AFTE Store - Evaluating the Likelihood of Unintentional Discharge of Handguns Due to Sympathetic Contractions

The scenario whereby a gun-holding hand involuntarily exerts a force that is great enough to discharge the firearm if force is exerted by the non-gun-holding hand is investigated in this study. A series of hand grip tests were conducted to determine the amount of force (if any) applied by the passive hand. The index finger grip force was then calculated based on the hand grip test results. The findings show that it is unlikely that the exertion of a force by the non-gun-holding hand could involuntarily elicit a force that is great enough to discharge a handgun of medium-to-heavy trigger pulls held in the other hand.