Dani and everyone else.
Without getting into the classified aspects of the FFDO program, you guys are way off base here.
Basically the problem that lead to this accidental discharge is that pilots do not carry concealed. They carry open the way a uniform police officer does. And they can only do so in the cockpit. So, A LOT of handling of the guns happen in the cockpit. It would be far better to just simply let us carry concealed the way the Air Marshals and the FBI does. Then there would be no handling of the gun in the aircraft. You would put it on when you get dressed and it would stay on your person. Chances of a negligent discharge would be far lesser. The downside of that is a concealed weapon takes longer to get to. BUt I would argue that the armored door provides enough time to make up for that aspect. That Door in itself is simply time,
When the cockpit door is locked, then the gun is unlocked (and there are several ways that the gun is locked, so that if someone takes it away from the FFDO it cannot be used) and placed on the body of the FFDO. A change in the method of locking the gun has lead to a potential problem. It is possible to get the lock infront of the trigger instead of behind it now. BOOM is the result. But even so, if you are pointing the gun away from you and your copilot (as this captain apparently was, which you should ALWAYS be doing when handling) the risk is ZERO. A bullet will not cause a rapid decompression, even if it goes through a side window. Check Mythbusters for confirmation, They fired many bullets into a fully pressurized fuselage... even the NON LAMINATED pax windows didn't blow out, they were simply holed, with no real loss of pressure.
The basic problem with the FFDO program is that, like everything else in America lately, this had been done as a "half" measure. The reason (I think) is that the republican government was dead set against this program, and it took Barbara Boxer and a few other powerfull democrats to make it happen. But then the whitehouse went out of their way to make it difficult to participate in (Moved it to the middle of nowhere from Altanta, locking cases, SOPs that are awkward etc)
If you ask me why the Bush government was against it, My honest opinion is the republican dislike of powerfull unions, (Specifically ALPA), and a desire to make sure NOTHING would elevate the stature of a pilot in anyway.
You may now return to your completely uninformed hysteria. But again, Risk? Very close to zero. Certainly less than the real threats that are out there.
Cheers
Wino