I’m going to do a piece or two on beginner guns, but even before that, gun dangerousness. Yes, guns are dangerous. They are intended to be so. That is their original design principle. So, “gun safety” is a bit misleading.

A gun is a force projector. It is the evolutionary result of throwing stones, throwing spears, shooting arrows. It is designed to inflict potentially lethal force against other beings, human and otherwise. All the other uses of guns, plinking, target shooting, trap/skeet, all are secondary to the basic purpose of a firearm. With that in mind, let’s examine how we can control that force.

First, “The Four Rules”. When followed religiously, they ensure that the projection of that force does not result in unintended results.

1. Every gun is loaded. Treat every gun that way.
2. Do not let the barrel of the gun “cover” (point at) anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Do not put your finger on the trigger until you are on target and ready to shoot.
4. Know what your target is. And what’s beyond it.

Discussion:

1. When handling any firearm, if you treat it as if loaded, you won’t do stupid unloaded gun stuff – looking down the barrel, waving it around, doing quick draws. How many times have you heard, “But I didn’t know it was loaded!”
2. This means always pointing your firearm in a safe direction. Good example – if you are on the firing line and your gun is pointed toward the ground, is it a safe direction? Maybe. But next time, take a look at where your feet are. Is your gun covering your toes? Another example – some shotgunners have special shoes made with a leather piece on their toe so that they can rest the barrel there between shots. AYFKM? Even shooting bird shot, a negligent discharge will go right through that resting point.
3. As every veteran heard in basic training, “Keep your booger hook off the bang switch!” Literally, do not let your finger come in contact with the trigger until you are pointing at the target and you are beginning the trigger press. This is sometimes hard to do in practice. Think, most every gun is designed to be comfortably held in the hand and the trigger finger naturally wants to go inside the trigger guard. This is why you really do not want to try to catch a gun if you drop it. Yep, you caught it and it didn’t get dinged or dirty. Nope, you caught it perfectly and contacted the trigger just enough to set it off.
4. Sure, you know you pinned a target to the tree. Have you considered what happens if you miss? Or if the bullet is not stopped by it? Where will that bullet end up. OK, is that a deer or Farmer John’s red heifer? Do you know that a little itty bitty .22 round can travel 1500 – 2000 yards? That would be over a mile if you haven’t done the math. So make sure that so,etching will backstop your round.

Thinking about it, if you follow these rules, you will likely never have a negligent discharge. Nope, there are no “accidental” discharges.

When I shoot with someone I have never shot with before, I always go over The Four Rules. If they know anything about shooting, they never complain.

Next up, Guns for Beginners. BTW, beginners never set hands on a gun with me until they repeat and explain The Four Rules to me.