Firearms are commonly used for hunting, self-defense, and sport activities. At their basic level they are a tool much like a hammer, circular saw, or even a household sewing machine. Each of these tools by themselves are inert and harmless. The hammer, for example, will not pound a nail in by itself nor will it miss and strike a vulnerable finger. It will only do these things when someone picks it up and uses it. Firearms are no different than hammers. By themselves they are inert and harmless. However, once picked up they can quickly become dangerous and cause injury.
Talk to any gun range operator about safety and they can likely tell you a story about an accidental discharge (referred to as a negligent discharge of a firearm) where someone neglected to treat their firearm with respect and as a result there was bodily harm and/or loss of life to themselves or to someone around them. As a result of these negligent discharges, firearm organizations and range operators have created some easily to follow rules, usually referred to as ‘The four cardinal rules of firearm safety’, that when followed will prevent a negligent discharge of any firearm.
The rules that I teach and follow are the same rules that were ingrained into me during basic training for the United States Marine Corps. They are taught to every United States Marine. This is a big deal considering the men and women of the Marine Corps often find themselves in dangerous parts of the world where they may need to sleep with a loaded firearm.
Whether or not you know these rules, I urge you to review them and commit them to memory. Each one is critical when it comes to safely handling and operating a firearm.
FIREARM SAFETY RULES
1. TREAT EVERY WEAPON AS IF IT WERE LOADED
2. NEVER POINT A WEAPON AT ANYTHING YOU DO NOT INTEND TO SHOOT
3. KEEP YOUR FINGER STRAIGHT AND OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO FIRE
4. KEEP YOUR WEAPON ON SAFE UNTIL YOU INTEND TO FIRE
Keep your firearms safe, but more importantly, keep yourself and those around you safe from your firearms.
-Semper Fi