gun range man shoots himself
Courtesy LiveLeak

This range security video, from LiveLeak, originated from the central Israel city of Ramla. But it might as well have been from any shooting range here in the US of A.

It looks like some kind of basic training or qualifying course was being held here. Note the range safety officer or instructor walking behind the shooters on the firing line. The shooter to keep your eye on is the second man, the one wearing the teal shirt in the upper right corner of the frame on the firing line.

You can plainly see him unholster his handgun, insert a magazine, then rack the slide making it ready. That’s when he made the mistake.

Watch the video a couple of times. Once his handgun is loaded and hot, he appears to then reach back with both hands and try to hike up his sagging pants.

The shooter had been carrying his handgun in a holster on his hip. It happens to all of us…the combination of gravity and the weight of the handgun in its rig inevitably causes your jeans to droop. Who hasn’t had occasion to pull them up periodically through the day while packing?

The problem is the shooter here tried to pull up his pants while holding his loaded handgun with his finger on the trigger. The action of grasping his britches using a hand in which he was also holding a loaded pistol resulted in a squeeze of the trigger, sending a round into his calf.

If his pants were a real problem, he could have holstered the gun, pulled them up, then taken the gun out again. But he didn’t.

The Four Rules of Gun Safety

This man’s misfortune is an object lesson in the hazards of complacency while handling a firearm. It’s all too easy to lose focus and violate one or more basic safety rules.

You have to break at least two of the four rules of firearm safety for something bad to happen. Mr. Tealshirt violated numbers two and three. Not only did he muzzle his own leg, he did it with his finger on the trigger.

Let’s be careful out there.

 

h/t Christophe C.

This post was originally published in 2019.

 

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86 COMMENTS

    • I noticed that all my pants have some loops on them going all the way around the waistline…I think they’re designed to have something go through them, perhaps to help the pants stay up without the need to tug them while you’re holding a gun.

      That’s my guess, anyway.

      • Yeah, we have those loops, too. We don’t use them because we have hips (wider than our waist) to hold the pants up. Yeah, those hips that are great for holding grocery bags and little kids. Someday I may have to buy a belt, just to hold a holster…darn.

      • My pants have those loops, too, but I also have a Bigfoot Gun Belt with a steel reinforced core. Pants don’t sag, even with a loaded gun in the AlienGear IWB holster and a Taurus PT111 Millennium G2 9mm.

      • I use a riggers belt daily, my shit still falls down after a while. I try to not pull everything back up with a weapon in my hands, especially a pistol off safe.

  3. He’s lucky, it could have been a lot worse.

    After they roll his jeans up to look at the wound, it appears he wasn’t bleeding out much…

  4. Seems like a lot of people, including ROs, were paralyzed with indecision…. not sure I would want to go hunting or do anything serious with any of them but the man rendering aid and even he was slow to react.

    • Looks to me like the instructor/RO was the one who rendered aid. It didn’t seem like a long time to me. It didn’t look like the range was cold, so gunshots would be normal. The idiot hopping around was unusual, but it would take a little while to interview him. I didn’t see what happened to the gun. Did he drop it, or was it his partner during the wild dance? Regardless, the RO was giving orders once the guy was on the ground, so he’d have a TQ applied well with the 45 seconds or so that even a femoral would dictate.

      • Watched again. The gun got tossed down range as part of the dance, and it looks like the idiot rammed into the shooter to his right and crossed the firing line. Good way to catch another bullet.

        • Their are only 2 people able to shoot at a time on the shooting line, the others were loading their magazines. They wouldn’t have people shooting from behind other shooters.

  6. When people like to talk about “Israeli Carry” in the context of commandos I laugh. THIS is the reason for it- people who are so ill-trained and inept that they can’t keep their finger off the bang-switch. Well, that and unsafe guns (i.e. not at all drop-safe).

    • Yeah, my understanding is that “Israeli carry” originated when Israel was brand new, and, not having a ton of money, bought whatever guns they could get, which were an eclectic mix that included some… less than safe firearms. Hence the whole empty chamber thing. Though your contempt for the concept is misplaced. While neither is advisable, I’ve literally never heard someone talking about Israeli carry who wasn’t referring to either carrying without a holster or someone new to carrying who, even with a holster, wasn’t 100% comfortable carrying a live weapon

      • The two decades immediately before the creation of Israel saw the immigration of many men from Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and Russia. The techniques of shooting and hand-to-hand combat developed in Shanghai by William Fairbairn and Sykes, later to be taught widely to UK and US commandos, were apparently admired by those of the Irgun in Europe and especially Shanghai, and passed on to Irgun within the British Mandate. ( Wikipedia notes “In addition to the Irgun’s members in Palestine, underground Irgun cells composed of local Jews were established in Europe following World War II. An Irgun cell was also established in Shanghai, home to many European-Jewish refugees.”)

