Safety has long been a point of contention for Glock of Austria. Unlike most handguns, which have external on-off safeties, Glock pistols are equipped with internal mechanisms that prevent firing. These internal safeties are disengaged merely by depressing the trigger. The ability to fire immediately, without worrying about an external safety, is one feature Glock has stressed as an advantage when selling its guns, especially to police departments.:SIB
Skeptics see this feature in a different light. The Consumer Federation of America has cited the Glock's design as one reason the gun has been the subject of dozens of lawsuits filed after unintentional shootings, including a number by police officers. The company has won or confidentially settled most of these cases without acknowledging any liability.
Paul F. Jannuzzo, Glock's former top executive in the U.S., says in an interview that, overall, the company's pistols are as safe as comparable handguns?and more durable. "The one problem," he says, "was [the Glock] would go off sometimes when it wasn't supposed to.":facepalm:
Occasional Jamming
Another problem that surfaced in the 1990s and persisted for years thereafter was occasional jamming, Jannuzzo says. In 1998 he and other Glock officials in the U.S. discovered guns that failed to fire properly. "These malfunctions were very difficult to clear and could not be cleared with the normal 'tap, rack' drill," stated a Feb. 12, 1998, memo from American employees to Glock founder and owner Gaston Glock entitled "Performance of G 22s." "Law enforcement officers see this type of stoppage as a serious failure and one which has life-threatening implications," the memo added. "If these were received by the FBI or DEA [both Glock customers], they would immediately suspend the contract and demand a retest or other action."
The memo described tests on eight sample guns that were fired more than 2,000 times in all. "In particular, we are concerned with the difference in the poor test results in the U.S., compared with the better results achieved in Austria," the memo told Gaston Glock. The company manufactures parts in Austria and assembles guns for the American market at a plant outside Atlanta.
In an interview, Jannuzzo adds: "It was a problem, and it was much more of a problem than they [executives in Austria] wanted to admit.?They never knew which guns were going to break."
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i hate when I have to prove points to morans like UGA
geeezzz Louise ...................
yeh protect your family with a Glock
Very few police depts carry Glocks
doogy duh wonder why
