This was on the news last night in the Cincinnati area. WKRC. Enjoy

linky

One of the most popular handguns has become one of the most controversial and potentially dangerous. It's called the Glock.

You've seen them in movies, on TV and likely in the hands of local police.

Depending on who you ask, a Glock is either the safest or most dangerous handgun ever made.

Firearms instructor Ryan Sullivan is a fan of the .40 caliber Glock.

45-year police veteran Ray Hesler is not.

Six years ago, after qualifying with his Glock .40 at the range, Felicity's chief sat down at his desk with the magazine and ammo in his car.

"Now everybody says I had to touch the trigger, but I still remember picking if up like this so I could move it over here where we could get it in my desk," said Ray Hesler, Felicity Police Chief. "And that's the results. Right there, came out there, hit the wall, hit the ceiling up there."

The shot blew off Hesler's middle finger.

Nationally, so many officers have accidentally shot themselves with the weapon the condition's called "Glock leg."

A widely circulated video shows a DEA officer shooting himself with a Glock in front of Florida school kids.

Glock claims more than 65% of the law enforcement handgun market. Thousands of civilians own them as well.

"They're very simple," said Dan Lovett, Shooter's Supply. "They're very reliable, and for what they are, they're exceptionally accurate."

At Shooter's Supply, a third of the handguns sold are Glocks. The military can even purchase a fully automatic version.

But with all their fans, Glocks have also had lots of problems.

Police departments including New York, Washington D.C., Louisville and the Indiana State Police have all had issues with Glocks that jam, won't fire, or blow up.

Another controversial point is you must pull the trigger to disassemble a Glock. If there's a bullet in the chamber, it will fire.

Pierce Township Police Chief Jim Smith got rid of Glocks in favor of guns which can't fire when the magazine is ejected.

"I owe it to not only the officers to supply them with the best and safest pistol but also our community," said Col. James Smith, Pierce Township Police Chief. "You want a pistol that's as accurate as can possibly be and you also want to defer, do your very best to eliminate liability."

No external safety is another issue.

"People look at this pistol and say there's not an external safety, actually there is," said Lovett. "It's right here on the trigger. You automatically disengage it when you pull the trigger. I can literally break this off before I can make this pistol go bang, unless something presses this. So, if I carry it in a holster that covers the trigger it's not gonna go bang."

Two holsters were recalled after straps made Glocks fire as officers put them away.

Glock critics will tell you one of the problems with the Glock is the amount of trigger pull it takes to fire the gun. That's the amount of pressure it takes on the trigger to make it fire. A double action revolver takes 10 or 11 pounds. But in the half cocked stage, it just takes a tap, and that's where the Glock is all the time.

Glock is now offering a much heavier trigger pull, but most still fire with much less.

"My personal opinion, it's a training issue," said Ryan Sullivan, firearms instructor. "With proper training and practice of technique, you'll create a certain muscle memory where you won't have accidents. It's not a pretty gun by any means, but there's not a lot to it, it's a simple, accurate firearm."

But the reality is most law enforcement officers only use their weapon once or twice a year on the range.

Experts believe that means extensive training should be a serious consideration for anyone who owns one of the most controversial handguns in history.

In many cases, where police departments have had problems with Glocks, they still use them.

Most of the recent problems are with .40 and .45 calibers.

For cops, the company will switch them out with less problematic .9 millimeters.

Glock is also involved in dozens of private lawsuits. Routinely, any settlements require the other parties to not talk about the agreements they reach.

MFN

It will fire if there is a bullet in teh chamber???  Oh teh noes!!!!

Oh teh noes!!!

Teh Glox shoots off my fingurz!!!

And the DEA done shoots off his footz!!!



Cripes.

Quoted: For cops, the company will switch them out with less problematic .9 millimeters.

Yep, those 0.9mm glocks are a lot safer

They make great hand grenades I hear...

oh oh oh this oughta be fun

If my pistol ISNT fucking dangerous, what they hell do I carry it for?

finger off trigger people. It really is that fucking simple.

Quoted: Yep, those 0.9mm glocks are a lot safer

They are.

They won't even break the skin.

