Five Laws of Firearms Safety

from Perpetual Preparedness by Gary W Kibble

“Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” - Mae West

Today's blog message was first published on CodeNameInsight as The Four Commandments of Firearms Safety Explained.

There is no excuse for the "accidental" discharge of a firearm (which mostly has
fatal results). Every time there is a news report of someone involved in an
accidental shooting, you can be sure that they broke one (or more) of the Four
Commandments of Firearms Safety.

1. "Treat all firearms as though they are loaded. "
   Whenever you touch a firearm and don't plan to shoot immediately, your first task must be to clear the weapon and make sure it is not loaded. Never trust someone else's word that the gun is safe.
   
2. Never point the muzzle "at something you are not willing to destroy."
   It only takes a faction of a second for a gun to accidentally "target" someone while being moved about and in that unfortunate moment it fires and kills. AWAYS know and pay attention to where the gun is pointing.
   
3. "Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until your sights are on the target and you are ready to fire. "
   

   "When I see a shooter with their finger on the trigger when they are carrying
   the weapon, picking up their weapon, or holding their weapon, I know this is a
   sign of a very inexperienced shooter." - CodeNameInsight

4. KNOW your target
   Never shoot at a sudden movement or a shape in the dark. The thing that moved might be your hunting partner instead of the dear. The dark shape could be your neighbor instead of a burglar. Don't shoot unless you are certain you have identified the target.
   
5. Know what is next to and behind your target
   If you miss your target, where will the bullet go? Bullets don't just stop because you missed. What unintended target will be hit if you miss? If you hit your target but the bullet goes completely through, what will it hit next?

Bottom Line

These five simple rules, if followed at ALL times, can reduce the number of "accidental" firearm deaths to almost nil.

Original: http://perpetualpreparedness.blogspot.com/2009/03/five-laws-of-firearms-safety.html