NYPD Admits It Can't Train Officers in Gun Safety...

[Lambda Force]

That's true. Every profession has competent professionals, warm bodies, and incompetent fools. Good employers get rid of the third category and reduce the second category. They also generally compensate the first category significantly more than the second category and promote them preferentially, regardless of time served. Bad employers use factors other than competence to determine pay and promotion.

When the employer is public sector, I think taxpayers have the right and duty to demand that their tax dollars are spend wisely, rather than foolishly, especially during hard times.

[Heartland Patriot]

I still do not believe that 100% can be prevented, either of accidents, or of negligent discharges...but the percentage can be cut down to a point where it is a rare event and that is the goal that should be worked toward.

You may be right about the impossibility of a 100% accident prevention rate, but, I think that you get to the goal of 99.9999% accident prevention by striving for 100% prevention. If you strive for 99.9999% prevention, you'll end up with 98%......and so on and so on. Striving for anything less than perfection will guarantee you lower results than striving for perfection will guarantee.

I never said the goal shouldn't be perfection...I just don't think its actually physically possible. The USAF works insanely hard to have a 100% accident free flying year, every year. But, so far, they simply have not been able to achieve that goal. Its an admirable goal, and one that they must always strive toward because lives are on the line, but despite some great years passed, they haven't had one yet. And trust me when I tell you that it is NOT for a lack of training, regulations or enforcement of those regulations (safety violations will get aircrew or maintenance personnel in more trouble faster than anything else). I just think that as long as human beings are involved in any activity, something is going to go wrong...I'm not arguing with you, just clarifying what my thoughts were.