Someone post a picture of the new external Grock safety

Quoted:  The majority of these accidents involve the strap on a thumbreak holster

While I am sure it has happened, I don't necessarily think I would go out on a limb to say that the majority of ADs with Glocks have been the result of thumbreaks....

But the reality is most law enforcement officers only use their weapon once or twice a year on the range.

And therein lies the problem.  Less practice = more mistakes.

I'll risk it and keep all my Glocks.  

I have been carrying one for close to ten years and I still have all my fingers and walk without a limp...  

In terms of design, the 9mm's are the "safest" as they don't expose part of the case at the end of the chamber/barrel.  

I would think that a glock would be more safe than a revolver as far as someone touching it.  Both don't have (manual) safties, but the glock has 3 internal ones and the revolver has none.  I'm not sure but if a revolver is dropped on the hammer hard enough won't it go off?

Yeah that it, your not professional enough to handle the fotey.

I love how they mention the DEA guy shooting himself with the dangerous Glock but fail to say that he was a complete fucking moron lacking any sense

Quoted: Quoted: For cops, the company will switch them out with less problematic .9 millimeters. Yep, those 0.9mm glocks are a lot safer

Tell me where I can acquire this Glock needler.

Lots of fucking typos in that article.

That article was filled with insanity.

Quoted: But the reality is most law enforcement officers only use their weapon once or twice a year on the range. And therein lies the problem.  Less practice = more mistakes.

I took an introductory handgun course in preparation for a group class this summer, and I asked the instructor about fitting in with LEOs and others who use their weapons every day. He said I was equal to or ahead of a lot of what he sees. I didn't know whether to be flattered or hysterical.

Like Glocks or not that article is just full of so much wrong information.

I'd like to help them out.

Please send me all of your unwanted Glocks and I'll gladly pay you $50 each!

Oh teh noes!!!  This gun is soo unsafe, when I pick it up and pull teh trigger it goes BANG!!!

someone quick - tell me where to send my unsafe and contraversial glock to ...  







eta: damn you ghetto, and your fast typing skillets!  

Its unsafe, I better go get one

Glocks are teh major suckage! dey are ugly! and dere is no external safety! and dey are ugly! and...dey are made by phony germans (aka Austrians)

Six years ago, after qualifying with his Glock .40 at the range, Felicity's chief sat down at his desk with the magazine and ammo in his car. "Now everybody says I had to touch the trigger, but I still remember picking if up like this so I could move it over here where we could get it in my desk," said Ray Hesler, Felicity Police Chief. "And that's the results. Right there, came out there, hit the wall, hit the ceiling up there." The shot blew off Hesler's middle finger.

I wish I could see what the heck this guy was talking about.  I find it hard to believe that the pistol fired without the trigger being pulled.  In any event, I try not to sweep valuable body parts with the muzzle.  

I have it on good authority that Glocks combust when exposed to oxygen.

Quoted: someone quick - tell me where to send my unsafe and contraversial glock to ...   eta: damn you ghetto, and your fast typing skillets!

I'll IM you my FFLs address

I just don't like them but

Safety =

+

i noticed that the article didn't point out that the "problems" are so "common" because glock owns the US market.

if you broke it down to "problems" per gun, i feel glock wouldn't be any worse then anyone else, and probably better then quite a few.

Glocks that jam, won't fire, or blow up

that says it all

they are garbage, and i'm a self proclaimed GlocKB hater

Quoted: If you are dumb enough to put the safety directly on a 5lb trigger then this is what you get.  The majority of these accidents involve the strap on a thumbreak holster catching inside the trigger gaurd while reholstering, most cops reholster without looking while keeping their eyes on the subject. A slide or frame mounted external safety like the tried and true 1911 design would cure glock leg. Edited to add: Glock is the debil and John Moses Browning said so.

The "safety" on the Glock trigger is there to stop inertia of the trigger from firing the gun in case the Glock is dropped from a substantial height. It's obvious Glock's marketing team was very successful at getting people to drink the Glock "safety" Kool-aid as evidenced by the comment in the article about the Glock "safety" by the gun store dude (see below quote).

