Dual protection safety device for semi-automatic pistol

Claim 1

In an automatic pistol having a receiver and a slide thereon, said slide housing a striker firing mechanism including a springbiased striker having a firing pin projecting axially therefrom which when released, travels through a striker tunnel in the slide to cause the pin to impinge on the cap of a cartridge contained in the pistol chamber, a dual-protection safety device comprising: A. a lever pivotally mounted on the receiver and manually shiftable from a lowered retracted position to a raised operative position, B. a standard safety mechanism actuated by the lever in the operative position to lock the striker, and an auxiliary safety mechanism also actuated by the lever and including a safety block assembly movably disposed within a recess in the slide communicating with said striker tunnel, said safety block assembly being provided with a block having a downwardly extending arm whose lowermost edge is engageable by the upper edge of said lever, which block in the operative position of the lever, is caused to assume a position in said recess protruding into said tunnel to obstruct the passage of the released striker, and to intercept the forward end of the released striker before the striker pin can impinge on said cap, and in the retracted position of said lever, assumes a position clearing said tunnel.