Four Rules Of Gun Safety

We have all heard the saying, "Rules Were Made To Be BROKEN!" That may be true if you are eating dessert first, but when it comes to firearms, breaking the rules has deadly consequences. Today we are going to review the four universal rules. I can hear you now, "Why review? I already know them and I'm a safe shooter!"  

Maybe you are, maybe you aren't.  A little review never hurt anyone, just like it really does not hurt to eat dinner first before dessert.

Before we discuss The Rules, here is a little story for you to consider, that happened to yours truly about a year ago:


I was behind the counter one stormy afternoon, when a young couple ventured in for some gunpowder therapy. They rented one of our Daniel Defense AR-15s. They shot the last of their rounds and exited the range, happy smiles plastered all over their faces. While it was great to see satisfied customers, imagine if you will how it felt for me, with the muzzle pointed at my chest, the persons finger on the trigger, bolt closed and magazine still in the rifle? If you're thinking, "Not too good!" you would be correct. (And that is putting it mildly.) As I quickly redirected the muzzle and briefed the customers on the proper etiquette, also noting that the safety was in the FIRE position and not the SAFE position, I dropped the magazine and pulled the charging handle.

Lo and behold, out popped a live round.

To say I was not pleased is an understatement. 

Image from Google.

RULE ONE:
Treat Every Gun As If It Was Loaded!
What does this mean? 
Well, look at it from our point of view. (That POV being range staff, behind the rental counter.) When you are done shooting and exit the range, and you come towards us with the magazine in the gun, the muzzle pointed directly at us with the chamber closed, we have no way of knowing if that gun is empty or not. (Please do not break your arm patting your back on this one, congratulating yourself for not being like the couple in the above story. They were, in their words, "...both experienced shooters," and "..had been shooting for years." They were also COMPLACENT.)

We get a little twitchy here.

YOU may *know* that gun is empty. But then again.... if we staffers had a dollar for every allegedly empty gun we have cleared, we'd be dining on steak dinners and driving much nicer vehicles.

To sum this up- EVERY Gun Is Loaded, At All Times. When you hand over a firearm to another person, magazine is out and slide locked to the rear. In the case of revolvers, cylinder is open, and stays that way.

Not a great sight when pointed at YOU. Image from Google

RULE TWO:
Never Point A Gun At Anything You Are Not Willing To Destroy!
In other words, Muzzle In A Safe Direction At All Times!

When brand new customers come in to shoot for the very first time, we staff provide a quick safety briefing before we take the line. One of the first things I point out is where the muzzle is. I will say, "This is the muzzle. This is the business end. Once the projectile leaves the muzzle, there is no calling it back and it is absolutely no body's friend. You will keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times." We then touch on what is a safe direction and what is not. It may seem like common sense. You would be shocked though how often this simple rule is violated and we staff have muzzles pointed at us. 

If we seem a wee bit jumpy at times when you visit, you're starting to get an idea WHY. 

Finger! OFF! The! Trigger! Image from Google

RULE THREE:
Keep Your Finger OFF The Trigger Until You Are Ready To Shoot!

Seems simple enough, doesn't it? Place your trigger finger outside the trigger guard, not touching the trigger at all. Much like being aware of muzzle direction, folks wind up with fingers all over triggers while pointing guns in very unsafe directions. Like at other people on the sales floor and range. Or at range staff members. 

You get the idea why we tend to be a bit twitchy and have no patience a lot of days, right?

Sure that's a nice deer- nice house too. Image from Google.

RULE FOUR:
Always Be Aware Of Your Target And What Is Beyond Your Target!

This also seems simple. However, it is again somewhat shocking just how many people are under the impression that no, THEY did not send a round into the ceiling, because the target (in our facility the targets are of the paper variety,) stopped the round. So wrong, on so many levels. 

You, as a shooter, have to understand that the round fired from the gun in your hand is traveling at an incredibly high rate of speed. No matter what type of round it is, there is NO GUARANTEE that it will STOP on impacting the target. None. If you are in your apartment at night, and a goon breaks in and you shoot, where will that round potentially wind up? Will it hit the bad guy, go through him, through the sheetrock, and into the neighbors? Will it strike a water heater? A child? Your dog or cat? You have got to pay attention to what is beyond the target. You have got to understand that paper will not stop a round. Nor will many other things. 

Let's take a look back at the story of our two happy customers.
How many of the Four Universal Rules did they break?
1) The firearm was not shown to be clear (bolt closed, magazine in, and safety in the FIRE position)
2) Muzzle was pointed in an unsafe direction (at ME.)
3) There was a finger ALL OVER the trigger.
4) There was no comprehension that behind ME were more people.

For the safety of everyone around you, follow these rules. They are simple. They are common sense. They exist for a reason. Be aware, we range staff will not hesitate to loudly point out the error of your ways should that finger be on the trigger while the gun is pointed at us. Save our sanity.

And remember:
COMPLACENCY. KILLS.

Every gun is loaded. Muzzles downrange/ in a safe direction. Fingers OFF the trigger. Don't point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. 

Keep it safe out there, please!
Shannon