People! The Glock trigger "safety" is basically the same as a firing pin block safety and nothing more (except for the trigger). It cannot be compared to a real safety switch that disables the gun from firing until the safety switch is activated into the fire position.


"People look at this pistol and say there's not an external safety, actually there is," said Lovett. "It's right here on the trigger. You automatically disengage it when you pull the trigger. I can literally break this off before I can make this pistol go bang, unless something presses this. So, if I carry it in a holster that covers the trigger it's not gonna go bang."

WOW, the media said i shouldn't use a Glock? oh teh noes, guess i'll have to burn all of mine... for the children.

that chief needs to learn how to pick up a fkn gun. He grabs the muzzle end of a loaded gun

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted:  The majority of these accidents involve the strap on a thumbreak holster While I am sure it has happened, I don't necessarily think I would go out on a limb to say that the majority of ADs with Glocks have been the result of thumbreaks.... I was gonna say all, but thats not true either.  All that I've seen were the result of this including almost, me.  For whatever reason I paused and realized the stiff thumb break was inside the trigger gaurd while my index finger was along side the frame where it should be.  All ADs I've disected ended up being the result of thumb breaks and in one case a corner on a plastic holster catching the trigger durring holstering.  Not to say the trigger on the finger thing hasn't happened, just that this is most often the cause.

Maybe the cause in your little part of the world, but don't extrapolate the entire world from just your limited experiences.

Funny the only ND I've seen first hand, with a shot to the leg, was a S&W .38 Special.

I've also heard of cases where fat officers when they go to sit in there cruisers actually flex the frame of the glocKB to the point that it causes the gun to go off!! Can any one confirm or deny this.

I vote on forming the Glock Educational system (GES).

Quoted: I have it on good authority that Glocks combust when exposed to oxygen.

Or cannon fuse.

Quoted: I've also heard of cases where fat officers when they go to sit in there cruisers actually flex the frame of the glocKB to the point that it causes the gun to go off!! Can any one confirm or deny this.

Crazy talk, and it should be common sense that indicates the validity of that claim.

This is just more nanny-statery.  Soon you'll be required to have a permit for a can opener the size of a fucking garbage can because you might cut off your finger.

Let's face it, you need to be more competent to safely handle a Glock than you do a gun with an external safety or 10 lb double action pull.  That's why I personally try to steer my newb friends away from Glocks.  If you are a gun guy and know what you are doing, then it is a great weapon as long as it is in a proper holster.

Now for cops, I think they should all be required to carry them so that the dumb ones have these little accidents and weed themselves out before they can inflict their stupidity upon the general populace.  God forbid "Mistuh Pruhfeshunal" from the DEA actually point that thing at a citizen.

Quoted: Six years ago, after qualifying with his Glock .40 at the range, Felicity's chief sat down at his desk with the magazine and ammo in his car. "Now everybody says I had to touch the trigger, but I still remember picking if up like this so I could move it over here where we could get it in my desk," said Ray Hesler, Felicity Police Chief. "And that's the results. Right there, came out there, hit the wall, hit the ceiling up there." The shot blew off Hesler's middle finger. I wish I could see what the heck this guy was talking about.  I find it hard to believe that the pistol fired without the trigger being pulled.  In any event, I try not to sweep valuable body parts with the muzzle.

The pistol did not fire without the trigger being pulled. The trigger needs to be pulled to complete the cocking of the striker.

Keep your finger here


and not here and it will not go bang

Quoted: Quoted: If you are dumb enough to put the safety directly on a 5lb trigger then this is what you get.  The majority of these accidents involve the strap on a thumbreak holster catching inside the trigger gaurd while reholstering, most cops reholster without looking while keeping their eyes on the subject. A slide or frame mounted external safety like the tried and true 1911 design would cure glock leg. Edited to add: Glock is the debil and John Moses Browning said so. The "safety" on the Glock trigger is there to stop inertia of the trigger from firing the gun in case the Glock is dropped from a substantial height. It's obvious Glock's marketing team was very successful at getting people to drink the Glock "safety" Kool-aid as evidenced by the comment in the article about the Glock "safety" by the gun store dude (see below quote). People! The Glock trigger "safety" is basically the same as a firing pin block safety and nothing more (except for the trigger). It cannot be compared to a real safety switch that disables the gun from firing until the safety switch is activated into the fire position. "People look at this pistol and say there's not an external safety, actually there is," said Lovett. "It's right here on the trigger. You automatically disengage it when you pull the trigger. I can literally break this off before I can make this pistol go bang, unless something presses this. So, if I carry it in a holster that covers the trigger it's not gonna go bang."

