Let’s Talk About Safety Rule Number 3…
Be sure of not only your target, but what’s behind it as well
So the Third Doctor came along in the series…yeah I’m not even going to try on this one. Speaking of television and movies, however, their grasp of physics is phenomenally bad. Granted, if reality worked the way it does in movies the world would be interesting, to say the least. You could just zoom and enhance any crappy security camera feed and have a perfect image of a criminal. If that fails, you could always create GUI interface using Visual Basic to track the killer’s IP address (translation: there is none. The phrase is pure gobbledygook). Beyond that, shooting guns would be even more fun than they are now!
You see, in movies, a bullet hits its target then stops (or propels the bad guy back 20 feet). That would be so much fun seeing the steel target go flying off into the distance! Reality, however, is really boring. The bullet isn’t going to hit the target with any more force than you felt when you fired it in the first place. On top of that, the bullet isn’t going to just stop when it hits…depending on various factors that is.
You know how cops always take cover behind car doors in movies? Nope. Even hollow point bullets are going to punch right through. They’ve even tested it with doors that were made back in the day when cars were actually made of metal and no dice. It still provided little protection.
What I’m getting at is that a bullet is probably going to go much farther than you expect it to. There are “factors” involved, mind you, but there are too many to reliably predict the outcomes. Things like the kind of bullet used (FMJ vs. Hollow Points), caliber, distance, bonding, material and more will affect just how far the bullet goes when passing through things. Hollow points are made to expand and actually reduce penetration but they don’t always expand the way they’re supposed to at which point they’re really no different from a FMJ round.
This is ultimately one of the reasons why Rule Number 3 is important. While it would be difficult…if not impossible to calculate the trajectory of a bullet when Thuggo is kicking in your front door, this rule still applies in a large number of situations. As stated before, every rule after Rule Number 1 exists solely to reduce the damage caused from breaking Rule Number 1. If you’ve skipped Rule 1 but are still following Rule 2, that’s a good start but just because you’re not pointing it at your cat doesn’t mean you don’t have someone in your laser’s path. A 9mm FMJ round can pass through a surprising amount of drywall and wood before it stops and I don’t think your neighbor would appreciate the new peephole you just installed in his/her living room wall.
This rule is also important for hunters. If you miss that deer you’re aiming at, your .308 round can go a loooooooong way before it stops. At shooting ranges, even indoor ranges with their backstops, you should still be aware of where you’re pointing. Pointing too high up can lead to all kinds of trouble as the bullet could go over the berm (if outdoor) or through the ceiling (which often aren’t as solidly reinforced as the backstop).
Rule number three isn’t just about what’s behind your target, however. It says to be sure of the target itself. How many stories do we hear about someone shooting into a darkened door at night only to find out they shot their spouse or roommate? If you can’t positively identify your target, you don’t shoot at your target. Period. End of story. This is why many are a bit wary of the illuminated sights on some pistols. The thought is if it’s too dark to clearly see the sights on your gun then you probably can’t identify your target either. I’ll be honest, I can’t really find a way of arguing with that logic. Granted, there are other reasons for glow sights but that’s another article.
The ideal method when you can’t positively ID your target is to take cover and make them identify themselves. That whole “shoot first and ask questions later” thing only works in movies. The reality is, there are legal repercussions about that one. Again, at the range, make sure you’re aiming at the right target. I’ve actually had someone start punching holes in my paper before. Talk about embarrassing. That’s the shooting range equivalent of throwing a bowling ball down the wrong lane.
Rule Three, in the end, is all about paying attention. Tunnel vision is always a bad thing and being aware of your surroundings along with your target will not only make you a safer shooter, but it could also clue you in to other threats in the immediate area. Keep your head on a swivel, friends.
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