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There’s no question that a loaded gun could be dangerous. Any responsible person knows this and makes every effort to take care of their gun safely. This is just being smart.

But perhaps not everyone understands the essential techniques and “guidelines” for handling guns and ammo. Here are some suggestions based on my a long time as a gun enthusiast and someone who takes gun safety seriously.

Safety Is A Mindset

Gun safety efforts seek to create a certain attitude and appropriate habits by following some simple rules. The mindset needs to be… firearms are inherently dangerous and should always be handled carefully. Gun handlers are taught to treat firearms with respect for their destructive capabilities, and strongly discouraged from playing or toying with firearms, a common cause of accidents.

The normal sense rules of gun safety follow from this mindset.

Originally Colonel Jeff Cooper developed four rules are those mostly taught during gun safety training. John Dean “Jeff” Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was recognized as the father of what is often called “the present day Technique” of handgun shooting, and was considered by many to be among the 20th century’s foremost international experts on the utilization and history of small arms. Listed below are his four rules:

Treat all guns as if they are loaded.

Never allow muzzle cover whatever you are not willing to destroy.

Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the prospective.

Be sure of one’s target and what is beyond it.

The NRA offers a similar group of rules:

Continue to keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

Continue to keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

Treat Guns AS THOUGH They Are Loaded

Many firearm accidents derive from the handler mistakenly believing a firearm is emptied, safetied, or elsewhere disabled when plus its ready to be discharged.

In case a gun handler always treats firearms as capable of being discharged anytime, the handler is more prone to take precautions to avoid an unintentional discharge and to avoid damage or injury if one occurs. Put simply Rifles becomes a habit and an individual mindset.

Point the Muzzle Away From Any Target

This rule is intended to minimize the damage due to an unintended discharge. The first rule teaches that a firearm should be assumed to prepare yourself to fire. This rule goes beyond that and says, “Since the firearm might fire, assume that it’ll and make sure no harm occurs when it can.”

A consequence of this rule is that any type of playing or “toying” with firearms is prohibited. Playfully pointing firearms at people or other non-targets violates this rule. To discourage this kind of behavior, the rule is sometimes alternately stated, “Never point a firearm at anything if you don’t plan to shoot it.”

Keep Fingers off the Trigger

This rule is intended to prevent an unintended discharge. If your finger isn’t on the trigger usually the gun can’t be shot. If a finger is on the trigger a handler’s finger may involuntary move for several reasons.

The handler is startled

There’s a lack of full attention on body movements

There can be physiological reasons beyond conscious control such as a spasm

The handler stumbles or falls

The finger being pushed by something (as when attempting to holster a handgun with one’s finger on the trigger)

Handlers are therefore taught to reduce the harmful effects of this type of motion by keeping their finger off the trigger before muzzle is pointing at the prospective and the handler wishes to discharge the firearm.

Be Sure of Your Target and WHAT’S Beyond It

Gun handlers are taught they must positively identify and verify their target. Additionally, they learn that even when firing at a valid target, unintended targets may still be hit, for three reasons:

– The bullet may miss the intended target and hit a non-target around or beyond the target.

– A non-target may pass in front of the target and become hit with a bullet aimed at the target.

– The bullet may go through the intended target and hit a non-target beyond it, so called “over penetration”.

Therefore, this rule requires a handler to be sure of both target itself and anything across the avenue of travel to and beyond the target.

Gun Storage

Although this is simply not the main commonly expressed rules of gun handling, Let me add that gun storage Should be contained in any safety mindset. The story of children getting a loaded gun and shooting themselves or a playmate is all too common.

Make sure to store guns in a locked and safe place and constantly be sure it is not loaded. Also be sure any ammunition is locked away. Give a clean, dry and various place to store ammo. Guns are useless without ammo, so be sure to store the two in different locations.

The sad stories of children being injured, although rare, could be the biggest factor in the public’s unfavorable viewpoint on hand guns.

Be Safe For Everyone’s Benefit

These four common sense rules will be the excepted basic mindset and guidelines for all gun owners. If we want the sport we want to be accepted and grow, all gun lovers must take these practices to heart. Following these practices and developing this mindset not merely may save a life but increase the acceptance of guns.