Firearm Safety
Life itself comes with inherent risks and many activities that people enjoy add to, or enhance, that risk. Using firearms comes with specific risks that, if managed properly, are unlikely to happen, but if they do happen are quite serious in their possible consiquences.
The good news is that as long as basic safety measures are put in place the chance of having an incident can be greatly reduced.
General Safety Rules
In firearms circles, the most common safety rules that are often heard are from Col. Jeff Cooper. One of the best variations of this rule set has been created by John Correia of Active Self Protection.
- Always keep firearms pointed in the direction of least consequence
- Keep your trigger finger high and in register until you make the decision to shoot
- Always keep your firearm unloaded unless it is in use
Where these understanding these basic rules is a great place to start, there is a lot more you can and should learn to become safe with your firearm.
Getting good at firearms safety
The best way to learn firearm safety is to take a safety class from a qualified instructor or as part of a beginner skill class where safety instruction for new shooters is part of the intended class.
As suggested in the Training page, you can find a well known big name instructor or to save time and money there are often very qualified instructors in your local area. Additionally, a hunters safety course is always a good option as well.
You may have a friend who shoots and you can get basic safety from them as well. While that is possible, do be careful with this line of thought. Just because someone knows firearms doesn't mean they are a qualified to teach and there are many examples of people who should know better making major mistakes with safety.