I hear ya!  We need to petition our legislators to force all gun manufacturers to recall every firearm made without a frame mounted safety.  We can't have all of those dangerous revolvers without a "safety switch".  

Quoted: The "safety" on the Glock trigger is there to stop inertia of the trigger from firing the gun in case the Glock is dropped from a substantial height. It's obvious Glock's marketing team was very successful at getting people to drink the Glock "safety" Kool-aid as evidenced by the comment in the article about the Glock "safety" by the police officer. People! The Glock trigger "safety" is basically the same as a firing pin block safety and nothing more (except for the trigger). It cannot be compared to a real safety switch that disables the gun from firing until the safety switch is activated into the fire position.

Oh man, you have NO idea how the Glocks are set up, do you? Are they ugly? Oh yeah. Do they function when you pull the trigger? Hell yeah.

Keep your booger hook off the bang switch and the muzzle away from anything you'd like to keep attached to your body..

TRIGGER SYSTEM
The “Safe Action” system is a partly tensioned firing pin lock, which is moved further back by the trigger bar when the trigger is pulled.
When the trigger is pulled, 3 safety features are automatically deactivated one after another. When doing so, the trigger bar is deflected downward by the connector and the firing pin is released under full load. When the trigger is released, all three safety features re-engage and the GLOCK pistol is automatically secured again.


TRIGGER SAFETY
As the first of the three GLOCK “Safe Action” safety features, the trigger safety prevents inadvertent firing by lateral forces on the trigger. Releasing the trigger will automatically reactivate the safety.

FIRING PIN SAFETY
The GLOCK firing pin safety is a solid hardened steel pin which, in the secured state, blocks the firing pin channel, rendering the igniting of a chambered cartridge by the firing pin impossible. The firing pin safety is only pushed upward to release the firing pin for firing when the trigger is pulled and the safety is pushed up through the backward movement of the trigger bar. Releasing the trigger will automatically reactivate the firing pin safety.


DROP SAFETY
In the line of duty it may happen that a loaded pistol is dropped on the floor. Contrary to conventional pistols, the GLOCK drop safety prevents unintentional firing of a shot through hard impact. When the trigger is pulled, the trigger bar is guided in a precision safety ramp. The trigger bar is deflected from this ramp only in the moment the shot is triggered.

45-year police veteran Ray Hesler is not

Figures that an old-timer would hate Glocks... they all do.  He'd probably be happy if they went back to .38 revolvers.

Maybe if they would increase the amount of training and time spent with sidearm familiarity, these incidents would be reduced.

How about training the officers to properly handle their sidearm... instead of changing the sidearm to suit poorly trained officers???

Reholstering with a glock with a retention holster can be a dangerous activity.

I have heard of frame tension causing glocks to go bang but have no solid data to back it up.

The Glock is a fine firearm ugly as hell, not for beginners.   SIG's are better!

Quoted: 45-year police veteran Ray Hesler is not Figures that an old-timer would hate Glocks... they all do.

I'm 22 and I hate Glocks.

Quoted: Reholstering with a glock with a retention holster can be a dangerous activity. I have heard of frame tension causing glocks to go bang but have no solid data to back it up. The Glock is a fine firearm ugly as hell, not for beginners.   SIG's are better!

The frame tension would have to somehow move the transfer bar backward far enough to fully tension the striker and disengage both the trigger block and the firing pin block...I believe that frame tension would be called a "trigger pull", but don't quote me on that...

GT
I like my 1911, but I love my Glocks, and I recently picked up a Smith M&P but haven't had a chance to wring it out yet...same principles as the glock system, but a bit more rigid frame...

I heard that the XD doesn't have those problems.