Shooting from the Hip

Every time we mention the words “gun” “holsters” and “fail,” the name Lee Paige instantaneously comes to mind.

Is that so wrong?

What’s worse is that this month’s two holster FAILS appear to be pretty similar to the ones we posted last November.

The first one involved a Salt Lake City off-duty police officer. He was getting ready for work when his weapon discharged as he tried to put it in its holster, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. The 14-year veteran suffered minor injuries when the bullet entered his hip.

The next one is borderline ridiculous: A Wyoming woman is outside shoveling snow with a revolver in a shoulder holster. The gun slips out of the holster. The woman is then shot in the ankle. But why pack heat while shoveling a driveway?

The woman told police she armed herself because she “was concerned about crime in her neighborhood.” Sounds like a good enough reason to us. Perhaps she just needs a more secure shoulder holster?

Whatever the case might be, both are great reminders to be careful out there!

(Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Appropriate response to a snowball fight?

If you’re thinking about busting out a concealed gun during a Twitter-organized event and not have the world talking about it moments later, think again. That is, unless you’re going to a NRA Tweetup.

At a Saturday snowball fight in Washington D.C., a handful of adults met via Twitter for some midday fun. They pelt an undercover cop’s Hummer with a few powdery white spheres … and bam! He whips out a concealed weapon right out of the holster.

The high-tech crowd immediately snapped photos, shot videos and tweeted all about the subsequent seconds. And because of the excellent footage and social media connection, the story was picked up by The Washington Post, Mashable and many other news outlets.

“This dude has a gun in his hand, he’s driving a Hummer, and people are throwing snowballs at him,” one stunned bystander reports in a video that was picked up by the Associated Press. “That does not seem like a good idea in any way, dude. They are still doing it … we’re about to get shot.”

The cop’s actions have now been publicly criticized by the D.C. police chief, and he has been placed on desk duty until further notice.

(Image via CityPaper)

Lee Paige, FAIL Expert

After writing about Lee Paige and his ultimate gun holster FAIL, we were surprised to see such a spike in holster-related accidents in the news this week.

The first one comes from Geneva, N.Y., where a man accidentally shot himself in the leg when he was adjusting his shoulder holster. According to the 13-WHAM TV in Rochester, the 66-year-old man was at home when the shooting happened, drove himself to a fire department, pulled the fire alarm there and waited for help.

Talk about showing bravery and clarity at a critical time! Needless to say, the man survived the accident.

The next story comes out of Sydney and follows Lee Paige’s footsteps even more so. ABC News reports that a police officer accidentally shot himself while trying to holster his gun. He was in the process of arresting a man suspected for a store break-in. Despite the injury, the 31-year-old officer is in good condition, according to reports.

And even though this story has nothing to do with gun holsters, it’s still worth mentioning for its jaw-dropping ridiculousness. Apparently a man in Appleton, Wis., was attempting a drive-by shooting but failed miserably when he forgot to roll down his window. That’s right: He shot into his car window, shattering it.

Maybe next time he’ll put a post-it on the window as a reminder. Or maybe he’s learned his lesson and won’t go around driving and shooting at things?

While visiting your favorite haunted house this season, what’s the best way to make yourself look über-cool when a terrifying monster is coming at you with a fake (but equally terrifying) chainsaw?

The answer is definitely not what Sgt. Eric Michael Janik, 37, of Baltimore did.

A man who helps run “The House of Screams” said that the officer, who apparently also had alcohol on his breath, pulled a loaded .40 caliber Glock out of its holster and pointed it at him.

“He pulled a gun out on me and aimed it at my chest,” Michael Brian, the haunted house worker, told WJZ Channel 13. “It was about three feet away from me.”

According to the Associated Press, Mr. Janik has since been charged with assault and reckless endangerment. He has also been suspended from the Baltimore city police.

Now Mr. Janik’s unbelievably poor judgment is bringing on comparisons of that other infamous gun fail.

“So we’re to assume a fellow officer knew he was armed and had been drinking, yet did nothing about it,” asks David Codrea for Examiner.com. “And we’re to further assume that not collecting actual evidence of intoxication by investigating officers is standard department procedure?”

Perhaps there is something scarier than bogus chainsaw-wielding monsters.

This oldie-but-goody video of a DEA agent shooting himself in the foot while lecturing about gun safety is a painful reminder of the importance of a good, secure gun holster.

In the video, you will see that he accidentally pulls the trigger while trying to put his gun back in its holster. From the video: “I’m the only one in the room professional enough that I know of to carry this Glock .40. I’m the only … (shoots himself and pauses) … Is everybody all right?”

Although we’re constantly amazed by his ability to not freak out after being shot, we’re equally amazed by his utter stupidity. Granted accidents do happen, things like this probably shouldn’t in a classroom filled with students learning about gun safety.

In 2006, two years after that nearly fatal mistake, the injured agent in the video, Lee Paige, became internationally infamous and filed a suit against the government over his humiliation. According to The Smoking Gun, Mr. Paige claimed that the DEA was responsible for the video’s distribution that was widely circulated online and on TV, which ultimately led to public shame and kept him from taking part in future undercover operations and motivational lectures.

“And I actually had an accident where I almost hit my femoral artery, and I could have died,” Mr. Paige said in a 2006 CNN interview. “The physician indicated I would have died in 22 seconds had that happened. So, and also, my — my safety and my ability to do my job is compromised.”

Below is an excerpt of Mr. Paige discussing the incident on ABC.