Thinking back on the incidents I've looked at, it's not that uncommon for the articles to fail to provide enough information to determine the gun type. But let's take it as a true statement without trying to verify it. Given the extreme popularity of striker-fired pistols, especially within law-enforcement, it would be pretty amazing if they weren't the most common handguns involved in unintentional discharge incidents. I think it's safe to say that when DA revolvers were what nearly all cops carried, most unintentional discharge incidents involved DA revolvers.
I have talked to Vietnam era Soldiers, and can remember two LEO's whose careers extended to the 1970's. They told me of LEO negligent discharges with 1911's, not revolvers, but I am sure they occurred with fools playing quick draw games, with loaded revolvers. One Vietnam Company Officer told me of two junior Lieutenants playing quick draw with their 1911's, and one had a round in the chamber! OPPS!
Based on the recollection of one LEO, after the Department had three negligent 1911 LEO discharges, the Chief banned them for carry. The first was an LEO enthusiast showing off his new 1911, cocked and locked off course, at the Department. Somehow, it went bang!. The second happened due to a surprise weapon inspection. The LEO carrying a 1911 ran to the bathroom to inspect his cocked and locked 1911, before presenting for weapon inspection, and BANG! The third incident happened to a LEO watching TV. He picked up his 1911, aimed at his big toe, pulled the trigger, and BANG! No big toe!!
I talked to a retired Chief, and I remember one story of a LEO in the Department that had an negligent discharge into a huge booking volume with a 1911. They took that guy's 1911 away and gave him a revolver.
The overall impression I have, is that negligent discharge rates increased with 1911's, over revolvers. And it got worse with striker fired pistols. LEO agencies don't publish negligent discharge incidents, so all we have are newspaper accounts and personnel recollections. I am going to claim, the easier it is to fire the mechanism, the greater the frequency of negligent discharges.
I talked to a Vietnam helicopter pilot, and the in cantonment, 1911 carry mode was nothing in chamber, magazine in the gun. This man told me a 1000 page book could be written about all the negligent discharges that occurred in the military. He told me of three that occurred with 1911's while he was in Vietnam. One involved a Warrant Officer sitting on a toliet. He cocked his 1911, aimed at his big toe, and shot off his big toe!
Big toes are in constant danger. A LEO bud of mine told me that his pricint had original, military M1897 shotguns. A LEO had possession of one Trench Gun, was in the elevator, and he had the M1897 muzzle on the big toe of his shoe. This LEO cocked the hammer, and had the compulsion to pull the trigger. Luckily he thought about maybe not pulling the trigger while the muzzle was on the shoe, and so, he moved the muzzle to the floor next to his foot, and then pulled the trigger! When the door opened, all the concerned assembled saw a very embarrassed LEO and a big hole in the elevator floor.
The original carry mode of the Army 1911 was round in chamber, hammer down. While John Browning designed the pistol to be carried on the half cock, the Army must not have trusted half cock carry. However, negligent discharges occurred when the hammer was lowered. The first I found was reported at the 1917 Camp Perry National matches. A civilian competitor lost control of his hammer, in his tent, and 200 yards away a Major was hit and had to be taken to hospital. I am sure lots more negligent discharges happened, because for a time, according to Major Hatcher, the carry mode changed to safety on, pistol in flap holster.
The Navy never trusted anyone with a round in the chamber, and in the Blue Jacket Manual, from 1918 to 1944, the 1911 is carried nothing in chamber, magazine in gun. Assuming the Navy gave the sailor a magazine or ammunition. Ships are enclosed structures with lots of things and people that can be hurt when a bullet starts rattling around.
I asked a Kimber representative why the Army carry mode went from round in chamber, to no round in chamber. He claimed it was due to the 1200 Jeeps that received holes in the transom from WW2 to the 1970's. Hopefully everyone knows a series 70 1911 is not drop safe. Dropped on a hard surface, with enough height, on the muzzle, the pistol will discharge through firing pin inertia. The Kimber representative stated that Officers would take off their hot, bulky, pistol belt and place it on the floor. Either next to the Jeep transom, or near the seat. And then, during Mr Toad's wild ride, the pistol in the holster would whang off the transom with enough force to cause a discharge. Having examined an original WW2 era Jeep, there are protuberances on the transom for holster to hit. And you just have to talk to Veterans to find they drove like maniacs when they could. I recall one episode of Soldiers road racing with their Patriot missile launcher down a German mountain. They went around a curve too fast, lost control, and a missile in its canister went ttobogganing down the slope. The warhead on a Patriot missile will cause one big badda boom, because aircraft are big, and the warhead is a fragmentation warhead, so you can imagine the EOD guy had a lot of pucker factor when disarming and retrieving the missile. It is possible the safe and arming device could have been activated due to the tumble down the hill. Activated as in the arming device being on!
At one time in Iraq, Afghanistan, the number of American fatalities due to negligent discharges was higher than combat causalities.
It is unreasonable to assume that civilians are some how safer, more responsible, less likely to act stupid, than LEO and military. A primary difference is, when a Soldier/Sailor/Marine or LEO shoots himself or another, the Unit Commander's career is at risk, and the agency has financial liability. When a civilian shoots himself, who is he going to sue? When a person who can't make truck payments negligently shoots someone, how much money can the victim collect? Blood from a turnip, so to say.
