[Thomas]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/05/01/dea.shooting.ap/index.html

I found this to be an interesting read. I still can not figure out exactly how it happened. The only thing I can figure is the article most have left out some information. What do you guy and gals think?

 

[Guest]

He may have been "teaching" gun safety as a 1 time exercise but was not an instructor. How does this happen?, when people assume that just because a person carries a firearm as part of his uniform they are experts with it and even worse equipped to instruct in safety.
Sincerely,
W. Clark Aposhian
Chair US-DIN
Utah Self Defense Instructors' Network

 

[UtahRSO]

Could be he was trying to show that just dropping the magazine doesn't make the gun unoperable. The article does NOT say that the audience member pronounced the gun to be unloaded, does it?

But what happened from there? Finger on trigger? Sear problem allowing the hammer to fall? We just don't have enough information to make a judgment.

I bought a handgun last month (which shall remain nameless for now), and when I got home I racked the slide. To my horror, the hammer fell instead of remaining cocked. The problem was a very bad sear, so I know that kind of thing can happen. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had been actually chambering a live cartridge. I might have had a magazine full of AD's. Of course I took the gun back the next morning and got one that worked properly.

 

[Guest]

He should NEVER have had a live round in the magazine or chamber of a firearm he was using as a demonstration piece in a classroom setting.

You use Blue Guns and Blue Magazines or at the most a real mag with snap caps ONLY!

 

[UtahRSO]

He surely wasn't demostrating correctly, was he.

 

[caldweller]

Here is the video of the officer shooting himself. It is obvious he was looking and commenting that there wasn't a cartridge in the barrel, but the magazine was charged and in the gun. When he closes the slide it racks a cartridge into the chamber.

Very Interesting!

 

[aashooter]

The link was down so I did not see the video. If it is the one I think, its the DEA agent showing the kids gun safety? If that is the right video, the teacher "unloads" the gun and has his partner check it before he shoots himself. Two idiots running the show.

Besides, no live ammunition in the classroom ever. It is a pretty hard rule for a lot of firearms schools if you are working with firearms or have firearms handling excercises. It is a hard core rule for NRA classes.

 

[GeneticsDave]

Here's the video I found on YouTube.

 

[aashooter]

I was impressed the guy was going to suck it up and just keep going. And, it does make you feel that Karma was involved after hearing his statement about who was qualified to handle the Glock forty.

By the way, I think he is suing the department over this incident and will probably profit from the effort.

 

[Paul]

I was impressed the guy was going to suck it up and just keep going. And, it does make you feel that Karma was involved after hearing his statement about who was qualified to handle the Glock forty.

By the way, I think he is suing the department over this incident and will probably profit from the effort.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0411061foot1.html

 

[GeneticsDave]

According to the lawsuit, Paige was making a "drug education presentation" in April 2004 to a Florida youth group when his firearm (a Glock .40) accidentally discharged. The shooting occurred moments after Paige told the children that he was the only person in the room professional enough to carry the weapon. The accident was filmed by an audience member, and the tape, Paige claims, was turned over to the DEA.

Why do they keep saying "accident"??? While technically, according to dictionaries, it was an accident, I think it had more to do with negligence. This guy is a moron. Accident implies that it was nobody's fault, negligence places the fault where it should be placed. Guns don't accidentally discharge, someone negligently pulls the trigger because they are dumb and didn't follow safety measures. This man should have had his badge taken away - had he pointed the gun anywhere other than his foot, he could have killed a child or teacher.

Now he wants an entitlement check! Buddy, you should have lost your job a long time ago. Granted, the agency shouldn't have released the tape (if they did), but you should be flipping burgers at the local fast food joint after this, not staying in the agency. Shame on the DEA for both counts.

 

[mchlwise]

I actually think he's got a case.

He's not suing for personal injury, or any injury for that matter. That would be ridiculous.

Apparently, the incident was being videotaped by an audience member, and the DEA took (as in confiscated probably) the video from them. At some point, the video was released by the DEA, either intentionally (to humiliate him) or negligently.

Either way, I could certainly see a good case for libel/slander on his part because of the release of the video. His reputation has certainly damaged by it. :nilly:

 

[Paul]

Either way, I could certainly see a good case for libel/slander on his part because of the release of the video. His reputation has certainly damaged by it. :nilly:

Not a chance! Libel and slander both involve FALSE, UNTRUE misrepresentations! By releasing the tape they did not SLANDER him in anyway. LIBEL maybe, but it would be a huge stretch and no jury is going to find anyone guilty of anything except for Mr. Paige being a complete and absolute moron....

 

[GeneticsDave]

I agree that the video should never have been released - on that he has a point. If the DEA had fired him after this incident, he would not be able to claim financial losses. He could only file libel/slander. We don't need agents that are this cocky and this negligent in any agency.

 

[the wall]

What an idiot! He violated many basic safety rules. It almost looked like he was trying to show off for the kids and impress them with how much he knew and it severely backfired on him. Lucky for him it was pointed at his foot and not at someone else.

 

[fnfnc64]

This video has been around for a while. Its the perfect example of how arogance can come back around and bite you in the........Given the outcome its quite funny (yeah, I'm warped), but it could have turned out to be very bad. When you do something like that to yourself its never good. When some one else gets hurt, then you get to live with it the rest of your life and that sucks bigtime.
I had a rossi coach gun in twelve gauge pointed up in the air (a good thing) with the stock resting on my hip, and managed to fire it accidently. It left a nice bruise on my hip, and a much larger one on my ego. Honda has done a series of commercials that simply state "stupid hurts". They are dead on. I'm guessing the genius in the video would agree :ack:

 

[Annie]

This incident happened nearly two years ago, I read about it on another site. Too bad the guy only shot himself in the foot. Idiots like that should not be able to reproduce.

 

[aashooter]

I have a problem with the video being confiscated in the first place. This was not a secret police action this was a public forum where a DEA agent did a stupid/embarassing action.

The damage was done when he shot himself. Confiscating the tape was only a way to hide evidence.

Besides, if this is your top undercover DEA agent, what are doing having him do motivational public appearances. Seems like it might make being and staying undercover in the future more difficult.

 

[aashooter]

According to the lawsuit, Paige was making a "drug education presentation" in April 2004 to a Florida youth group when his firearm (a Glock .40) accidentally discharged. The shooting occurred moments after Paige told the children that he was the only person in the room professional enough to carry the weapon. The accident was filmed by an audience member, and the tape, Paige claims, was turned over to the DEA.

Why do they keep saying "accident"??? While technically, according to dictionaries, it was an accident, I think it had more to do with negligence. This guy is a moron. Accident implies that it was nobody's fault, negligence places the fault where it should be placed. Guns don't accidentally discharge, someone negligently pulls the trigger because they are dumb and didn't follow safety measures. This man should have had his badge taken away - had he pointed the gun anywhere other than his foot, he could have killed a child or teacher.

Now he wants an entitlement check! Buddy, you should have lost your job a long time ago. Granted, the agency shouldn't have released the tape (if they did), but you should be flipping burgers at the local fast food joint after this, not staying in the agency. Shame on the DEA for both counts.

Most accidents involve negligence . . . just ask a personal injury lawyer. We seem to have an awful lot of car "accidents" as well.