Gun Safety Rules

These rules are the first and most important lesson to learn when you decide to join the growing numbers of woman shooters. You will see them posted at every range, although they may be worded somewhat differently, and in many other places as well.

Safety is the primary responsibility of any shooter.

#1   All guns are always loaded

You should never assume that the firearm you just picked up is not loaded. Instead, when you pick it up, you should check it immediately. For a semi-automatic, there should be no magazine and you should lock the slide back and verify with both eyes and fingers that there is no round in the chamber. For a revolver, open the cylinder and verify that there are no rounds in any of the chambers.

This is one rule I have seen violated in some gun shops, where the sales person would pick up a gun from the display case and just hand it to me without checking it first. I did not go back to those shops. Even when the person checks it while you watch, you should get into the habit of checking it again once it is in your hands!

Don’t ever feel self-conscious or silly doing a check—any truly knowledgable person will understand and approve.

#2   Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy

Pay attention to where you are pointing that gun! Always, always, always keep it pointed downrange or in a safe direction. Never ever point a gun at anything or anyone if you don’t mean it, even as a “joke”—accidental shootings are not funny!

Also, note that “up” is not a safe direction! That bullet may not hit anything on the way up, but it has to come down somewhere.

Even when handling an “unloaded” firearm (see Rule #1), keep this rule in mind.

#3   Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target

Indexing—keeping your index finger along the side of the frame—is an important safety precaution. It is all too easy to accidentally pull the trigger if you keep your finger on it.

This rule is routinely violated by actors—it appears very few of them have any idea how to actually handle a firearm. Since I started shooting, I can hardly watch action shows because they’re almost always running around with their fingers on the trigger. In real life, they wouldn’t have feet (or partners!) left.

I’ve had acquaintances tell me this rule is unnecessary, and that they never put pressure on the trigger until they are ready to shoot. I don’t think I would be comfortable going shooting with any of them.

#4   Be sure of your target and what is beyond it

Did you know that most modern handgun calibers can travel for distances from 300 yards (3 football fields!) up to a mile if they don’t hit something first? And sometimes can go through the first thing they hit and hit something else behind it? That bullet is going to hit something; it won’t just evaporate. This is one reason that self defense ammunition is normally hollow point—it is less likely to go through the bad guy and into the neighbor’s living room.

This rule applies even when you are doing dry fire practice.

Another, Newer Rule

Another rule is being added by some, after recent cases where someone got a legal gun that wasn’t properly secured: Store and secure your gun away from others.

More Gun Safety

Of course, there is always more to learn and know about gun safety. NRA Family has an article entitled 8 Gun Safety Rules You May Not Have Heard Of that goes further into this.

A Tragic Tale

The recent tragedy on a movie set points out the critical importance of the gun safety rules. A person died and another was injured due to the failure of 3 people to implement these rules.

Rule 1 was clearly violated. The armorer did not pay sufficient attention to what was going into the gun, and neither the assistant director nor the actor checked it personally. Of course they knew it would have rounds in it, but they should have checked to make sure they were the correct type. Yes, it takes a little extra time, but wouldn’t the time have been worth it?

Rule 2 was clearly violated. If the actor had been paying attention to where the gun was pointed, no one would have suffered for it. I have also heard that the gun was pointed at the victim as a joke, which is even more of a violation.

Rule 3, although a little less clearly, was violated. The actor obviously pulled the trigger without taking any notice of who was being targeted.

Rule 4, like Rule 3, was violated. When the actor had no idea of his target, of course he didn’t know who was behind it. This was also a clear demonstration of the importance of knowing what’s behind your target—the bullet went through the first person and into the next.

Like any thinking person, it breaks my heart that someone paid with her life for the carelessness of others. We can only hope that the lesson has been learned.