Man shoots himself in the testicles at a Lowes.

The man’s handgun, which was in the waistband of his pants…

and we can stop right there.

If the news article is correct and if I can be allowed to make some assumptions to fill in the gaps, it sounds like his gun was just loose in his waistband, not in a holster or using a proper waistband restraining system (e.g. a Hip Grip). That means, it’s free to move around and fall. Then something manage to get its way into the trigger guard and depress the trigger, possibly bypassing mechanical safeties (if any). Yes, I’ve heard of a couple of cases where someone was carrying in a manner similar to this and clothing and squatting down was enough to make the gun discharge.

But my guess? Gun was loose, he was adjusting or catching it to keep it from falling, when he grabbed it his fingers went into the trigger guard, clench the fist to grab the gun, and bang.

Lessons learned:

• Use a proper holster, with a proper belt. Don’t skimp, buy quality.
• When your gun is in the holster, leave it alone.
• If the gun is falling, let it fall and do not try to catch it.
• If your gun has mechanical safety(s), be sure to use them. Consider as well that certain guns lacking additional external mechanical safeties (e.g. Glock) are not ideally suited for “loose” carry. For example, I wouldn’t recommend a woman carry a Glock 26 loose in her purse. Get a purse with a dedicated holster (e.g. Galco’s selection); helps avoid stuff getting into the trigger guard (be it fingers or stuff in the purse) plus ensures the gun is in a constant and known position/location for improved speed of draw.