Whoa Army? At close range into self? (Hang on barrel would be too long)
I never pull the trigger unloading. Drop the magzine out, pull back the barrel, drop shell out of the chamber - gun unloaded
I'm suprised to hear that Police carry their weapons made ready all the time. Can a copper confirm this? When I was in NI in the Army our pistols were loaded but not made ready i.e mag on, not cocked. Before we entered any buildings on a base or police station they were always unloaded i.e mag off,no rounds in chamber.
I'd agree that the unload/make safe is the most likely time for an ND, especially when tired. A colleague of mine once had an ND on camp, I was the first one to get to him after the shot. I was expecting the worst, but when I got to him he was standing up, white as a sheet with his pistol pointing at the ground and a hole in the tarmac literally a centimetre from his toe. He lost a month's pay for that.
It is not unheard of for a people to shoot themselves in the leg whilst holstering/upholstering a loaded weapon quickly ie.
My chum can confirm it! The thinking is that there is no point carrying the weapon if its not ready to go. He was surprised that the military don't make ready until they are ordered to ie just before they are going to fire.
ND's on tour result in loss of your tour bonus (about £5k I think?) unless you are the American who shot a contractor in the foot then just ran away and was never found!
Thanks Rockhopper, I guess it has something to do with the difference between having a 18-19 year old infantry grunt who's been playing COD since he was 12, and a 30+ bobby with a few years pounding the beat and a bit less testosterone pumping through his veins.
