Sheriff investigating death of Missouri man in gun class

[FN1910]

Man shoots and kills himself in conceal and carry gun class | Springfield News-Leader | News-Leader.com

More information on this story and looks like the Instructor was an idiot and does need to be held accountable. This is much different that what was first assumed.

This is not an exercise for people just beginning to learn how to use a handgun especially with an unfamiliar gun.

The sheriff said the accident happened while an instructor was having the man manipulate the weapon with his non-dominant hand -- in this case, his left.

[santa]

Those suicides were a tragedy but were planned, not an accident. I do agree that the man who died made a very poor decision that resulted in his own death and therefore is directly responsible. However we can speculate about all the contributing factors such as 'was the class too big?' or any other factor but the fact remains that the victom aparently was not familiar with that particular firearm. It is the instructors job to make sure EVERYONE knows about the gun that is being used and to enforce all the safety rules. Is the instructor to blame for this mans death? NO of course not. But having attended several safety classes I can say that some instructors are lax in observing their students and others are not. Based on what I have read about this incident and based on my knowledge of class room and range procedures it is my OPINION that the instructor could probably have paid closer attention to this individual who was having difficulty. Again Im not saying that it is the instructors fault. Most accidents or incidents are the result of several contributing factors that combine to make a tragedy like this. It does serve as a wake up call to ALL gun owners to BE CAREFUL and not have anything like this happen to you(or me).

[Iteach4U]

Man shoots and kills himself in conceal and carry gun class | Springfield News-Leader | News-Leader.com

More information on this story and looks like the Instructor was an idiot and does need to be held accountable. This is much different that what was first assumed.

This is not an exercise for people just beginning to learn how to use a handgun especially with an unfamiliar gun.

I apologize for the reply not copying your entire post, specifically your quote as it's a focal point of this incident. The News-Leader story came out pretty quickly and had a lot more information and speculation than other reports.

I agree, if it was instructor irresponsibility then certainly hold the instructor accountable. But, we've all got to remember that safety isn't just the instructor's responsibility it's everyone's, even if you're a student.

Take note of one very important fact. Once the instructor responsibility ball gets rolling it's going to stay in motion and you can bet folks that do dumb things on ranges will also start blaming range staffers for their personal violations of safety protocols.

One thing I'm not seeing in the media is whether or not the student expressed discomfort with the technique or said anything about safety prior to the incident; something we may never know. Human nature is to follow what an authoriatative figure says to do, it was tested decades ago by Stanley Milgram.

If any of you get a chance, Tim Oliver has posted a nice video on missouricarry.com where he and his folks have recreated what they think may have happened based on what's in the media and what's been heard from law enforcement. Just watching that video you'll see a number of safety issues with the illustrated technique (not saying it's the actual technique folks). So if there are multiple students on the line there's the potential for a gross safety violation immediately.

[MONTANA]

Some good points. When I am on the range, I never draw with my non-dominant hand to fire live ammunition and I am an old coot who has been shooting a very long time. I will fire with my non-dominant hand but start from a low ready position on the non-dominant side of the body. I draw with my non-dominant hand only during dry-fire practice. I am hoping this will give me enough practice that I could easily perform the action if my life depended on it. I think the bottom line is that this instruction is not required to get a Concealed Carry Permit. I smell a civil action lawsuit on the way regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation.