The Four Rules

Why Each Rule Matters

1. Always treat the gun as if it is loaded and ready to fire

• The most common thing people say after they negligently discharge a gun is "It was unloaded, I don't know what happened"

2. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire

• Modern firearms are very safe and not likely to go off on their own, unless the trigger is activated
• Not all triggers break/activate at the same point or in the same way. Some have a clear stopping point before going off, others are unpredictable
• Even if you aren't intending to fire, a finger resting on a trigger can easily be jarred if the shooter is startled or falls

3. Don't point the gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy

• Gun's are actually incredibly safe, except in one place: a straight line that comes out of the barrel. When a gun is fired, nothing happens behind/above/below/or to the side of the firearm. Even the front of the gun is mostly safe. But the very thin line, that is the size of the bullet, in front of the barrel will kill or destroy what's in front of it

4. Know your target and what's beyond it

• most new gun owners don't know this: bullets easily go through most everyday things. Go on youtube and you can see this. People, car doors, apartment walls, trees, tables, floors, cast iron pans, etc. Unless it's thick concrete or specially hardened metal, chances are very high that the bullet will keep traveling after it hits your target.
• Even in a self-defense situation, you are still responsible for every bullet you fire. Regardless of your reason, justifiable or not, if your bullet ends up hitting something it wasn't supposed to, you will be held legally responsible
• Bullets travel really really far, even after impacting something. Miles under certain circumstances. Look up youtube videos of people shooting tracer bullets at night, the bullets fly all over the place