Accidents do happen, to everyone. And everyone should be held equally accountable for them no matter what their profession or social status.
The sheriff needs to be written by any and all concerned. Two points need to be made. First this was not an AD unless they can demonstrably prove the gun has a mechanical defect, it is a negligent discharge and needs to be called that. Secondly the point must be made very clear that if they do nothing to this officer legally then if a civilian CCW has a ND along the same lines they MUST and I emphasize that word, be treated the same. No criminal charges, no arrest, no vilifying. The sheriff and the media both need to know that LEO do not need nor deserve special privileges, especially when the subject is conduct that occurred off duty. Letters to the editor at the Coloradoan in Ft. Collins and also The Herald in nearby Loveland should also make this point. No special treatment for LEO. If he gets no punishment than civilians get no punishment. The double standard cannot be allowed to flourish for it tends to grow and mutate into abuse.
Fortunately no injuries occurred but if the barrel of that weapon had been aimed in a different direction by even a few degrees the outcome could have been much worse. No unintended discharge, no matter the cause, is to be taken lightly. The consequences can, at times, be fatal.
FWIW my mother many years back was a dispatcher in this jurisdiction. In my younger years going to high school in that area I knew some of the members of that department. They were all regular guys who never put on airs and treated everyone politely and fairly. I can only hope the current staff of that department can live up to the standards of their predecessors.