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The COVID-19 Coronavirus situation has spiked fear and anxiety worldwide. In uncertain times, it’s natural for people to want to protect themselves and defend their families in the event of any adverse human behavior. The past few days have seen a huge spike in firearms sales, possibly pointing to a large new group of gun owners entering our world. First off, welcome, we are happy to have you. Second, let’s talk about gun safety.
Congratulations on your new gun. Firearm ownership in the United States is a unique experience – from self defense, target shooting, hunting, competition, collecting and general appreciation sit on top of the list of why Americans own firearms. But with great power comes great responsibility and all of the categories of firearm ownership require the same core requirements of gun safety. Let’s talk about the four main rules that will help keep you from injuring yourself or others.
The Four Cardinal Rules Of Gun Safety
Championed by Col. Jeff Cooper – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Cooper
Rule 1
Treat all firearms as if they are loaded. Even you just verified a firearm is unloaded, continue treating it as if it were ready to fire and destroy something.
Rule 2
Never point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy. Always point the muzzle in a safe direction, away from yourself and others. A safe direction is where if the gun were to accidentally fire, it wouldn’t damage or injure anyone or anything.
Rule 3
Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are aligned on the target and you are ready to fire.
Rule 4
Always be sure of your target and what is beyond it. This includes making sure nothing is beyond your target that you don’t want to destroy.
In addition to the four cardinal rules of gun safety, there are a few other words of wisdom I can offer new firearm owners:
Gun Safety: Read The Manual
User manuals are offered free of charge by manufacturers in the box and online. Read the manual specific to the gun you just purchased. Learn the features, safety mechanisms and operating procedures before you go shoot.
Gun Safety: Secure Your Firearm
If you have the knowledge, skills and abilities, the best place for a handgun is in a quality holster secured to your belt. For every other time, consider purchasing an easy access safe or locking container to keep your firearm out of unauthorized hands. Children are curious and will snoop in drawers and quickly find unsecured guns.
Rifles or other long guns intended to be used as defensive weapons should be stored in a safe or or otherwise secured from unauthorized access. Other long gun should be stored unloaded in a locked safe or container.
Pistol Storage – Vaultek Life Pod
Rifle Storage – Secureit Fast Box
Gun Safety: Seek Out Quality Training And Instruction
Don’t assume you’ll be able to pick up your new gun and be able to operate it safely under stress. Find a reputable training class to learn skills and practice techniques.
Gun Safety: Buy Quality Ammunition That Is Appropriate For Your Gun
Factory loaded ammo from any of the major brands will be your best bet.
Gun Safety: Buy An Immediate First Aid And Trauma Kit. Learn How To Use It
Bad things happen. Accidents happen. Get a medical kit and a real tourniquet.
Field Trauma Kit – Adventure Medical
Gun Safety: Common Sense
You can’t buy it online or in a store, but that big melon on the top of your body has a lot of computing power. Use it to make good decisions. If you have a history of making poor decisions, now is the time to self evaluate and take a logical approach to complex problems.
In the end, the best advice I can give you is to remain calm. Chances are you’ll never need that new gun for a defensive situation and in two months we’ll look back at the lost Spring of 2020 as a wake up call for being prepared for the worst.
Be safe and we’ll see you here at The Firearm Blog.
Manufacturers Safety Pages:
- GLOCK S.A.F.E. Program – https://us.glock.com/en/learn/firearms-education/safe
- Ruger – https://www.ruger.com/safety/index.html
- Ruger Blue Book – https://www.ruger.com/pdf/blueBook.pdf
- Remington – https://www.remington.com/support/safety-center/ten-commandments-firearm-safety
- CZ USA – https://cz-usa.com/community/firearm-safety/
- Beretta – http://www.beretta.com/assets/12/29/Basic_Safety_Rules.pdf
- Taurus – https://www.taurususa.com/safety/shooting-fundamentals/
- NSSF – https://www.nssf.org/safety/rules-firearms-safety/
Credit: Beretta
NSSF – Project ChildSafe – National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF launched Project ChildSafe in 1998 (prior to 2003 the program was called Project HomeSafe) as a nationwide initiative to promote firearms responsibility and provide safety education to all gun owners. While children are a focus, Project ChildSafe is intended to help young people and adults practice greater firearm safety in the home. The program has provided more than 36 million free firearm safety kits to gun owners in all 50 states and five U.S. territories. That’s in addition to the more than 60 million free locking devices manufacturers have included with new firearms sold since 1998 and continue to do so today.
Project ChildSafe was originally supported by federal grants provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Since 2008, when this funding was cut, the firearms manufacturing industry has solely funded the Project ChildSafe program through the members of NSSF.
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