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updated 10:58 a.m. ET May 20, 2008

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - A firearms instructor in southern Massachusetts has been assigned to other duties after his gun accidentally went off while he was teaching a class on weapons safety.

Officials said the Glock handgun discharged while Maj. Donald Lamar was demonstrating to Bristol County deputy sheriffs how to safely holster the weapon.

The bullet ripped a hole in Lamar's pants but missed his leg and foot.

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Sheriff Thomas Hodgson said the officer made a "gross error in judgment" by not emptying the weapon before the class last week.

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Lamar, a certified firearms instructor since 2005, was transferred to another division and will not carry a firearm while the incident is being investigated.