When I first saw the image, all I could do was be thankful it wasn’t me. A single bullet reportedly entered and exited the man’s leg in what is being described as a holster failure.

Originally posted in a private group on Facebook, the image soon took on a life of its own as people wanted to share the gruesome images.

The owner later revealed the holster to be an Alien Gear ShapeShift holster. A photo of the holster shows where the bullet the bottom of the base of the modular holster system.

The owner apparently claims the “soft” component of the holster apparently folded over enough to get in the way of the trigger so that when he holstered it, BANG!

Unfortunately, from what images we can see, it’s very difficult to tell exactly how. After all, the ShapeShift is a rigid polymer holster that is attached to a flexible base like the one shown in the image. It’s difficult to see just how this happened. Then again, I have no experience with Alien Gear holsters.

About the only thing I can figure is that somehow the softer base for the ShapeShift system got folded over temporarily depressed the trigger. We’ll have to wait and see if we get any more information on this.

Comment sections of Facebook have raged with discussion over how it happened. Many argue the owner had to have pulled the trigger. Others blame him owning a Glock, which is about as surprising as the sun coming up in the morning. Plenty of others are willing to blame the holster itself.

The truth is, we’re unlikely to ever know the truth of the matter. It seems likely that the injured party is the only one who knows for sure what happened, and there are reasons for some to doubt his story. After all, no one wants to look like a moron, and shooting yourself with your own gun is a quick trip to frontrunner status for the Moronville presidential campaign.

What we do know is that holsters made of flexible material can sometimes bend, soften, or otherwise get inside the trigger guard of your firearm. If that happens, and you carry a weapon without an external safety as many of us do these days, check your holster for wear and tear. If you find your holster in such a state, stop using it and get a new one right away.

Your holster should surround your trigger guard, but it should never enter it in any way, shape, or form.

In fact, even if you have a gun with an external safety, still follow this advice. Safeties are mechanical devices and may fail. The last thing anyone wants is to have a leg that looks like that image, so make sure your holsters are in good working order.

While a quality holster doesn’t exactly qualify as “cheap,” it is far less expensive to replace a worn holster than to pay for medical bills that result from a 9mm, .40, or .45 caliber hole you just tore through your leg because you holstered the weapon and there was a snag.