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W.Va. deputy’s gun explodes in his hand

WTOV9.com

MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. — Officials in Marshall County said they’ve learned it could have been the weapon -- not the ammunition -- that caused a gun to explode in a deputy’s hand last week. Chief Deputy Kevin Cecil said organizations from across the country have called him recently, saying they’ve had similar situations with their guns.

“It’s a combination of them wanting to know what happened … along with possible problems with their firearms,” Cecil said. A deputy was using the .45 caliber Glock 21 for the first time at a firing range last week when the lower half exploded, breaking off the trigger, sending parts flying and injuring his hand. Cecil said he initially thought it was the ammunition that caused the problem, but not he’s not so sure. He said, as time goes on, he’s learned quite a bit about similar situations throughout the country.

“We’re actually adjusting our thinking a little bit. It might not just be the ammunition. There may be a certain issue with the firearm itself, so we’re going to send it off to have it independently evaluated,” Cecil said.

Read full story: Weapon, not ammo, may have caused deputy’s gun to explode