more adept at hand-eye coordination when the eye guides the hand. Try hammering a nail sometime without being able to see the nail head. It doesn’t work very well.

Even Fairbairn and Sykes tacitly acknowledged this in Shooting to Live. Notice the Firing Position that they began their Preliminary Course for Recruits with. It clearly demonstrates a visual reference to the target, even if that doesn’t include ‘aiming’ using the sights.

Another frequently overlooked concept in Shooting to Live is to “cover the aiming mark.” While not well explained in the book, it seems to imply the principle of ‘spot shooting’ Spot shooting that their contemporary Ed McGivern talked about explicitly.

The late great Jimmy Cirillo RIP Jim Cirillo developed a similar technique for teaching POlice officers. He called it the “weapon silhouette point.” With this technique, the silhouette of the gun, rather than the sights, is visually indexed on the target. Jimmy would actually tape the sights of the pistol to show that they were not required to make effective hits at close range. However, the gun itself had to be aligned on the target for the technique to be effective. Even without using the sights, there were aspects of spot shooting in classes that he conducted.

It’s worthwhile to keep in mind Tom Givens’ https://rangemaster.com/ comment about how inadequate the sights of autoloading pistols were in 1942 when Shooting to Live was written. Scott Jedlinski of the Modern Samurai Project https://www.modernsamuraiproject.com/ made a humorous quip at this year’s Rangemaster Tactical Conference. What is the Tactical Conference?

1911 sights in those days were ‘suggestions.’

The bottom line is that the most important line in pistol shooting is the eye-target line. The closer we get the gun to that line, the better our hits will be, even if TJ Hooker did teach you to keep the gun low.

Part I of the Series Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting (Part 1)

Part II of the Series Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting (Part 2)

The next segment will cover ‘Press the trigger smoothly and straight to the rear.’

Tactical Professor books (all PDF)

• Indoor Range Practice Sessions http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com
• Concealed Carry Skills and Drills http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com
• Advanced Pistol Practice http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice
• Real Shootouts of the LAPD https://realshootoutsofthelapd.com/
• Thinking Clearly about Self-defense and Personal Protection https://www.payloadz.com/go?id=3377208
• Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com
• Shooting Your Black Rifle http://shootingyourblackrifle.com
• Package deal of Thinking Clearly about Self-defense and Personal Protection, Serious Mistakes, Indoor Sessions, Concealed Carry, and Shooting Your Black Rifle (50% off) https://store.payloadz.com/details/2644448-ebooks-sports-shooting-drills-package.html

Purchase of any book includes Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make.

STOPP Presentation at Rangemaster Tactical Conference

STOPP Presentation now available

The direct purchase link for the STOPP Presentation is: https://www.payloadz.com/go?id=3381307

Several don’ts can be seen in this incident and the subsequent story.

Man arrested after shooting juvenile who was burglarizing a neighbor’s car

• Don’t go outside to investigate noises in the night.
• Don’t challenge people who are not on your property.
• Don’t shoot someone in the back when he is running away from you.
• Don’t make comments on a public forum that you think this kind of behavior is justifiable and/or commendable.

Billy, don’t be a hero, don’t be a fool with your life

The arrest report for the incident states that the shootee is intubated and unable to make a statement. Odds are good that Mr. Locke is going to do time in prison for Aggravated Battery with a Firearm. Think clearly about what your Mission is and what Negative Outcomes can occur to you. Do your thinking and planning ahead of time. Program yourself mentally for Positive Outcomes and avoiding Serious Mistakes.

Tactical Professor books (all PDF) — Note: bad links fixed

• Real Shootouts of the LAPD https://realshootoutsofthelapd.com/
• Thinking Clearly about Self-defense and Personal Protection https://www.payloadz.com/go?id=3377208
• Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com
• Indoor Range Practice Sessions http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com
• Concealed Carry Skills and Drills http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com
• Advanced Pistol Practice http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice
• Shooting Your Black Rifle http://shootingyourblackrifle.com
• Package deal of Thinking Clearly about Self-defense and Personal Protection, Serious Mistakes, Indoor Sessions, Concealed Carry, and Shooting Your Black Rifle (50% off) https://store.payloadz.com/details/2644448-ebooks-sports-shooting-drills-package.html

Purchase of any book includes Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make.

STOPP Presentation at Rangemaster Tactical Conference

STOPP Presentation now available

The direct purchase link for the STOPP Presentation is https://www.payloadz.com/go?id=3381307

The group took the dog and began walking away, when Drake returned with a firearm and fired four shots in their direction, according to Murphy. No one was struck, and the three men tried to run away.

WTTW-TV

Attempted Dognapping Precipitated Fatal Shooting on Lower West Side: Prosecutors

A prime example of the sequential nature of ‘OODA Loops.’

• Group of men chases man walking dog
• He runs home and gets inside without the dog
• Group takes dog
• Man comes out with a gun and shoots at them
• The group decides the dog isn’t worth getting shot for so they drop it and run away
• One of them falls down
• Original victim’s girlfriend comes out and gets violent with the downed malefactor
• Original victim joins his gf in doing the Irish jig on the malefactor
• Unsatisfied with this level of violence, he pulls out his gun and shoots the malefactor in the head
• Original victim, now Executioner, and his gf decide to exfiltrate from the crime scene
• A friend of the now deceased malefactor shoots and wounds both Executioner and gf
• First responders arrive to take wounded Executioner and gf to hospital
• Executioner charged with First Degree Murder, while still in hospital
• Unwounded Dognappers escape, most likely never to be found

Don’t let your emotions control your actions. No one wants their dog to be napped but legally dogs are property, not people. You can only use the level of force necessary to protect property in their defense. Shooting someone who is down is also a bad idea. Review the Jerome Ersland incident for further study.

