Gun Safety Rules from the NRA

The National Rifle Association has published an excellent list of gun safety rules. The first four gun safety rules are exceptionally important: 1) ALWAYS Keep Your Gun Pointed In A Safe Direction. 2) ALWAYS Keep Your Finger Off of the Trigger Until Ready to Shoot, 3) ALWAYS Keep Your Gun Unloaded Until Ready To Fire, and 4) Know Your Target and What Lies Beyond. These rules are discussed extensively in the Associated Content Article "Four Fundamental Rules of Gun Safety" and at the NRA website.

The first four gun safety rules are very big. But, little things can also add up to big problems when it comes to gun safety. The next eight NRA gun safety rules are also very important for avoiding negligent discharges and other firearms mishaps. This article will run down these remaining gun safety rules (starting with rule #5) and provide some practical insights:

5. Know how to use the gun safely. There are a many different kinds of actions, safeties, magazine releases, take-down buttons, and other mechanisms on firearms. Even experienced shooters can be surprised by features of a firearm that they are unfamiliar with. If you don't know how to operate a particular firearm, you'll need to seek out instruction. If you are stymied by a particular firearm, be aware that most firearms companies offer free manuals that cover their firearms. Guns are one area where even the most macho need to read their owners manual.

6. Be sure your gun is safe to operate. You need to make sure that your firearm is well-maintained and will operate properly. If you have an antique firearm, you will want to get it inspected by a gunsmith before you fire it. Firearms are built to fairly tight tolerances and when can get dangerous when they are worn out. For example, headspace is the space between the base of a cartridge and the bolt of a rifle. If the headspace is too great, your gun could fail and cause injury.

7. Use only correct ammunition for your gun. If you don't use the correct ammunition for your gun, it could explode and cause serious injury to you as a shooter and bystanders. You could put an eye out or worse. As a best practice, you should only have one gun on your shooting table at the range at one time. Then, you should make sure you only have the one correct type of ammunition open for that firearm at any given time on your shooting table. Otherwise, you could inadvertently grab the wrong ammunition and try to chamber it in your firearm.

8. Wear eye and ear protection as appropriate. Guns are loud. Gun smoke particles can be irritating to the eyes. Semi-automatic weapons eject spent shells forcefully. If that's not enough, if somebody near you violates Rules #6 or #7, pieces of gun could come flying at you. In any case, you'll be glad to have safety glasses on.

9. Never use alcohol or over-the-counter, prescription, or other drugs before or while shooting. You need all your mental faculties when shooting. You can't be drowsy or drunk or impaired in any way. Many Americans take medications for aches and pains, but many of these medications can make you drowsy or worse.

10. Store guns so that they are not accessible to unauthorized persons. You want to keep guns away from your kids and your idiot friends. If you have a friend who is prone to horseplay and stupidity, keep him away from your guns.

11. Be aware that certain types of guns and many shooting activities require additional safety precautions. For example, western-style cowboy action shooters have additional safety rules for quick draw contests and other types of competition.

12. Cleaning. By regularly cleaning your firearms, you'll help ensure that the action operates correctly and that your gun barrel is free of obstructions. Regularly cleaning your firearm will aslo help you notice problems that need maintenance. Of course, you must be absolutely certain that your firearm is unloaded before cleaning it. Check and verify that it is unloaded at least three times before you start cleaning your weapon. Remember that even if you remove a magazine from a firearm, a round could still be in the chamber and many guns can still potentially fire in that condition.

Sources: National Rifle Association, (http://www.nrahq.org/education/guide.asp )