If you are considering purchasing a firearm or already own one, it is incumbent on every firearm owner to know, understand and strictly follow the four universal firearm safety rules. They are:
- A firearm is always considered loaded; therefore, never point it at anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. “Ready to shoot” means that you are on target and have made the conscious decision to fire the gun.
- Always keep your firearm unloaded until ready to use.
- Always know your target and what is around and behind it.
Following these four well-known safety rules will dramatically reduce the likelihood of a negligent discharge or injury. As I tell my students, safety rules are easy to understand, yet hard to remember.
Shooting a gun is an exciting and for new shooters can be a nerve-racking event. Adrenaline is flowing and emotions can easily overcome common sense. Having good “muzzle discipline” (meaning always keeping the end of the barrel pointed in a safe direction) is imperative when handling firearms.
For example, if a shooter is aiming at that center bullseye and makes that perfect shot, the shooter can get excited and when they turn around to tell their friend about that great shot, they need to remember to keep the muzzle of the gun pointed in a safe direction and not at their friend! I cannot tell you how many times someone will come into Prescott Gun Club to show us their firearm. Inevitably, they will ask permission to show us and tell us “don’t worry, its unloaded.” That should immediately set off alarms in your brain as it violates the very first safety rule.
Many times we have taken the firearm from the customer to “inspect and clear” the firearm only to watch a round fly out of the chamber! The customer response is always, “I thought it was unloaded….”
Another very common violation of safety rules is when the shooter fails to remove his or her finger from the trigger after they are finished shooting. Commonly, a shooter will take a shot and then lower the firearm with their finger on the trigger to inspect their target. It is very important to build the muscle memory in your brain that immediately requires the removal of your finger from the trigger after you are finished shooting. Your hands have sympathetic reflex, meaning that what one hand does, the other hand wants to do. This is important in firearms safety since if your finger is on the trigger and you slip and grab an object to steady yourself, the squeezing of your non-firing hand will cause your firing hand to squeeze as well. That is when bad things happen.
Keeping your firearm unloaded until it is ready to use is another important rule. Making sure that the firearm is unloaded when it is in storage, in your gun safe or being transported will ensure that someone without firearms safety knowledge will be less likely to incur a negligent discharge. What we are speaking about in the context of being “unloaded until ready to use” is the instances of long-term storage of your firearm, transportation of your firearm or even on the range when you are not ready to shoot the firearm (for instance you are inspecting your target or reloading your magazine).
A shooter needs to be certain of not only what his target is, but also what is around, above and behind the target. Shooters need to understand that they may not always hit everything they aim at, which means that the bullet will eventually hit something else which may not be something they are willing to destroy.
A shooter is responsible for every round that leaves their firearm. Even a small .22 caliber rifle has the ability of sending a bullet over one mile. Another factor to remember is that even if you hit the target at which you are aiming, it does not mean that the bullet will necessarily stop at your target. This is very important when considered in the context of defensive shooting. If you are armed in a bank and the bank robber is holding a gun pointed at the teller, if you were to shoot at the robber, are you sure that the bullet will not exit the robber and subsequently strike the teller? A shooter is responsible for every round that leaves his or her firearm.
Self-defense carrying, hunting and recreational use of firearms is a right we all enjoy, but that right comes with the obligation and responsibility of each shooter to understand, know and strictly follow all firearms safety rules. QCBN
By Donald S. Grier
Donald S. Grier is a member of the Prescott Gun Club located at 1200 Iron Springs Road, Prescott, Arizona, 86305.
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