Bottom Line: If the Executioner’s lawyer is clever, the charges will get pleaded down but odds are, he’s going away for some time.

Tactical Professor books (all PDF)

• Thinking Clearly about Self-defense and Personal Protection         https://www.payloadz.com/go?id=3377208
• Real Shootouts of the LAPD          https://realshootoutsofthelapd.com/
• Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com
• Indoor Range Practice Sessions http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com
• Concealed Carry Skills and Drills http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com
• Advanced Pistol Practice http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice
• Shooting Your Black Rifle http://shootingyourblackrifle.com
• Package deal of Thinking Clearly about Self-defense and Personal Protection, Serious Mistakes, Indoor Sessions, Concealed Carry, and Shooting Your Black Rifle (50% off) https://store.payloadz.com/details/2644448-ebooks-sports-shooting-drills-package.html

‘Dryfire is boring AF’ is a common complaint in the firearms community. Paradoxically, Abraham Lincoln addressed that issue with his comment. Preparation is the way to make dry practice more interesting and productive. Doing some preparation for your dry practice session is the essential first step. As the late William Aprill was fond of saying:

Spontaneity is overrated.

To keep it from being boring, make your sessions into a creative endeavor. Have a plan for the session, include something other than pure dry practice, e.g., make a target, and use some outside stimuli to add to the experience. Having a specific target that you use only for dry practice and then conceal or take down also contributes to improving the safety aspect of your sessions. Dry practicing on light switches, TVs, the dog, etc. is dangerous and can lead to a Negative Outcome.

Your plan might consist of nothing more than practicing your State’s (or any State’s) Carry License qualification course. As an example, here’s what the Louisiana Qualification Course looks like.

The session itself, without the explanations in the video, takes about five minutes. Although this session looks simplistic, there are 10 different skills practiced. They’re explained in the post What does effective Dry Practice actually look like?

It also helps to keep in mind Tom Givens‘ comment about the recency of your practice; whether dry or live:

How much you last practiced isn’t as important as when you last practiced.

Tactical Professor books (all PDF)

Real Shootouts of the LAPD                  https://realshootoutsofthelapd.com/

Serious Mistakes Gunowners Make http://seriousgunownermistakes.com

Indoor Range Practice Sessions           http://indoorrangepracticesessions.com

Concealed Carry Skills and Drills         http://concealedcarryskillsanddrills.com

Shooting Your Black Rifle                       http://shootingyourblackrifle.com

Advanced Pistol Practice                       http://bit.ly/advancedpistolpractice

Package deal of Serious Mistakes, Indoor Sessions, Concealed Carry, and Shooting Your Black Rifle (20% off) https://store.payloadz.com/details/2644448-ebooks-sports-shooting-drills-package.html

CCW Safe continues its series about my concept of Breaking Contact as our primary goal (Mission).

The article is available here.

https://ccwsafe.com/blog/breaking-contact-pt-2

Understanding our Mission and thinking ahead of time about how to fulfill it are critical to our continued health and well-being. Not only are we affected by our attitudes and actions; our families and loved ones are affected just as much as we are.

Even as elite an organization as the Los Angeles Police Department discourages its officers from “taking off-duty enforcement action.” My book contains incidents where the Board of Police Commissioners criticized off-duty officers from taking action off-duty when it was hazardous and exposed the officer’s family to unnecessary danger.

Click on the image if you would like to buy my book and read some examples.

The post about Part I of Breaking Contact is here.

My latest interview on Ballistic Radio.

“One of our very favorite guests, The Tactical Professor Claude Werner returns to the show to discuss a myriad of important topics that we should all consider. What is O.O.D.A. and how do people get it wrong? Why is it important to measure personal performance? Has everyone been pronouncing Claude’s 5x5x5 drill wrong? ALL THAT AND MORE!”

Stay Out Of Trouble (SEASON 8, EPISODE 332)

Part of dealing with the American Insurgency is thinking ahead about what to do when bad things start happening around you. There are no safe places during an insurgency.

Witnesses describe killing of Portland shooter Michael Reinoehl

https://nypost.com/2020/09/04/witnesses-describe-killing-of-portland-shooter-michael-reinoehl/

This was the reaction of one person near the shooting.

“I was sitting in my backyard and all I heard was pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. I was like, oh s–t. I come outside and there’s a million sheriffs out here and there’s a dude laying out here by the mailbox and he’s bleeding. They hit him.”

Note that there were at least 29 rounds fired during the incident. So far, it is unstated how many hit Reinoehl but based on general trends, we can assume that the majority did not. That means at least 15 rounds, perhaps some from rifles, were whizzing around the neighborhood.

According to Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacey,_Washington “Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Olympia with a population of 42,393 at the 2010 census.” Lacey is 120 miles from Portland and another State away from where the original murder took place. One lesson for us in this incident is that any place within driving distance of a well-publicized shooting is a possible location for a secondary incident. Kyle Rittenhouse went back to Ill-Annoy after the Kenosha shootings.

If you hear gunfire, don’t go outside to watch or video it. Think ahead about the most bullet resistant places in your home. The bathtub, which hopefully is iron, is an example. Even if it’s not iron, it is at least surrounded and supported by structural members. Rehearse a sheltering plan ahead of time. Make sure your loved ones understand it; they might have to use it when you’re not there. It might look something like this:

• If and when you hear shooting outside, gather your loved ones and take them to that sheltered place.
• Take your equipment, including your phone, with you when you take shelter.
• Don’t let strangers into your home after an incident.
• Call the POlice and report the gunfire outside.

The most important tool you have during a crisis is the one between your ears. As with almost all tools, it’s better if you sharpen it before you need to use it.

Tactical Professor books are available from the menu at the top of the page.