Fundamental Firearms Safety Rules

Something as simple as safety should go without saying, but just to reiterate here are the four Fundamental Firearms Safety Rules:

1.  Treat all guns as if they are loaded. - The thought behind this is that if  you treat all guns, even those that you have already confirmed as unloaded and safe, as well as "toy" guns as real guns, you will never have a lapse in judgment and have a negligent discharge.  There is an exception to this rule.  During training, we use red or blue plastic guns.  There are some who are uncomfortable in having these chunks of plastic pointed at them.  Reminder: red or blue plastic training guns are not guns, they are chunks of plastic molded to resemble a gun for use in training.

2.  Never point a gun at anything that you are not willing to shoot / destroy. - This one is pretty self explanatory.  If you point your gun at something and have a negligent discharge, it will be destroyed.  It could be your brand new flat-screen TV that you are using for "dry fire" practice (bad idea) or your partner's head during a building search.  Maintain the low ready or "sul" position when your gun is out of the holster (handgun) or unslung (rifle) until you are ready to shoot.  Walking around conducting a building search while maintaining a perfect isosceles stance is never a good thing.

3.  Keep your finger off the trigger (indexed) until your sights are on target and you are ready to shoot. - Studies, especially the "Enoka Study" show that having a finger on the trigger while "conducting business" can cause negligent discharges through sympathetic contractions, loss of balance, or through a startle response.  If you have not yet read the "Enoka Study", I highly recommend it.

4. Be sure of your target and the backstop and beyond. - Not only should you be aware of your target, but also what is directly in front of and behind the target.  Also know what the ballistic capabilities of your ammunition is.  You may think that you have a good backstop, only to find out that your round went straight through it.

Be safe out there!