Rookie SF police officer shoots himself to death while fooling with "unloaded" gun!

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gunsmith

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Rookie cop who killed himself removed clip, left bullet in chamber
Jaxon Van Derbeken,John Coté, Chronicle Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 15, 2007Bottom of Form 1

The San Francisco rookie police officer who accidentally shot himself to death fired his weapon while displaying for a female friend how officers are taught to avoid having their guns used against them, law enforcement authorities said Tuesday.

The incident happened at 1:40 a.m. Saturday during a gathering of as many as 15 people at the San Mateo apartment of the 23-year-old officer, James Gustafson Jr.

According to those familiar with the incident, Gustafson was showing his Police Department-issued semiautomatic pistol after removing the clip that stores the rounds. He explained that there are ways an officer can disable a weapon in close proximity to keep it from being fired.

It apparently was part of a demonstration of the department's "weapons retention" procedures. However, there was still a bullet in the chamber.

Gustafson pointed the weapon at his neck and pulled the trigger, shooting himself, according to authorities.
San Francisco Police Department policy is never to point a gun at a target that an officer does not intend to shoot, authorities said.

San Mateo police Capt. Kevin Raffaelli, whose agency is leading the investigation of the incident, declined to comment Tuesday other than to say that police do not believe other officers were present at the time of the shooting.

Some of those at the party apparently were drinking, authorities said. Toxicology results from Gustafson's autopsy will not be available for several weeks.

Gustafson graduated from the San Francisco Police Academy in January and had just finished a six-month stint in the Mission District under a field training officer. He had recently been assigned to the department's Central Station.
 
THIS IS WHY GUNS AND ALCOHOL DO NOT MIX. I am 100% sure he would not have done his stupid "weapon retention" trick that involves pointing his own gun at his own neck and pulling the trigger had he been sober.

His friends would likely not have allowed him to do it had they been sober, too.

Very sad and RIP.
 
Ouch.

Unloaded guns, (female) distractions, and (possibly) drinking are a good combo for an accidental shooting.
 
It's sad....but you know, that's the reason for the four rules, and maybe the fifty others that Remington prints in their manuals. Violation of two major gun rules and numerous common sense ones. Odds of being shot at that point...1 in 15 maybe? He obviously skipped the "never point at anything you don't wish to destory" and blew past "keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot". Then there is the possibility he was drinking and handling firearms, rarely a good common sense move. I think there's also the uncontrolled environment (i.e. party with lots of people). And finally, there's the fact he failed to realize the best way to avoid getting shot is to avoid being in the line of fire.

The guy was young, and I feel for his family. The only thing we can gain from this is a reminder that the four (+50?) rules are there because they reduce the damage from negligence and accidents. We need to practice them until they are entirely natural and we notice immediately if we violate one.
 
semiautomatic pistol after removing the clip

I am surprised this didn’t say "automatic machine pistol after removing the high capacity clip"

I wonder how long before Feinstein introduces legislation banning cops from carrying guns (for their own safety).

Politics aside, very sad story.
 
Not Being Flip..

But what retention technique requires you to point it at your neck and fire the gun? I think he was just showing off and missed 5 of the 4 rules.....
 
i like the term "accident" when applied to situations like this one. It was not an "accident." It was a negligent discharge that, unfortunately, took his life. Sad.
 
Did it say he had kids?

Does it really matter? Sucks for him, but if you're gonna point a gun at your own neck, maybe you might wanna think your plan all the way through.

For the Darwin concept, it does matter. If he has already passed on his genes, then his removal from the gene pool won't be removing his genes from the pool because they are already passed on to another generation. If the genes are already passed on, then it is too late to stop his gene line.
 
Very Sad...

Tragic, but very preventable. I feel bad for the officer’s family, friends, and the community the lost a policeman.

I just hope that this is a reminder to all of us…. RULE #1… All fire arms are always loaded.
 
For the Darwin concept, it does matter. If he has already passed on his genes, then his removal from the gene pool won't be removing his genes from the pool because they are already passed on to another generation. If the genes are already passed on, then it is too late to stop his gene line.

Not arguing the Darwin concept. I'm saying it doesn't matter either way because he is still dead.
 
Of course I feel bad for the victim and his family.... but come ON man, having a gun is part of the job and he can't display more common sense than 99.9999% of civilian gun owners?

First I don't handle my firearms when I've been drinking, more importantly, I could be falling-down, world-spinning drunk, and still know the mantra "mag out, action OPEN" before demonstrating anything.

Sigh.
 
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