Gun Safety Rules
There is nothing more important than safety when it comes to handling firearms. Jeff Cooper coined the 'Four Rules of Gun Safety,' adapted below. Memorize the four rules, then rollover different parts of the image to see how it relates to the rules.
The Four Rules
- Every gun is always loaded.
- Never let your muzzle cover anything you're not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target.
- Be sure of your target and what's beyond it.
Mouse over different parts of the gun, below, to see how it relates to the safety rules, above.
This is the Ejection Port.
To unload, remove the magazine and then pull the slide back to eject the round that's in the chamber. If you don't eject the round from the chamber, the gun is still loaded - note that many guns are capable of firing even after you remove the magazine, if you fail to eject the round from the chamber.
This is the handle.
The magazine which holds the ammo fits into the handle, and feeds a round into the chamber of the gun. The first thing you must do when checking to see if a gun is unloaded is see if there is a magazine inserted into the handle.
This is the slide.
To verify the gun is unloaded, you must pull the slide back to make sure there is not a round in the chamber. Always remove the magazine first, then pull back the slide to eject anything that may be in the chamber. Although some guns will not fire if the magazine has been removed, many guns WILL fire without a magazine if there is still a round in the chamber.
This is the trigger and trigger guard.
According to Rule #3, your finger should be off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until your sights are on the target and you've made the decision to shoot. This means between shots, when you are inspecting your target to see where your last shot landed, you'll want to get in the habit of removing your finger from the trigger and trigger guard area. Best place to put it is straight alongside the frame of the gun.
This is the muzzle.
Rule #2 says never let your muzzle cover anything you're not willing to destroy. A good way to develop 'muzzle awareness' is to imagine that a laser beam is coming out of the muzzle of the gun, all the time, in exactly the path a bullet would take if the gun were to be fired at that moment. If that laser beam crosses anything you'd like to keep - like your hand, or your leg, or your friend, or your cat - then you've broken Rule #2. Try to avoid that.
This is the front sight.
You align this with the rear sights to ensure that your bullet will hit your target. According to Rule #3, your finger should stay OFF the trigger until you've aligned your sights on your target.
This is the rear sight.
You align this with the front sight to ensure that your bullet will hit your target. Until you've aligned your sights on your target, your finger should not be on the trigger.
This is part of the frame.
When your finger is not on the trigger, it should be extended straight out along this part of the frame where it can't get into any trouble.