        Fairbairn taught what later came to be known in Israel as “Israeli Carry” to the large Shanghai Municipal Police Force in the mid-1930’s, together with methods of aggressive hand-to-hand defense that included elements of diverse schools. Fairbairn developed this into a more lethal form he taught to commandos beginning in 1940. A tamer version was published as “Defendu” in 1942. Krav Maga development was closely tied to knowledge of Applegate, Fairbairn, Sykes, and others’ systems.

        It seems fair to say that empty-chamber carry and the rack-during-draw technique, is very suitable for forces made up of people who lack the money or time to practice “shooting from holstered” frequently. I suppose people who find even a manual safety too risky an impediment to reliable fast defensive shooting (PD’s carrying Glocks, etc.) …will likely have no use for “Israeli Carry.”

  7. Wha…? Why would you…? How the heck…? I mean, I was at the range last weekend and my pants were being pushed down by my gear belt. My first instinct was not to hold my loaded firearm while trying to adjust my clothing. With my finger on the trigger.

    My mom hates shooting with me because I constantly bark at her. FINGER! ARE YOUR SIGHTS ON TARGET? NO? TAKE YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER! However, we were both taught to shoot by my WWII Navy vet grandfather. I’m not sure why the rules never took with my mom. Probably why my grandfather only liked to shoot with me.

  9. Oh those silly Israelis!
    Having lived in Israel for a while I can tell you there is a bizarre dual casual/intense attitude towards guns.
    Damn near everyone has been trained on them, but they leave them lying around and stuff.
    Kinda like they know no one is dumb enough to hurt themselves. They are in away treated like a tablesaw or a nailgun for lack of a better term. Tools that if not handled properly will kill you or maim you.
    Conversely, if you are not actively serving getting a hand gen let alone a rifle is very difficult. Often determined by a calculation of where in israel you live/work, how necessary it is to your daily security and stuff like that. and they ration ammo too.

  10. I would argue that he broke all 4. Despite loading, he didn’t handle as if it were loaded, and unless he meant to shoot himself in the leg, he wasn’t exactly sure of his target.

    Sadly, that probably isn’t the worst range “accident” video I’ve ever seen.

    • I wouldn’t say he broke #4. At the range he knew his target and what was beyond it, he just wasn’t pointed at it.

    • Bullshit. A RO cant possibly be within 3 feet of every shooter to make sure they don’t DO anything Stupid. The RO would literally have had to have grabbed his arm to stop him. That’s dangerous to both of them. Are RO expected to remind everyone to not pull thier pants up
      ” ATTENTION. ATTENTION On the firing line. Do not hitch up yalls drawz.” The guy is an IDIOT.

  12. “Who hasn’t had occasion to pull them up periodically through the day while packing?”

    Me, that’s who…
    1) I wear pants that fit,
    2) I use a quality belt,
    3) I use a quality holster…

    IF you have to “hike up your pants” while carrying, it’s really not CC, nevermind “printing”, now you’re announcing…rookie mistake…

    • Puh-lease. I adjust stuff all the time.

      Doesnt mean you’re flashing everyone.

      Now if you pull up your shirt and grab your pistol to move it into position……you’re probably gonna get some attention.

      • Dude… you are lucky enough to have an ass… I have none so no. After how tight my belt and pants are in adjusting even when I’m not carrying. Means wearing scrubs suck bad.

        Having said that, finger off trigger until ready to shoot… always.

        • I’m with ya. Never had much of an ass. Now less…or seems so since my belly has broken out.

          I have to adjust stuff when I’m pocket carrying. Carrying IWB means I have to adjust less as there is more in the waistband.

          But I still have to adjust getting in and out of different vehicles, climbing ladders, hooking up equipment, etc.

          If I just walked around all day, I’d be golden

    • Whenever I am carrying, always concealed, my heavy belt is notched up tight enough so there isn’t a chance of my pants ever sagging. Never had to hike them up ever.

    • This IDIOT wasn’t carrying concealed. HE WAS ON THE FIRING LINE AT AN INDOOR RANGE! No excuses. He’s a dangerous IDIOT.

  13. Mistakes, brain farts can happen. Which is why I stuff nothing in the front of my pants that nature did not equip me with.

    When I was a youth I touched off a .25 acp without meaning to. The bullet missed my big toe by inches. Lesson learned. That was 50 years ago and I haven’t had an AD since. But shit can happen. That bastard Murphy is all to real.

    • The only ND I had was when I was a teenager. After a day of squirrel hunting with my dad’s Marlin 60 I was in the living room cleaning up for the day. I emptied the ammo outta the tube and released the action. Thought I counted all the ammo going in and out. Gun in air while pulling trigger as I didn’t want to store it ready to fire without anything in the chamber. Bang. .22 size hole in living room ceiling. Mom asked what it was, told her it was a blank. She never came in to check on me. Hid the hole with a small piece of paper and tape. Parents never found out. Been a lot more careful ever since, learned my lesson.

  14. Get a set of gloves on before you stop the bleeding. It safety rule 1. Avery adult is loaded with something you don’t want.

