The Rules Of Firearm Safety

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By Joseph J Davis - 1/15/2021

Safety is incredibly important when it comes to handling firearms. Failure to be safe can lead to several negative consequences, such as injury, death, destruction of property, jail time, and overall not a good time. There are several rules when it comes to safe firearm handling. It’s important to note that even with following the rules, those negative consequences can still happen, but those risks are brought to a minimum. At a glance, they seem perfectly reasonable. But a closer look at the rules, and they don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, or they only make sense in a specific context. My concern is this may cause confusion to new shooters that might hinder them down the road.

I’ll start by listing the rules that I typically see, and then go back and examine each one. Hopefully at the end of this, it’ll make sense. I’ll also have my version of the rules at the end. Keep in mind, these are my interpretations, based on my experience and research. I’ll be listing the references I’ve used while researching in the description.

First up is one of the many variations of the “4 Rules”

1) Treat Every Firearm as if It Were Loaded.

2) Always Keep the Gun Pointed in a Safe Direction. Never Point a Gun at Anything You Are Not Willing to Destroy.

3) Keep Your Finger off the Trigger Until Your Sights Are on Target and You Have Made the Decision to Shoot.

4) Be Sure of Your Target and What Is Beyond It.

The NRA has their own 3 rule version called “The Fundamental NRA Rules for Safe Gun Handling”

1) Always Keep the Gun Pointed in a Safe Direction.

2) Always Keep Your Finger off the Trigger Until Ready to Shoot.

3) Always Keep the Gun Unloaded Until Ready to Use.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has a list of 10 rules, and Washington Gun Law has the “12 Golden Rules of Gun Safety”. Those lists also have a mixture of the above mentioned rules, and in addition -

- Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the gun you are using

- Don’t rely on the gun’s safety to keep it from firing

- Always use proper ammunition

- Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before loading and shooting

- if your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, hold your shooting position for several seconds; then with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, carefully unload the gun.

- Be aware of your surroundings when handling guns so you don't trip or lose your balance and accidentally point and/or fire the gun at anyone or anything.

- Do not alter or modify your gun, and have guns serviced regularly

- Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting

- Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons

- Never use alcohol, over the counter, prescription, or other drugs before or while shooting

That is the most complete collection of rules for safe firearm handling that I could find. I’m sure there are more out there, but this is what I’ve gathered.

To me, most of these rules seem to apply to shooting as a bench rest sport or hunting, and not a method of personal protection, which is what I primarily teach, or competition shooting. It also seems to be mostly geared towards absolute beginners, but in their current form, these rules might prevent them from seeking out more advanced techniques or training, because they “break the rules”.

Let’s start back at the top with the “4 Rules”

1) Treat Every Firearm as if It Were Loaded.

This rule gets broken every time you dry fire, disassemble, clean, or work on a firearm. If you outright break one rule because that rule doesn’t make sense in a lot of situations, then it’s easier to slip into that same line thinking for other rules. Instead, I prefer to say “Assume every firearm is loaded, until you have verified its condition.” Once you verify the condition, then you can load, unload, dry fire, clean, put it away, or do whatever else you need to do.

The responsibility still falls on you, the person picking up and using the firearm and still doesn’t give you a free pass to do anything unsafe with it.

2) Always Keep the Gun Pointed in a Safe Direction. Never Point a Gun at Anything You Are Not Willing to Destroy.

This one is tricky. It’s easy to follow if you are just using firearms at the range, with a well established backstop, and you pick up your firearm from the case, load and fire it, all from the bench, all pointing downrange, at all times.

It’s more difficult when holsters are involved. With proper equipment and technique, it is possible to unholster and reholster a firearm without flagging anyone (including yourself) or anything else, it just takes some training.

At home, doing dry fire drills is another tricky situation. To achieve maximum safety, I have designated a dry fire zone. In front of me, drywall, a concrete wall, about 24’ of empty space, followed by another concrete wall. Below me, a floor, then my bathroom, then the foundation. The doors to each room are closed, so no one wanders in.

My workbench is in my garage, and my backstop there is a concrete wall, followed by my bathroom, drywall, concrete wall, then the utility room with a washer and a dryer.

I don’t anticipate anything getting through a poured concrete wall, but I’m still aware of everything on the other side, just in case.

With this designated zone, if, somehow, someway, live ammunition got in my firearm, and it went off, whether by me pulling the trigger, or by it truly going off on its own, the bullet would only damage the wall, the floor, or some inanimate object, and not a living being.

I prefer “Maintain control of the firearm and the direction of the muzzle at all times”. If you point it in an unsafe direction for whatever reason, or you are pointing it in a safe direction, and somebody moves in front of your muzzle, you want to be in control of the firearm so you can do things like, move the muzzle to a safe direction, take your finger off the trigger, or engage the safety (if applicable).

3) Keep Your Finger off the Trigger Until Your Sights Are on Target and You Have Made the Decision to Shoot.

For new shooters learning the fundamentals, I enforce strict trigger discipline. Finger off the trigger, out of the trigger guard, until sights are on target, and you are ready to shoot. This is especially important when shooters are nervous, their hands are shaking, and we want to keep the chance of a negligent discharge to an absolute minimum.

As a side note - some firearms require pulling the trigger as part of the disassembly process. That’s why you verify its condition first, and clear it if necessary.

Now there are techniques that experienced shooters use, in competition and defensive situations, that involves putting the finger on the trigger during the draw.

One technique is called the “Press-Out”. I personally don’t use this technique, but I understand the concept. Once the muzzle is eye-level, put your finger on the trigger and start taking the slack out as you move to full extension. Once the handgun stops moving, the trigger breaks. Compare that to, getting the handgun out to full extension, then putting your finger on the trigger.

