Concealed Handgun Class

taltyman · 05-09-2008, 08:36 AM

Thank goodness my CHL class went better than this one.

Students Claim Police Chief Who Shot Himself During Class Waved Loaded Gun And Was Careless

RIVERDALE, Utah, May. 6, 2008

(AP) The police chief who shot himself in the ankle was waving a loaded pistol and being careless, according to two students who were attending his class to qualify for a concealed-weapons permit. "We were told the gun is the chief's personal sidearm, but it looked to me like he didn't know anything about the gun," Lewis Walker said.

Bart Ulm, another student seeking certification to carry a concealed weapon, said he was surprised Chief Dave Hansen was using a loaded gun to show how it worked.

"Right then, I was very leery, because there's no need to have live ammo in a gun in the class. But I figured he's the chief, so he must know what he's doing," Ulm told the Standard-Examiner of Ogden.

Hansen held the Glock 40 under a table to disassemble it when a bullet fired, Walker said.

The chief cried, "I'm hit," and fell over. Students who were screaming "Officer down!" were urged to call 911.

The gun went off in a conference room Saturday at Riverdale police headquarters.

Hansen was taken to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden for surgery and released Monday, Lt. James Ebert said.

Ebert said the findings of an internal investigation would be announced Wednesday. He declined to offer specifics but disputed the accounts of Ulm and Walker, describing the pair as "disgruntled."

Other students "did not share that feeling" about the chief, Ebert told The Associated Press.

Walker said he didn't have confidence in the investigation.

"I think Riverdale police are just trying to keep this quiet and act like the chief is a hero. But if you ask me, he's really stupid," Walker said. "His state certification to teach concealed-weapons classes should be taken away from him. This was totally gross negligence."

Ulm said there was a moment of levity during the emergency.

He said an officer at the scene joked that "instead of shooting himself, he should have used the Taser."

___

Information from: Standard-Examiner, http://www.standard.net

skorp62 · 05-09-2008, 08:43 AM

Sounds like the perfect demonstration of what happens if you handle the weapon carelessly! Those students have a lesson they'll never forget, and I agree that they guys certification should be pulled.

USMC_Sgt · 05-09-2008, 09:31 AM

Here's your sign...

What a moron!

Yeah really!! Can he demonstrate the proper use of a taser, on himself!!

Jasper007 · 05-09-2008, 10:01 AM

You guys/girls will like this one.

LOL, this one is priceless.

YouTube - DEA Agent Shoots Himself

He actually shot himself, and love the panic after the Rifle is brought out

**FJDave** · 05-09-2008, 10:42 AM

That's one thing I really do NOT like about the Glock. You MUST pull the trigger to get the gun apart. Another reason to love my H&K USP45.

skorp62 · 05-09-2008, 11:05 AM

I'm not so familiar with the Glock or HK's, but I know with my XD you do have to release the hammer to disassemble the slide, and if you carry "chambered and c o c k e d" as I do then you have to make sure to clear the chamber first. I don't have to pull the trigger just to disassemble though, only if hammer is already c o c k e d.

**FJDave** · 05-09-2008, 11:13 AM

One must ALWAYS check the chamber at least twice BEFORE working on any firearm. I just do not like having to drop the striker pin before being able to disassemble the gun. At least with the HK (with an external hammer) you can take it apart with the hammer forward, back, whatever. Remember, there is NO substitute for safety!

**Swingshiftworker** · 05-09-2008, 12:19 PM

I've got 3 Glocks (17, 26 & 30) and a HK USP (45ACP) and like them all. Glocks and HKs are both great guns, but I like the simplicity of the Glock better.

I'm a Glock armorer (or at least I took the class and have the certificate) and I also like fact that I can completely disassemble the any Glock in a couple of minutes (less if I'm being timed) with just one tool and then simply swap out or change whatever part is broken (very unlikely) or that I want to replace. Working on an HK and anyother gun would require much greater training and skill.

As for the Chief, they teach you in every basic handgun safety course to treat every gun like it's loaded -- especially if it's an automatic and the slide is closed and you can't see into the chamber. If you're familiar with Glocks, you CAN determine if there's a round in the chamber by running your finger over the extractor. If the extractor is NOT flush with the slide, it's loaded, but it's obviously always better to remove the mag and rack the slide back to eject a round (if one's in there) and lock the slide back so that you KNOW that it's unloaded, especially when you're teaching a CCW course.

Like someone already said, he was a moron!

[Note: someone needs to design a "shaking head in disgust" icon.]

taltyman · 05-09-2008, 12:23 PM

Thanks for that info FJDave. I'm still trying to determine which handgun to purchase and have been leaning towards the Glock but now maybe not. The local Academy Sports store here sells pretty much all their Glock models for about $500. Do you (or anyone else) have any recommendations for a semi-auto in that same price range?

**Aslan** · 05-09-2008, 12:27 PM

In the classes I've taken (CCW, Tactical Carbine, Etc.), Rule #1 is no loaded guns in the classroom. This is verified by the instructors each time you enter the room.

Likewise, no ammo allowed in the dry-fire bays. (where you handle weapons but do not actually shoot them.) Again, you have to prove you have no ammo with you or in the weapon each time you enter this area.

The only place the weapon and ammo are allowed to come together is on the range itself, and then only under controlled, safe conditions.

If your range / school doesn't operate in this manner, I'd either look for another place or strongly suggest they adopt this kind of policies and procedures.