The Four Rules of Firearm Safety
Joe Wolf Sep 29, 2023
The Four Rules of Firearm Safety
Whether you know them by heart or it’s your first-time hearing about them, the four rules of firearm safety are something you should never take lightly and ALWAYS follow. Nomatter if you are at the range, at home, at a gun store, or even cleaning your firearms, they all apply:
- Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to kill or destroy.
- Keep you finger off the trigger and out of the guard until you are ready to fire.
- Know what your target is and what is beyond it.
Simple right? Easy to remember and recite, and something you can easily teach your kids or someone new to handling firearms. But what if you or the person you are teaching doesn’t quite understand? Let’s break these rules down a little more to give a more in depth understanding of their purposes and meanings.
1. Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
Every time you or someone near you is handling a gun assume that it is loaded. ALWAYS. Even if they say it’s unloaded, and you saw them perform a chamber check, never trust that it is unloaded until you have personally checked for yourself. And what about handing a firearm to someone? Keep the gun pointed in a safe direction and open the action–visually verify there is no round in the chamber–then hand the firearm off with the action still open. This allows the person receiving the firearm to verify for themselves that the firearm is unloaded as well. If someone hands you an unfamiliar firearm that you are not sure how to operate or check then ask that person for help. There is nothing wrong with asking for assistance or a demonstration when it comes to how to properly operate a firearm.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to kill or destroy.
That’s it. Never point the muzzle, barrel, business end, or what-have-you at anything you are not willing to kill or destroy. No butts. No “I checked it first”. No “it’s not loaded”. No nothing. If you point a gun at someone, you had better be intending to use it on them. This also applies to setting a firearm down at the range, at home, or anywhere: make sure it is always pointed in a safe direction.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until you are ready to fire.
“Booger hook of the bang switch”. I was once told that as a kid, and let me tell you it is still stuck in my head. It’s what I tell my kids, because, let’s face it, kids (and most adults) love booger jokes, and if you can make someone repeat the rules over and over, you are doing it right. It’s simple: point your index finger forward like you are making a finger gun and lay it against the side of the firearm. That will keep it out of the trigger guard and away from the trigger. Remember, once your finger crosses the trigger guard threshold you are intending on firing the gun at that very instant. So, keep your booger hook off the bang switch and out of the trigger guard until you are on target and ready to fire.
4. Know your target and what is beyond it.
If there was ever a rule that I see broken constantly, it’s this one. Go to the boonies and you will see people shooting .22s and .45s into the same steel target from 10 yards away. Seems like an alright plan until a .22 decides to ricochet out of a .45 divot right back at you. You may also see someone shooting at a paper target right towards a hill that has a group of people shooting clays on the other side. If you are getting ready to go target shooting, consider not only what your bullet will do when it hits the target, but also where it will go if you miss the target altogether.
All-in-all it’s simple. Take some time to reread these and dedicate them to memory. Write them down and stick it in your range bag. Make sure whoever is with you knows them and follows them, and have a safe and fun time with your long-range hole pokers.
Looking for some more safety practices? Here are some great ones from The National Rifle Association (NRA):
- Know how to use the gun safely.
- Be sure the gun is safe to operate.
- Use only the correct ammunition for your gun.
- Wear eye and ear protection, as appropriate.
- Never use alcohol or prescription or other drugs before or while shooting.
- Be aware that certain types of guns and shooting activities require additional safety precautions.
- Frequently service and maintain your firearm.
If you have questions, concerns, or would like to discuss this more please feel free to Contact Us!
