Mine does the same thing, fires with the dark slide in, but I'll also mention that mine is a "user" and that's a very generous description.
The pin that sticks out from the back moves laterally when the slide is in past the middle, and this blocks a lever inside the body so the shutter can't be release, but those links can be distorted over time and fail to interlock. On mine, if the dark slide is in, I can fire the shutter, but I cannot wind on until I remove the dark slide. At least you can still wind the camera with the dark slide in (?)