Flight Attendant Brings Gun To Airport, Police Unload It The Hard Way

[rondog]

If you were referring to my situation I can tell you that I don't know if the revolver had a half cock position to allow the cylinder to turn. My point was even though I did not want to it was a situation that I believe the only way to unload the weapon was to place a finger on the trigger and ride the hammer forward (either to half cock or all the way). Again, I am open to suggestions if anyone thinks this was wrong or if there is a better way. And yes, I did inform other officers and kept the weapon in the safest place possible.

As for the PA incident, I have no idea what the circumstances of the gun were.

True about the Airweights and some other DAO revolvers, but most double-action revolvers with hammers can't be opened if the hammer is cocked. The trigger has to be pulled and the hammer has to be ridden down first. Very safe and easy to do, I can't see where anybody could screw that up. Point it in a safe direction first, of course. Ideally towards a barrel of sand intended for pointing guns towards for unloading, or into a large flower/plant planter full of dirt, or towards the ground (not a hard floor or pavement), etc.

[dwalker460]

I think you mean a SA (single action) revolver, as a double action revolver cannot be cocked, at all.

[rondog]

I think you mean a SA (single action) revolver, as a double action revolver cannot be cocked, at all.

Sure they can! Any double-action revolver with a hammer can be cocked and used single-action. Now, double-action-only revolvers like the Airweights are different, no hammers.

[dwalker460]

S&W airweights, with the exception of the Chiefs Special, are "hammerless" and AFAIK cannot be fired SA. I could be wrong though, and a Chiefs Special can be fired SA, but an unlikely choice for a purse gun.

[cysoto]

Now, double-action-only revolvers like the Airweights are different, no hammers.

Some of the Airweight models have an exposed hammer that can be manually cocked allowing the gun to be fired in SA; for example S&W Model 637 & 638 but neither of these can be set to half-cock.

[HBARleatherneck]

delete

[Teufelhund]

basically, only the 642, 442, 340, 640, 43c, and 351c are all double action only. the last two are .22lr and .22 mag. she was probably carrying a 642 or 442. somebody screwed up. or is a dumbass or both.

Nailed it.

[Clint45]

The S&W "Bodyguard Airwieght" model 438/638 is the shrouded hammer version which CAN be cocked to fire SA, but CANNOT safely be decocked over a live round because the hammer spring is too strong and the exposed portion of the spur is a tiny nub which will slip very easily. It is safer to decock a bobbed hammer Chief's Special or even manually decock a shaved hammer 3913 (NOT recommended) than to decock a 438.

I tried this once at a range and did it successfully without a discharge, but I put the gun up for sale that same day. It is an incredibly poor design. This is one case where the Charter Arms version (On Duty) is better than a Smith.

However, anyone CARRYING a cocked revolver in their purse is too stupid to own firearms.

[Monky]

Uhh.. who's to say it was cocked in her purse?

The LEO could simply be an idiot. I don't fool around w/ guns I know nothing about.. someone handed me a luger at the range once and I had no idea where anything was on it, didn't stop me from asking.

Being a cop doesn't make him a master gunsmith.. he's still able to make the same mistakes as all of us.

It also does not exclude him from being called an idiot for having a ND. Plenty of other people have been called such for it.

Being a flight attendant doesn't exclude the lady from being a dumbass for taking it in the first place.

I don't think she should have been charged, and had the office not discharged the revolver who knows what would have happened.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Those Airweights are pretty darn light. I could see how a woman with a large purse with a lot in it might have forgotten she had left the revolver in it, especially if it's not her normal CCW. I need more info to understand why the officer had an ND and can't judge or criticize until I know how and why the ND occurred.