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(For discussions on politics concerning firearms and gun safety, see Gun Politics or Talk:Gun Politics. This page only deals with non-political aspects of gun safety.)

Gun safety is a collection of rules and recommendations that can be applied when handling firearms. The purpose of gun safety is to eliminate or minimize the risks of unintentional damage, injury and/or death caused by improper handling of firearms.

Gun safety rules and mindset

When gun safety is being taught it is often recommended that a certain mindset about firearms is maintained. This mindset is that firearms are inherently dangerous. This follows naturally from the purpose and destructive capabilities of firearms. The purpose of propagating such a mindset is to encourage those that handle firearms to treat them with respect for their destructive capabilities. It also discourages handlers from playing or toying with firearms which may cause accidents.

The rules of gun safety are an extension of this mindset. While there are many variations, the following rules are those most commonly taught during gun safety training:

• Always treat firearms as if they are loaded, not safetied, and ready to fire.
• Always point the muzzle away from anything and everything which you do not intend to fire upon.
• Always keep your fingers away from the trigger until you are ready to fire.
• Always be sure of your target and its surroundings.

Treat firearms as if they are loaded

This rule is intended to minimize the effect of misunderstandings about whether or not a firearm is ready to be discharged. A large portion of firearm accidents result from the handler erroneously believing a firearm is emptied, safetied, or otherwise not ready to fire when in fact it is ready to be discharged. If a handler, instead, always treats firearms as capable of being fired at any time the handler is more likely to take precautions to ensure an unintentional discharge does not cause severe damage.

The phrase "The gun is always loaded" is commonly used during gun safety training. The purpose is to discourage mental habits such as, "But I know my gun is empty so it's OK." Such reasoning is often found among unexperienced handlers and facilitates accident scenarios as described above. A gun safety instructor can respond to such reasoning by restating the rule, "No, your gun is always loaded".

Point the muzzle away from non-targets

This rule is intended to minimize the damage caused if a firearm is unintentionally discharged. When practicing gun safety, a handler is not only taught to be aware that the firearm is capable of firing at any time, but also to expect that it might actually do so. As such the handler is taught to always take precautions to minimize the damage caused by an unintended discharge. By pointing the muzzle away from non-targets, the effect of such a discharge will hopefully be less than disastrous.

Two natural "safe" directions to point the muzzle are upwards (at the sky) and downwards (at the ground). Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Firing at the ground may result in a ricochet or cause hazardous fragments to be flung at people or material. Aiming upwards eliminates this risk but replaces it with the risk that the bullet may cause damage when it comes down to the ground again. Indeed, several accidents have been caused by discharging firearms into the air. It is also possible that the muzzle will inadvertantly be pointed at a non-target such as someone's head or an aircraft.

Keep fingers off the trigger

This rule is intended to prevent an undesired discharge. Normally a firearm is discharged by pressing its trigger. Modern firearms are commonly designed and constructed such that firing should be impossible except by pressing the trigger. (However, it is taught that this should never be relied upon, hence the rules above.) Humans may perform involuntary motions caused by being startled, by not keeping full attention to body movements, or by physiological reasons beyond conscious control, such as spasms. With this in mind, handlers are taught to strive to minimize the harmful effects of such a motion. Keeping fingers away from the trigger lessens the risk of an involuntary discharge.

In popular culture, such as movies and TV shows, this rule is often violated. These violations occur even in portrayals of characters who would be trained in gun safety such as military personnel or law enforcement officers.

Be sure of your target

This rule is intended to eliminate or minimize damage to non-targets when purposely discharging a firearm. Unintentional damage may occur if a non-target is misidentified as a target or if the bullet hits something or someone other than the intended target.

To lessen the risk of firing at misidentified non-targets, a handler must positively identify the target as valid. If the situation allows it, all of the above gun safety rules are to be be observed until the target is validated.

