As an instructor, I would like your opinion on a theory I have about what may have caused some of these:
The light switch in some of these incidents was a "button" located just under the trigger guard. If one's trigger finger is stretched along the slide and they depress said button with the middle finger everything is fine.
However, if the trigger finger is within the guard and resting on the trigger that is where the problem occurres. It is difficult for many people with their fingers in that configuration to depress a button with their middle finger without their index finger moving slightly also. Add adrenaline to the mix and it is even worse.
My theory is that the index finger was on the trigger, they used the middle finger to press the "button" and this caused their index finger to move also with just enough force to depress the trigger.
Just speculation and a theory but I am interested in your opinion.
it is just speculation as one hardly ever gets to the bottom I would agree they most likely they had their finger on or very near the trigger then when something out of the ordinary happen they depressed the trigger. Then blamed I was trying to turn on the light. Pushing is a whole different motion then pulling.
Again I would say that a lack of practice with their equipment is the major cause if one would do a thousand or more draw and turn on the light, draw trip turn on the light, draw do what ever turn on the light motions.
One wouldn't be pulling the trigger instead. It is common for people who make mistakes to try and blame to some thing else for their own actions.
Modern fire arms go off because 99% of the time some one pulls the trigger. On Rare occasions defects in the gun , ammo or abuse can cause them to go off when unintended.
These seem to me I pulled the trigger causing them to discharge now I need a good reason/excuse on why I did that.
Again it boils down to when I draw the gun the operator needs the experience and practice to know if it is the light switch or the bang switch each and every time.
The middle finger theory is a good one violates more then one safety rule and more likely more then one policy also.