The Army’s M4 Carbine Can Fire Even If You Don’t Pull the Trigger

The U.S. Army’s standard service weapon, the M4A1 carbine, has a defect that allows it to discharge a round without actually pulling the trigger. The flaw was caught on video earlier this year by a soldier at a shooting range, and testing by the Army has detected nearly a thousand weapons affected by the problem.

In March, according to Stars and Stripes, a soldier recorded cellphone video of his M4A1 carbine discharging a round after the selector switch was moved. The selector switch on the M4A1 allows the user to engage the weapon safety (“SAFE”), preventing it from firing, firing semi-automatic (“SEMI”), or firing fully automatic (“AUTO”).

In the video, the soldier moves the selector switch between SEMI and AUTO. When the soldier further moves the switch to AUTO the hammer falls, sending the bolt carrier group flying forward and firing a bullet. Needless to say, the only time weapon should ever go off is when the trigger is pressed and this situation has the potential to be very dangerous.

More at: http://bit.ly/m4-carbine