To lessen the risk of damaging non-targets when firing at a valid target, the handler must be aware of the consequences of firing. A bullet may miss the intended target and hit something else. Even if the intended target is hit, the bullet may pass through the target while retaining enough energy to cause futher damage. Thus, the handler must observe what is close to and behind the target. If non-targets are at risk of being hit by the bullet, the handler may have to refrain from firing.

This rule may create situations that present dilemmas for a handler. Such situations may include for instance a police officer in a riot or a soldier in a situation where civilians are near the enemy. Indecision or misjudgement of the handler's abilities in such a situation may cause undesired outcomes, such as injury to the handler or the handler violating rules of engagement and causing unintended damage. To prevent such outcomes the handler must be properly trained. This makes it easier for the handler to make appropriate decisions, even if given little time and/or put under severe stress.

Gun safety for firearms not in use

Gun safety for situations where firearms are not in use are intended to prevent access to and subsequent discharge of a firearm. Preventing access to firearms serves a double purpose in that it also protects the firearm from theft.

An effective method of preventing access to a functioning firearm is to store it disassembled and to keep the parts separated. If a certain part of a firearm is required for it to fire, the handler may remove that part from the firearm and keep it in a separate location. Ammunition may also be stored away from the firearm.

Sometimes this rule is codified in law. For example, Swedish law requires owners of firearms to store the firearms with the main body, the "vital piece", and the ammunition in separate locations.

A lock that prevents motion of the trigger, blocks the chamber or in any other way prevents the firearm from being discharged may be used for additional safety. This also makes the firearm less useful to thieves as that the firearm cannot be used unless the lock is removed. Such locks are commonly designed so that they cannot be forcibly removed without permanently disabling the firearm.

If a firearm is intended to be used for self defence at home, special-purpose locking devices exist that allow the owner to store the firearm in a safe manner while still being able to gain quick access to it.

Protective gear

When discharged a firearm emits a very loud noise. Typically this happens close to the handler's ears. Over time this can cause hearing damage such as tinnitus. It is recommended that hearing protection be used to prevent this kind of damage.

Firearms emit hot gases, powder, and other debris when fired. Some weapons, such as semi-automatic and fully automatic firearms, typically eject spent cartridge casings as high speeds. Ejected casings are also commonly very hot from the discharge. Any of these may hurt the handler through burning or impact damage. Especially eyes are vulnerable to this type of damage. Therefore using eye protection if possible is recommended when firearms are discharged.

Hearing and eye protection can also be used protect observers, by-standers, team members or others that may be in close proximity of the handler.

Impairment

A firearm should never be used while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, even legal prescription or over the counter drugs. An exception might be made for drugs that are definitely known not to impair judgment or cause drowsiness or involuntary motions, but it is still best to avoid shooting while using any drug.

Correct ammunition

The handler must be certain the firearm is loaded only with its correct ammunition. Using ammunition of wrong caliber or type may result in the firearm malfunctioning or becoming damaged. This can cause the firearm to explode, resulting in severe or even fatal damage to the handler.

Gun safety for children

Children who are generally considered too young to be allowed to handle firearms at all have a different set of rules which can be taught to them:

• Stop.
• Don't touch.
• Leave.
• Tell an adult.

The purpose of these rules is to prevent children from inadvertantly handling firearms. If a child discovers a firearm, an adult should remove access to it as soon as possible. This may include turning it over to an appropriate agency, such as the police.

History and teachers of gun safety

While gun safety in different forms has existed since the creation of firearms, modern gun safety is often credited to Jeff Cooper. Being influential in the modern handling of firearms, he formalised the above mentioned rules of gun safety.

Other teachers of gun safety include Massad Ayoob, Clint Smith, Chuck Taylor, and Ignatius Piazza.

External links

• Controversy over exact choice of rules for gun safety (specifically whether or not "the gun is always loaded" is an intelligent rule).
• NRA Gun Safety Rules. Also deals with issues such as eye and ear protection.
• Eddie Eagle, an NRA program to teach gun safety to children as described above.

• Firearms
• Safety