  15. Good thing it wasn’t the FRONT of his pants he was hiking up. Otherwise, he might’ve gone off half-cocked!

  16. what happened to Israeli carry? Hmmm. I guess he didn’t get the memo. What an idiot. Mistakes happen but mistakes around firearms can be deadly. Shoulda put the gun down first or upped his pants before racking the slide…and kept finger off trigger the entire time. Coulda been worse.

  17. This is one reason why before I made the very serious decision I wanted to legally carry (still waiting on my permission slip) I researched quality belts and holsters. Not cheap, but I got a nice 1.75 Hanks belt and TTGunleather Slim XC holster.

  18. Ya can’t fix stupid but sometimes a profound lesson can enlighten one. All those posting about yanking on your pants because of weapons weight might I suggest two alternative methods of carry. The first, my, favorite is a belly band on top of a back brace, brace or not it really worth a ten dollar shot, second is a shoulder rig, more expensive, and harder to get under a tee shirt, but works. I use both at various times with a 1911 and two mags of .45 acp. Btw I still got to pull up me drawers to avoid barrassment. But I does it empty handed.

  19. As I understand it, Israel has fairly strict gun control, especially for handguns. So this moron was probably one of a group that American leftists feel should be the only ones to have guns. Yet more proof that there are idiots everywhere

    • You’re an idiot if you think tax dollars should go to Israel. My family is Palestinian Christians that had their homes stolen by Jews. Now we live in Florida.

      We live in FL!!! Where is Justice?

      • Too low energy to read the post you replied to? Who is talking about our tax money supporting Israel?

        • No kidding. Hey low energy Jeb, what are you talking about? No mention of tax dollars anywhere in that comment.

  21. You know, I need more range time, but when I see these monkeyshines, I’m damn glad I dont shoot with the likes of them
    And there are way too many of these types today.

    • It could be one of those concealed carriers that goes to the range once a year? Maybe he developed bad practices habits dry firing at home? Maybe both and just lost weight recently? Who knows?
      When I go to the range, I take the day off and go when its least crowded, like Tueaday right when the range opens.

  23. “He needs a belt, he needs suspenders, blah, blah, blah”, Stop making excuses.
    He is an IDIOT. He spent a lifetime working at being stupid. He’s a danger to himself (see video) and others. He should have a lifetime ban at all gun ranges. So let it be written, so let it be done.
    Next case.

    • He should have a lifetime ban at all gun ranges.

      Yeah I don’t think so.

      Moreover he will likely be super careful with his firearm going forward. He just learned it the hard way that’s all.

  24. Cool breeze,
    I beg to differ. All of us have done something really dumb and/or stupid, for most of us no one was hurt.
    I’m an old guy, don’t go to many bars in a year, avoid crowds and am polite. Chance of me getting in a gunfight is less than being hit by lightening.
    I CC with no bullet in the chamber. If I can’t run (I run slow) I’ll rack it and go at it.
    Don’t flame me, this will work for me, if it doesn’t, I’ll let you know.

    • Not flaming you but you may never get the chance to tell us if CC with an empty chamber didn’t work for you. Here is a link to a store owner who was killed by a robber because he carried with an empty chamber. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xncxROU8zEU Things can turn to shit real quick and you may not have both hands free (BTDT). If you don’t feel comfortable carrying a semi-auto with a loaded chamber you either need to fork out the big bucks to get some serious training from a place like Gunsite where you will get the training to be comfortable or switch to a double-action revolver.

      • Not flaming you but you may never get the chance to tell us if CC with an empty chamber didn’t work for you.

        I would say he is well aware of that and already accepts the risk. He obviously feels it is more risky for him to carry with one in the chamber than the risk of needing one in the chamber prior to a DGU.

      • If you don’t feel comfortable carrying a semi-auto with a loaded chamber you either need…

        Or… you need to accept that he has already weighed the risks in either case and has chosen what he thinks is best.

  25. I’ve worked with former IDF soldiers before. They know nothing about guns. They basically have a 3rd world army with billions in US aid.

  27. This did seem to be quite an egregious lapse in situational awareness on the part of the shooter…but among those who carry for a living throughout their careers there are basically two types of people: Those who have had an AD and those who will have one…

  29. Finger on the trigger. Not pointed in a safe direction.

    Lacks muscle memory. Not practiced in safe handling.

  33. An experiment:

    Hypothesis:
    Attempt to re-create stated outcome with only the basic information provided.

    Methodology:
    I carefully unloaded a G19…double checked it was UNLOADED and then holstered it on my right hip. Loosening my belt so that my pants did the saggy baggy thing, I then drew my unloaded, cocked, G19. Keeping my finger on the trigger (wow, did that feel wrong) I then tried to hoist my pants in the same way that the Israeli did.

    Results:
    Wouldn’t ya just know it…somewhere in the convolutions I heard the striker go “click”.

    Conclusion:
    It’s a really bad idea to adjust your clothing while holding a cocked, loaded, ready to go firearm with your finger on the trigger.

    *DISCLAIMER: Kids, do NOT try this experiment at home. Please observe all the established Rules for Firearm Safety while handling or carrying any firearm.

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