I have taken countless courses on gun handling to become a Range Safety Officer, for Concealed Carry licensing, for handgun proficiency, and so on. I remember four fundamentals rules which, as well as I can remember, were taught at these courses. Sometimes the order of rules one and two may have been swapped, and the same for the order of the third and fourth, but the four rules were always the same.
- Treat every gun as if it were loaded until you check that it is not.
- Do not point your gun at anything you do not want to kill.
- Be sure of your target, what is behind it, and what is around it.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
With the recent
Baldwin negligent discharge, where
he clearly violated the first three rules listed above, I did a search for gun safety rules. I was surprised to see that the above four rules are not universal at all, even among the various NRA websites that came up.
Some include two or three of the rules I listed, but with different wording. Others add rules that makes sense, such as make sure the ammunition is correct for the gun, make sure the gun fits you properly, and others.
Still, I believe the four rules I listed make the most sense, are easier to explain to anyone learning, and are easier to remember.
What rules do you remember learning as fundamental gun safety rules?
Thanks!
Alex