Especially in competitions, with a double action handgun and a long, heavy trigger pull, I can see why someone would use this to shave off some time.

Another technique is shooting from a retention position, where the handgun is close to my body, because an assailant is right on top of me. I don’t get full extension, I don’t get my sights on the target, because I physically can’t, and I need to shoot, immediately.

With both of these techniques, by the time my finger is on the trigger, the muzzle is pointing towards the target. My finger is not on the trigger while the firearm is pointing straight down as I try to pull it from the holster. That has been an issue with SERPA holsters, as you have to push your trigger finger to disengage the holster retention mechanism. That would lead to a lot of fingers getting on triggers coming right out of the holster, and causing negligent discharges. That has happened so often that SERPA holsters have been banned from several ranges, instructors’ classes, and police departments.

I prefer “Keep your finger off the trigger until you have made the conscious decision to shoot”. At what point the conscious decision is being made, depends on the shooter, and the situation.

4) Be Sure of Your Target and What Is Beyond It.

Know your target, and what is beyond it. Positively identifying your target is crucial, as we don’t want a tragic “homeowner shot their child because they came home late and was thought to be an intruder” story. Verify not just the target, but what is behind it, beside it, and in front of it.

I prefer “Positively identify your target and what is beyond it” to emphasize target identification.

For the NRA rules, 1 and 2 we’ve already discussed, but the third rule is different.

“Always Keep the Gun Unloaded Until Ready to Use.”

For bench rest shooting, and target shooting, sure. For personal protection, either carrying or home defense, absolutely not. An empty firearm is just a paper weight.

For hunting, yes and no. When I deer hunt, my rifle is unloaded until I’m in my stand, and unloaded before I climb out. I carry a loaded sidearm, in the unlikely but potential event that I encounter a predator in the woods.

Consider the situation at hand.

The other rules.

Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the gun you are using.

Absolutely

Don’t rely on the gun’s safety to keep it from firing.

Absolutely, it’s a mechanical piece that can fail.

Always use proper ammunition.

Make sure the ammunition fits the firearm, both the caliber and the rating. This .38 Special revolver is designated for .38 Special +P, which means it can handle the higher pressure +P ammunition, as well as standard .38 Special ammunition, but not the other way around.

Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before loading and shooting.

They should always be clear, as well as inspected and cleaned on a regular basis.

If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, hold your shooting position for several seconds; then with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, carefully unload the gun.

This one I disagree with. Again, for bench rest shooting, target shooting, or if you are working with kids, I can see that. I teach immediate malfunction clearing as part of basic handgun fundamentals. If you have to use your firearm in a defensive situation, or in a competition, and it malfunctions, it needs to be cleared as quickly as possible to get back into action.

Be aware of your surroundings when handling guns so you don't trip or lose your balance and accidentally point and/or fire the gun at anyone or anything.

This rule is incredibly specific, and I have never seen it until this list, but okay. Don’t trip!

Do not alter or modify your gun, and have guns serviced regularly.

If you can do it yourself, then it is your decision. If it’s something beyond your skill level, then I recommend taking it to a qualified gunsmith. A perk to doing that is getting a record of it being done if something goes awry. At the bare minimum, I personally think everyone should be able to field strip, clean, and lubricate their firearm.

Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting.

I wear ear protection. I’m a big fan of electronic earmuffs. I can hear everything that’s going on around me, but any harmful noise gets blocked. Eye protection is a good idea, but some people find it unnecessary for paper shooting. They are strongly recommend, and I require both in my classes.

Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized shooters.

Absolutely. No argument here.

Never use alcohol, over the counter, prescription, or other drugs before or while shooting.

Don’t drink and drive, don’t drink and shoot. Any impairing substance should absolutely be avoided. Not every over the counter or prescription drug is the same. Consider your specific situation and respond accordingly.

Now that we’ve gone through all that. I’ve created my own list of rules that I believe covers safety in a way that is more applicable to a wider range of shooters, and it gets people thinking about different situations and contexts. We need to have a flexible mind. There’s no such thing as a perfect list, and I’m not going to claim mine is.

My 5 Rules of Firearm Safety

Rule #1 “Assume every firearm is loaded, until you have verified its condition.”

Once the condition is verified, respond appropriately. This still does not give a free pass to conduct unsafe behavior.

Rule #2 “Maintain control of the firearm and the direction of the muzzle at all times”

If at any time for any reason the muzzle is pointed in an unsafe direction, control must be maintained so the muzzle can be moved to a safe direction.

Rule #3 “Keep your finger off the trigger until you have made the conscious decision to shoot.”

At what point the conscious decision is being made, depends on the shooter, and the situation.

Rule #4 “Positively identify your target and what is beyond it.”

Be aware of your surroundings. Verify not just the target, but what is behind it, beside it, and in front of it.

Rule #5 “Know your Firearm”

This includes knowing how to operate it, including any mechanical safeties (not that they should be relied upon), how to load it, how to unload it, how to clean and maintain it so it stays in good, working condition, how to clear malfunctions, what kind of ammo it uses, and so on.

I know that was a lot of information. I hope you found it helpful in understanding the nuances and conditions that come with the rules of firearm safety.

- Joseph J Davis

References

Rules for Safe Gun Handling

https://gunsafetyrules.nra.org/

https://www.nssf.org/safety/rules-firearms-safety/

https://www.washingtongunlaw.com/12-golden-rules

https://troopleader.scouting.org/rules-for-safe-gun-handling/

Rethinking The Rules of Gun Safety

https://gatdaily.com/all-guns-are-always-loaded-discussing-the-four-rules-of-gun-safety/

The Press-Out

http://pistol-training.com/archives/3899

https://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2015/12/massad-ayoob-press-out-vs-index-draw/

SERPA Holsters