Firearms are lethal weapons that don’t offer second chances. If you aren’t careful when you handle a gun, you could kill or seriously injure yourself or others in a split second that can’t be taken back.
To prevent such tragedies, you must always follow the four universal rules of gun safety. They’re called this because they apply in every context or situation, whether you’re at home or at a gun shop, at a shooting range, out hunting, or anywhere in between. And everyone must know and follow them. Your partner, your children, other gun owners at the range. If you see someone breaking one of these rules, you have to stop them immediately before they cause an accident.
Know these rules. Live by these rules.
1. Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
Whenever you encounter or handle a gun, you should assume that it’s loaded with ammunition and capable of firing — even if someone has told you otherwise. If you’re handed a gun, it’s up to you to verify that it is completely unloaded (or “cleared”). Accidents happen when people assume that a gun is unloaded and don’t check its status. So, depending on the model, you must remove the magazine, retract the slide or bolt, and inspect the chamber to ensure that no ammunition is present. Follow the gun’s instruction manual, and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help if you need it. No one will judge you.
This “all guns are always loaded” mindset is part of being a safe gun owner, and inspecting a firearm to ensure that it’s cleared goes a long way toward showing others that you’re knowledgeable about firearms and respect them.
2. Never point the gun at anything you aren’t willing to destroy.
Firearms are capable of destroying things, so you must always be aware of your surroundings and keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. In many situations, that means keeping the muzzle, or front end of the barrel, pointing straight down toward the ground. That way if the gun does fire for whatever reason, the bullet will hopefully strike the ground without injury. But if you’re on the second floor of a building, you’re risking the bullet going through the floor. And bullets can travel through multiple walls, floors, and beyond.
If you’re at a shooting range, you will always keep your gun pointed downrange, or toward the target — as you take the gun out of its case, load it, shoot it, unload it, set it down, and put it back in its case when you’re done. If you have any questions, ask the range safety officer.
If you’re out hunting, you might carry the gun with the barrel pointing toward the ground or straight up toward the sky. This is especially important because you might have other hunters walking in front of you. If you decide to point the gun upward, just remember that gravity will bring that bullet back down to earth and can injure people.
Even if your firearm is unloaded, etiquette dictates that you still keep it pointing in a safe direction. Doing so shows other gun owners that you care about their safety as well as your own.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger.
Whenever you handle a firearm, you must have good “trigger discipline,” which means keeping your index finger away from the trigger and outside the triggerguard, the plastic or metal loop that surrounds the trigger. Instead, you should keep your index finger fully extended and resting against the side of the gun, just above the triggerguard. This is known as “indexing” your trigger finger.
You may place your finger on the trigger only when you’re on target, your weapon’s sights are aligned, you know what is beyond your target, and you’ve been authorized to shoot and can safely do so. If any of those conditions haven’t been met, your finger must stay away from the trigger.
In other words, 99.9 percent of the time that you’re holding a gun, including when you first pick it up, reload it, unload it, fix a malfunction, and so on, your finger should be indexed alongside the gun’s frame or receiver.
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
You are responsible for every bullet that leaves your gun — and whatever it comes into contact with. This is why it is vitally important that you take the time to identify both your target and what’s beyond it before you even think about pulling the trigger.
To put it simply, bullets travel at blistering speeds, and as I mentioned, they can penetrate through multiple surfaces like walls and floors before eventually slowing down and coming to a stop.
Because of this, you must always be keenly aware of your surroundings, and if you don’t know what’s behind your target, don’t take the shot. If there’s a chance that you might not hit what you’re aiming at, or that the bullet could stray or ricochet and hit someone else, again, don’t take the shot.
Additional Gun Safety Rules to Follow
There are some additional gun safety rules as well:
- Never touch a firearm after you’ve had any drugs or alcohol. In other words, if your decision-making is impaired, don’t handle a firearm.
- Secure your firearm in a safe when it isn’t being used to prevent misuse.
- Wear eye and ear protection when operating a firearm. Guns produce all sorts of soot and debris when they’re fired, and you don’t want that to get into your eyes. They’re also very loud, and even one gunshot can cause permanent hearing damage. So at the very least, you’ll need safety goggles as well as earplugs or earmuffs, or both.
- Use only the correct ammunition in your gun. If you have any questions, consult your firearm’s instruction manual. Heed every warning it contains.
- Ensure that the gun is safe to operate, and if you have any doubts, clear it and let a professional inspect it.
- Finally, always listen to and obey authorities when it comes to using firearms, including police officers, game wardens, and range staff. That includes obeying all posted rules at shooting ranges.