Post by BoW GaCAman on Feb 23, 2015 13:49:48 GMT -5
Airsoft 'UD' & Glocks
I get a lot of grief from what I term 'Glockophiles' (people who essentially believe Glock's ad campaign calling their guns 'perfect') for criticizing it for not being designed safely enough for the average shooter to carry, particularly the new .380 version, which will inevitably end up going into pockets around the world, due to its diminutive size.
In light of the high number of incidents involving their gun, I call for Glock to be as responsible as the average car maker is expected to be and go ahead and do the right thing by adding a thumb safety to their previous, current and future products to minimize the risk of self-shootings and unintentional discharges.
Having said that, I had a very unexpected incident happen to me just yesterday in regard to 'gun' (in this case, Airsoft) safety. My plastic el junko '45' fired when I was racking the slide, preparing to shoot it. That was a new experience for me (though not a 'real' firearm, granted) and made me glad that even with a plastic bb-firing 'gun' I was being aware of where the muzzle was pointed when handling it.
This very much makes me question anew those Glock owners who argue that their guns are 'totally safe' when carried round-in-chamber. Were you aware that carrying a Glock thusly (see pic) is very similar to carrying a single-action six-gun (yes, the kind the cowboys carried) inside your pocket or in a holster with the hammer cocked back over a live bullet?
Even though a Glock is not made like an Airsoft, internally, the 'gun' still did something totally unexpected by me when I was not doing anything unusual or unsafe with it. Racking the slide is necessary to fire it, is it not? Yet, the 'gun' malfunctioned and fired (NO finger inside the guard) as the slide came forward! Could not something similar happen with a Glock? After all, we're talking about springs and small pieces of metal holding back a cocked hammer, inside...correct?
At any rate, I'm glad the incident happened to me instead of to a youngster, who may have been pointing it at a friend or pet and which could have lead to the loss of an eye. These bb's and (this particular) 'gun' are not powerful enough to puncture skin, but they could take out an eye fairly easily. I'm now more convinced than ever that my Glock stance is correct. Their CEO recently died (last fall) and Mr. Glock is in his eighties, so maybe the new breed will see the need for this (not unprecedented) re-call of their (otherwise, excellent) product!
www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Glock%20leg
thefiringline.com/Misc/safetyrules.html