Human Factors Issues in Handgun Safety and Forensics [Hardcover]

Hal W. Hendrick (Author), Paul Paradis (Author), Richard J. Hornick (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805857427 | ISBN-13: 978-0805857429 | Publication Date: November 26, 2007

Written by two certified human factors/ergonomics professionals and  a criminalist  and firearms expert, all of whom have testified as expert witnesses,  Human Factors in Handgun Safety and Forensics draws on their formidable collective knowledge and professional experience to present the first scientifically based volume in the field. This seminal work identifies numerous human factors in handgun design, training, and related human behavior in unintentional and inadvertent shooting incidents.
 The book provides an overview of handgun use in general but focuses on firearm handling in unintentional and inadvertent shootings.  It describes the discipline of human factors and ergonomics and includes available statistics on shootings, examines their limitations, and reviews actual cases to determine human causes in unintentional and inadvertent shootings. It provides a history of firearms and details the components and mechanics of handguns and ammunition to reveal safety problems in current designs. It explains the fundamentals of shooting and how violation of those principles can result in unintentional or inadvertent shootings.
The authors stress the importance of firearms safety training. They evaluate various safety training programs (including those from the National Rifle Association), investigate inconsistencies in basic safety rules, and make suggestions to improve safety training. The importance of instructor training is also emphasized. The book concludes with a summary and application of the previous topics to forensic and investigative settings and gives advice for human factors/ergonomics professionals as expert witnesses. The book comes with an accompanying DVD with hundreds of color photos to support the topics covered in the text.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Castle Pines Village, Colorado, USA Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Hornick & Associates, Dana Point, California, USA

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press (November 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805857427
• ISBN-13: 978-0805857429
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, January 11, 2009

By 

Sara Borne (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Human Factors Issues in Handgun Safety and Forensics (Hardcover)

Very thorough and full of well written, concise information about the human/gun interaction, this book is a must read for anyone who shoots, deals, designs, trains or interacts with guns at any level.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent source for firearms trainers, designers, and students, January 10, 2009

By 

J. McFarland (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Human Factors Issues in Handgun Safety and Forensics (Hardcover)

This book has great information for firearms trainers most of all, but it also applies to designers of firearms and new students. After 8 years of being a firearms trainer myself, I find that new shooters are the easiest to "mold" into safe, responsible shooters. Whereas, so-called "experienced" shooters often have poor shooting / safety habits that they sometimes desperately cling to. Perhaps this book would serve to open their eyes, as well.

In summary, if you shoot handguns or design them, buy this book.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not enough discussion of the real issues and their resolution, October 29, 2008

By 

A. McPhate (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Human Factors Issues in Handgun Safety and Forensics (Hardcover)

I am a mechanical Engineer by degree and a Systems Safety engineer by profession. I also have over 25 years experience shooting handguns for sport and self defense. I am well acquainted with the issues around handgun design and training. In my job we often use help from Human Factors Engineers to improve product development and systems design.

I had several expectation from this book:
1. That it would be directed to experienced firearms trainers, designers and regulators.
2. That it identify the main problem areas in training systems, designs, and regulations.
3. That it provide clear guidance for trainers for matching existing handgun designs to users based on their capabilities, physiology and needs.
4. That, if practical, it recommend a minimum set of safety features in handgun designs.
5. That it propose changes in designs to improve usability and safety.
6. That it suggest how the role of the regulator be changed to expedite improvements.

I rated it two because, of my six expectations, it only met 2, 6, and half of 5. As 3 and 4 have a lot of potential to immediately impact safety, I felt their absence was a major gap.

Even though the book states it is directed at firearms professionals, it begins with a good bit of material on the history of firearms and ammunition, which was space that could have better been devoted to answering some of my key questions.

The findings and recommendations that it does make are a bit scattered and aren't organized particularly well, which I thought surprising in a book co-written by a human factors engineer. It does manage to avoid being excessively political, however the rather cheery way it presents writing non-existent "smart gun" technology into law made me a bit uneasy.

It's not all negative. There are some excellent points brought out in the book:
1. Importance of training (at least initial training - discussion of retained training was a little light)
2. Importance of safe storage
3. Importance of consistency in design and transportability of training

but these are issues that are clearly obvious to any thinking person.

On the other hand, there was a lot of discussion about trigger pull that didn't really settle into a clear picture of what was important and how the trade-offs should be managed.

I think the authors know their material, have taken a stab at a worthy subject, but fallen short of the mark. It would be possible to condense this material down into a decent sized magazine article, or short series, and not miss anything critical. Hopefully someone will consider the other issues this book does not address and come out with something a bit more comprehensive.