The saftey is your finger. Never put your finger on the trigger, until your ready to shoot. Why was he putting it in his pocket...they make holsters to carry a pistol.

Safest place for a gun is in a proper holster. This is what happens when we require properly licensed/permitted persons to arm and disarm throughout the day.

No revolvers for DH? Does an empty chamber on an SAA count as a safety?

The article identifies the gun as a .40 S&W, which has a manual safety. So much for the "safety" panacea. While a manual safety may be nice, all the safeties ever invented can't make up for a lack of safe gun handling.

1. All firearms are loaded.
   
2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy.
   
3. Keep your finger off the trigger unless your sights are on the target.
   
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.

"when it discharged"

Riiiiight. Just like that, all on its own! Also, I'm curious; what makes you think a manual safety would have helped? If this guy was dumb enough to pull the trigger of a loaded weapon while reholstering it, he could easily have been dumb enough to leave the safety off while doing it.

You guys are cracking me up. Why no holster?

The article doesn't mention which specific model of S&W the attorney was carrying. I have a S&W Sigma in .40 cal, and it has the same type of safety as a Glock - none. The safety is - don't pull the trigger. I would never consider using the Sigma for CCW. I'll stick with my Kimber 1911s that have actual safeties.

David, I agree about having a safety. However not having a safety on some firearms would not stop me from owning them. But it would be nice if the manufactures offered safety kits that a gunsmith could add if someone wanted to have such a safety. In fact there are some military surplus handguns from the USSR and its border countries, that to be imported had to have a safety added on. I have never had an AD and have very strict MO on how I handle a firearm. Nevertheless, I know a number of folks who pass by some excellent handguns because they do not come with a manual safety. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I've been pocket and pocket-holster carrying my p3at for over 5 years now and nothing remotely close to a discharge. No safety other than being DAO and having a stiff trigger.

Guys,

.40 Smith and Wesson is a caliber not a gun.

We don't know what kind of gun it was. All popular gun makers include 40S&W in there available models.