This Sort of Stuff Happens to Even the Pro’s…

This Sort of Stuff Happens to Even the Pro’s…

The recent gun community controversy this week that has been dominating my Facebook news feed is Travis Haley’s negligent discharge while filming his Dynamic AK video for Panteao Productions. Watch below:

I will be the first to say that any unintended discharge is negligent. We preach the tenants of firearms safety CONSTANTLY, the most important of which being

“keep your finger off of the trigger until you are on target with an acceptable sight picture and the intent/authorization to fire.”

This situation is a bit different though. SO… let’s break it down.

  1. Travis is actually talking about how much this technique sucks. Just because the Russians do it doesn’t make it right. I like much of what Sonny Puzikas has to say about his training methodology but I do not agree with all of it. I am big on “if it has a safety, use it.”
  2. Redundant safety protocols are in place as evidenced by the multiple camera angles.
  3. The gun is set up with an extremely light trigger. This type of stuff will happen.
  4. It was clearly unintentional as Travis didn’t seem to be anticipating the rifle going off.

The bottom line is that when you run a gun as hard as Travis does, shit happens. We all do our best to make sure we stay in the moment and keep up with maintaining trigger discipline and muzzle awareness but even seasoned professionals goof every now and then.

All you can do is hope and pray that no one gets hurt and shake it off.

BUT….

The majority of the keyboard commando-ing that is going on in the social media gun community is centered around a) why was the video out in the wild and b) why hasn’t Haley owned up to it and just said “yeah I screwed up.” ?

A bit of research has let to the following post on Soldier Systems Daily which can be read here.

To address point A above…

I am always looking for the “why” in a situation. Perhaps I’m just curious by nature or its simply an occupational hazard as a result of 10 years as a LEO.

Why was the video release… Oh… because Haley Strategic and Panteao got in to a slap fight. Hmmmm….

Is it defamation of character? Nope. (Hey at least its not a frickin action figure, right?)

Really bro?

Really bro? Really?

 

On the other side, the screenshot on the SSD article of a Facebook thread involving Travis Haley appears to show him attempting to justify the ND by saying he meant to do it but forgot to put the ear pro on.

Yeah… not so much.

I will chalk this one up to bad blood between the two entities.

Again:

Was anyone hurt: Nope.

Is it likely to happen again? Probably not.

Will I still train with Haley if I get the chance? You bet your arse I will! (I’d even take a Costa class…. Learn something from everyone.)

The Bigger Issue

Look folks… the biggest problem here is that all of these keyboard warriors want to shit all over a dude that has dedicated himself to his country, has served in the worst places doing very bad things to very bad people, and now has done more to advance the quality of firearms training in the United States than the overwhelming majority of instructors out there. We are our own worst enemies sometimes.

This is right up there with the clay pigeon shooting, $14,000 over/under shot gunners who dump on anyone else who simply prefers to run and gun or even plink at the range. I have no problem with having your niche that you want to stay in, but leave mine alone. We are all in this fight together.

We will only destroy ourselves as gun owners… and infighting does us no good. I can forgive an ND that happens under controlled circumstances such as what was depicted in the video. I will file away however crappy business practices. Haven’t made up my mind on my Panteao account just yet as there is still much value to be had.

That being said… Come get your train on.

This class is filling up so register now!

This class is filling up so register now!

From Haley Strategic

This post was completed prior to any press release from the Haley Strategic camp but on the eve of it going live on our site they posted this:

Press Release Feb 11, 2016: On approximately Thursday February 4th 2016, Panteao Productions released a video through…

Posted by Haley Strategic Partners on Thursday, February 11, 2016

I have always had the utmost respect for Travis and this post solidifies that.

Again, it comes down to what is more likely than not…

A company losing a revenue stream and stomping their feet by “accidentally releasing” a video or an instructor who has his entire reputation on the line and trying to run damage control through semantics?

Easiest path is a straight line folks. It is what it is.

 

Robert Curran
rob@tacdynamics.com

Rob is co-owner of Tactical Dynamics Firearms Training and is a USMC veteran and active Law Enforcement Officer. Rob is a Sig Sauer Master Rated Firearms Instructor and holds several other ratings from various institutions.

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