Institutional Mediocrity.

[SGT_Calle]

Personally, the worst thing the Army ever did for my shooting skill development was to tell me I was an “Expert” back when I was 19 years old.

That is a fantastic sentence!
Excellent post.

[Joseph B.]

I couldn't agree more with Dave on the standards and classification. It is a very sad joke...

The worst part is that there are several alternative qualification standards that are authorized for classification (such as the combat rifle EIC match) that are way more relevant to the current operational environments, and use a scoreing system that is actually worth a crap. But yet again, most leaders have no idea about it, how to go about using it as a training tool and are not calling the smart people to help them make it happen.

[psalms144.1]

Kevin, great post.

For perspective, I think things have improved somewhat in recent years, at least from the Army side. FWIW, I am an active duty Infantry LTC, with a little over 20 years service. I don't know any of my peers who mandate or argue in favor of chamber empty carry. Any officers who do certainly aren't among my friends.

Inside the wire, the asinine idiotic obsession with clearing barrels seems alive and well, at least in some locations.

I like your study idea. FWIW, I personally know of only one ND that occurred on a combat outpost, where weapons were basically loaded at all times (a soldier climbing down from a guard tower with a slung M4 likely had his safety brushed off by his equipment, and unfortunately he violated rule#3 when regrasping the rifle). OTOH, I lost track years ago of the NDs with supposedly "unloaded" weapons on large FOBs. It may not be a fair comparison, since the population on the big FOBs is different from the platoon and company COPs, but I know which SOP I prefer.

Regards,
Dave

Dave - you and I are close to contemporaries - I've got 26 or so total federal service now. I certainly hope that things have gotten better, though I had a "heated discussion" with a 3-time combat veteran Infantry company commander who swore by chamber empty carry as the only "safe" SOP. Now, his three tours were late-stage Iraq tours, and he might have been in "quiet" areas on each trip, so that could color his thinking as well...

As luck would have it, I'm in the middle of a prosecution right now of an ND resulting in grievous bodily injuries which I'm CONVINCED arose from the shooter having developed bad habits with his sidearm because their M9s were always "safe and clear" on base - until the time it wasn't, and made an unexpected loud banging noise...

Thanks for your service, and please, keep up the good fight to teach our young men real, applicable combat skills!

Regards,

Kevin

[jlw]

Not only do qualification and training get confused, the instructors typically spend all of their time working with the bad shooters to get them qualified. The mid-level folks who could become better shooters with some refinement get lost in the shuffle.

The class I will be teaching this spring will be geared to each individual and each individual's improvement will be measured.

[Al T.]

As luck would have it, I'm in the middle of a prosecution right now of an ND resulting in grievous bodily injuries which I'm CONVINCED arose from the shooter having developed bad habits with his sidearm because their M9s were always "safe and clear" on base - until the time it wasn't, and made an unexpected loud banging noise...

Despite the proper sequence of unloading a handgun being plainly displayed right next to the clearing barrel, we had several NDs in Iraq. While I saw the 4 rules displayed (mainly at Benning in 2008), it was obvious that the whole "trigger finger off bang switch" thing was not an institutional standard.

My question to the shooter would be "why did you pull the trigger"?

I observed with some disgust that the M9 qualification I participated in at Benning in 2008 was the exact same course of fire I shot in 1988.

[KevinB]

Despite the proper sequence of unloading a handgun being plainly displayed right next to the clearing barrel, we had several NDs in Iraq. While I saw the 4 rules displayed (mainly at Benning in 2008), it was obvious that the whole "trigger finger off bang switch" thing was not an institutional standard.

My question to the shooter would be "why did you pull the trigger"?

I observed with some disgust that the M9 qualification I participated in at Benning in 2008 was the exact same course of fire I shot in 1988.

I HATE clearing barrels. I fully believe that if we trained folks properly and like adults that we could let everyone run around RED and have far less issues.
I'd prefer the ND into the barrel, but I don't see the need for ND's in the first place, given a competent program of instruction, and significant penalties for ND's.

I had a run in with the CSM of a Airborne unit in Iraq about the requirement (or lack of requirement) for me to clear my carbine and pistol. He did not think it was safe for me to run around like that, and I explained (in my best BlackHawk Down cover) This was my safety (and I pointed to my finger). They I showed him my Force Exemption paperwork (he did not think I was funny with the finger joke). That unit felt it was a good idea to run folks chamber clear in their vehicles (so under contact they all started dick dancing in the vehicles, or trying to ready while exiting).

The unfortunate reality is very few people realize what a good standard is, or if they realize that spent countless hours trying to explain why they (or their entity) doesn't have the time or mission etc. to train to that standard.

[backtrail540]

I recently ran into this at my girlfriends Christmas party. I was seated next to a gentleman whom I knew had recently became a State Trooper, and according to his girlfriend was a better than average shooter who shot more than most.

I tried to strike up a conversation about shooting and guns in general. When I told him I was a fellow shooter who competed on occasion etc..he told me he shot four times a year for quals. I realize not all policemen are gun guys and knew the issue existed but this was the first time I had experienced it in person.

I politely excused myself and refrained from comment when him and the other "gun guy", whom bragged that he had so many guns he hadn't even shot them all, started talking about the upcoming zombie apocalypse.

To be fair, I have never seen either of them shoot and i guess it is possible that they both excelled in the pistol arts....

[Tamara]

I HATE clearing barrels. I fully believe that if we trained folks properly and like adults that we could let everyone run around RED and have far less issues.

We lobbied hard to get some put outside the big local fun show.

You will not be surprised to know that after they were put there, the Cletii mostly stood around staring at them like monkeys at a monolith. When I came out of the last Indy 1500 I attended and went to gas up my heater again, I had to shoo away the three people that were using its base as a park bench for their smoke break.

Even after the barrels were put in, there are still piles of cut zip ties in the lobby by early afternoon. I don't want to know what they're using for a backstop, because it might be me.