The Ten Commandments Of Firearms Safety
BY Herschel Smith
11 years, 1 month ago
• Always point the muzzle in a safe direction. Be able to control the direction of the muzzle even if you should stumble.
• Treat every firearm as though it were loaded.
• Unload firearms when they are not in use. Keep the action open when the firearm is stored and carry it in a case to the shooting area.
• Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstruction and that you have the proper ammunition for the firearm you are carrying.
• Be sure of your target before you pull the trigger.
• Never point a firearm at anything you do not want to shoot. Avoid all horseplay with a firearm.
• Never climb a fence, tree or jump a ditch with a loaded firearm. Never pull a firearm toward you by the muzzle.
• Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface or at water.
• Store firearms and ammunition separately.
• Avoid alcohol and other drugs before or during shooting.
For those of use who continually rehearse firearms safety (like me to myself, my readers and my family), it’s always good to hear them again.
But sometimes these things turn into religious observances for the Fudds. Take for example “unload firearms when they’re not in use,” or “store firearms and ammunition separately.”
An unloaded firearm does you no good in a home invasion or if someone attacks you when you pull over to put fuel in your car. The government wants the criminals and idiots to be safe, and they want their LEOs to be safe. The surest way to accomplish this is to effectively disarm you.
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“• Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface”
Kind of difficult to shoot a USPSA or Steel Challenge match and obey this one. With properly-angled steel targets, and proper backoff distances, I think it is possible to be safe. I shoot one or more matches a month with steel targets in them, and practice on steel almost every weekend.
“• Store firearms and ammunition separately.”
Difficult to have quick access to a home defense gun and obey this one. What is wrong with having a mag next to a pistol in a quick-access biometric safe? Or having mags in your rifle’s go-bag that you keep in the big safe?
Too many of these rules smack of big Democrat-controlled cities that want to disarm their populations. I’ll stick to Colonel Cooper’s 4 Rules.
“Too many of these rules smack of big Democrat-controlled cities that
want to disarm their populations. I’ll stick to Colonel Cooper’s 4
Rules.”
What I was thinking, right there. Once you get to a certain threshold of rules and regulations, it becomes impossible to know and/or obey them all and maintain any practical use of the regulated item. A very short step beyond that, and they begin to contradict each other; it becomes impossible to obey them all, period. (see also: federal register, “3 Felonies a Day”)
KISS — Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Agreed. I can easily teach the 4 rules wit a brief synopsis of the reason behind each, but when I open up this litany, newcomers eyes start to cross. The others can come with time, but I expect any student of mine to know the Colonels 4. He did a great service with that simplification of his.
You can get even simpler with the NRA’s three rules:
ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
My issue with the NRA’s three rules is the last one: “ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.”
It’s important to remember that a firearm designated for self- or home-defense should be considered “in use” at all times — even when it’s not being directly handled — and is therefore kept loaded or ready to be loaded at a moment’s notice.
But that can be a tough concept for a novice to understand, so I prefer Cooper’s Four Rules — which specifically cover firearm use and not firearm storage — to the NRA’s Three.
“• Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface or at water.”
Pretty sure this one is incomplete. I think “at a shallow angle” is required to finish it. The “at water” portion is a clue.
The reason is that the ricochet is unpredictable. I remember one case in CA long ago where a woman was killed with a .22 while in her car, for no apparent reason. The detective on the case finally tracked it down to a guy who was out plinking and skipped a bullet off the surface of a nearby pond.
Does this apply to home defense weapon next to the bed?
A designated self- or home-defense gun should be considered “in use” at all times (see my comment in reply to EmmyP above).
So yes, they apply, but they apply as if you’re actively using the gun — because you are.
The only rules you need to abide by are Col. Cooper’s 4 basic rules, period!
“• Store firearms and ammunition separately.”
BLOW ME.
I find that one rule covers everything: Never point a firearm at something you do not intend to destroy.
This saves lives.