Gun safety - it's not a theoretical subject, it's a skill.

I was going to get to this topic eventually, but now seems like a perfectly cromulent time to do so.

  Last week, a firearms safety instructor accidentally fired a pistol during a class - fortunately, no one was harmed. The gentleman reportedly retired from firearms training over the incident, and I can imagine that his buddies won't let him live it down. Ever.

  The cold, hard truth that needs to be faced is that guns are dangerous. They aren't toys (in the sense that Tonka trucks and Barbie dolls are toys), they are tools that produce a destructive force. Safe handling isn't a guideline, or a recommendation, or something that poncy little jerks do. Each and every person who interacts with guns needs to be fluent in gun safety - it needs to be as natural as breathing. If I had my way, *everyone* would get gun safety training at a young age.




  What's the core of gun safety? Handling a gun in such a way as to not be a danger to yourself or anyone around you. Fortunately, the basic tenets of firearms safety are simple:

1) Keep the barrel pointed in a safe direction
     We often call this "muzzle control" or "barrel control." Do not ever in any circumstance allow the muzzle of a firearm to point at anything that you would feel bad about shooting. People, pets, windows, cars, lamps, all sorts of things object to being shot. An easy way to avoid that is to avoid pointing guns at them. Simple enough, if you keep yourself aware

2) Keep your finger off of the trigger until you are prepared to fire
     Another relatively simple directive. If you keep your finger off of the trigger (usually laid along the top-outside of the trigger guard), then it makes it much more difficult to accidentally shoot something or someone

3) Be aware of what is beyond your target, and ensure that there is a proper backstop
     A little bit more difficult, depending on circumstances. If you're at the range or out with friends in the woods shooting, this one's dead easy to control. You know ahead of time what lies beyond your target (and if you're out in the woods with friends, you've carefully chosen a place with a good backstop). Hunting can make this a little more difficult, as you usually don't have a lot of time to line up a shot. This is why situational awareness is critical when hunting. In self-defense situations, this rule often gets overlooked- but that doesn't change the fact that when you fire a gun, the bullet will travel until it runs out of energy or is stopped. People have been struck (and killed) by uncontrolled bullets well over a mile from their point of origin.

4) Do not disengage the safety until you are ready to fire
     Still simple. Most firearms have one (or more) safety interlock systems designed to prevent them from going off until the shooter intends to fire the weapon. Ensure that you are familiar with the safeties on the gun you're using, and keep it turned on until you're ready. If you aren't sure if the safety is on, assume it is not and double-check it. If you ARE sure that the safety is on, assume that it is not and double-check it.

5) Assume that any gun you pick up is loaded, cocked, and the safety is off
     This is the first rule that our otherwise erstwhile firearms instructor broke. He thought that the 1911 he was handling was unloaded, and it wasn't. It was loaded, the hammer was cocked, and the safety was off. His failure to check for a round in the chamber led to a cascade of failures, resulting in an accidental discharge and his retirement. Always assume that every gun is loaded - even if you have verified otherwise.

6) Make sure that all firearms are secured when not in use
     Last one, terribly easy to do. When storing your guns, make sure they're someplace that's going to keep them out of trouble's way. A locked cabinet or a gun safe is an excellent way to prevent an accidental tragedy in the home.

That's it. That's pretty much all it takes to avoid accidents with firearms. Six little, simple rules to follow.

  I feel bad for the guy in the story, I think about what it must have felt like in the seconds after the gun went off and I really feel bad for him; but what an excellent object lesson in the importance of remembering - and following - all of the rules. Every single one of them is important. Every single one of them exists for a reason.

  In my estimation, rules 1, 3, and 5 are the hardest for new shooters to remember, mainly because they are ACTIVE things that you do with a gun and have to remember. It seems like so much that you have to juggle in your mind at first, that things slip; it's the active rules that are easiest to break. 

  You're going to break the rules, sometimes. Everyone does. But the more you practice, and the more you remember to follow each one of them EVERY time you handle a gun, the less often that you'll break them, the faster you'll realize it, and the quicker you'll recover.

  The more ingrained in you that these rules become, the more they're a second nature, the smaller the likelihood that you're going to have an accident. With firearms, there are far more tragic accidents than comedic ones.