NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Police said the mother of a teen daughter who was shot Saturday night reports the gun that killed her fired off accidentally.
The Metro Nashville Police Department said a 13-year-old girl was shot around 10 p.m. inside her home on Edgehill Avenue. The victim was taken to the hospital, where she died of a single gunshot wound.
Police said the teen’s mother told detectives her unholstered .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol was inside her purse and accidentally fired while she was attempting to grab her keys. Charges have not been placed.
Mother claims teen daughter was accidentally shot, killed by her gun (wsmv.com)
Ladies, if you are going to carry in a purse, please get a purse designed for carrying a firearm or at a bare minimum, have a holster that securely covers the trigger and place it in a separate pocket with nothing else.
wow.. yeah, a purse where the gun goes in between the pockets from the outside…
and get TRAINING!!
While I understand the point of the “glock style” trigger safety I don’t think it’s a good type to carry for many people. A discrete separate safety doesn’t interfere with efficient use of a pistol and with training it’s presence and use is automatic. A pistol with a separate thumb safety would likely have prevented this tragedy.
I think the Venn diagram of “people who carry unholstered guns in bags” and “people who put in the effort to train for a manual safety to the point where it’s use is automatic” would have exactly zero overlap.
Everything stated is true, but leaves out one important factor.
Practice.
Practice until it becomes muscle memory. This woman should not have stuck her hand into her purse without being fully aware there was a gun in there, locating the butt, securing the trigger, or ensuring the holster is properly covering the trigger. That can all be done with relative safety, and while pointing the muzzle in a safe direction.
Even if the gun was floating free, the odds of her hitting the trigger would be minimized if she had practiced reaching into the bag while there was a gun in there. It is one additional layer of safety, not THE safety.
.
But, instead she bumbled about and triggered the gun. Because, no practice.
A while ago I read the argument that carrying in a purse is a bad idea because purses are so often snatched, and it’s easy for criminals to do that. While it’s harder for women to have a holster on their person I don’t believe it’s impossible, and it would avoid those issues.