For those new to concealed carry, like me, that believe in the elegant simplicity of the Glock, The unmatched reliability of a Glock, and want to carry a Glock but still have a desire for an external safety, let me explain that Glock has on occasion installed an external safety on special orders for several law enforcement agencies around the world. There are Glock pistols with a Glock factory installed external safety.
It is possible to install an external safety on your Glock. A company called Camonolli Custom has made available a manual safety kit installation that looks and works just like a factory installed external safety. Look at the pictures to compare the Caminolli external safety installation with an original Glock factory installed external safety.
I decided that I want to carry a concealed weapon and in November this year (2011) that becomes legal in Wisconsin. With the legality issue out-of-the-way next I have to select a weapon. I am looking for something small, light weight, adequate magazine capacity, and power. The Glock 26, and Glock 19 are excellent personal defense weapons. The only feature they lack is an external safety. For persons like me who have little to no experience carrying a weapon there is a fear of accidental discharge while drawing the pistol from the holster. Of course, seasoned gun owners, and knowledgeable Glock enthusiasts will quickly say, “just keep your finger off the trigger”. In fact this is true. The Glock has three built-in safety mechanisms that make it pretty much impossible to fire the weapon in any way without pulling the trigger. That includes accidental discharge by dropping. The pistol isn’t even cocked until the trigger is pulled, and it also has a mechanism that blocks the firing pin until the trigger is pulled. The third safety is the trigger itself, which has a safety release built into it. Three safeties make the Glock a pretty darn safe pistol, just keep your finger off the trigger. But that is my fear. My “What if” scenario is drawing the pistol or putting it back in the holster and for some reason touching the trigger. Yes I know, practice, practice, and more practice. And yes, I know about the extra thing to remember on pistols with an external safety. The story goes, that in a fear for your life situation that it is very possible to forget the external safety. That is a valid point. And then there is the argument that an external safety is just one more thing that can go wrong. Of course, you can tell that to the 1911 advocates who routinely carry their 1911’s cocked and locked. To them, the thumb safety is just a routine part of safely using the 1911.