Let’s Talk About the Second Safety Rule…
Rule Number 2: Loaded or unloaded, never point the gun at anything you don’t want killed or destroyed
When the Doctor Who series started in 1963, the very first Doctor was an old and grumpy dude and wasn’t very likable. Then the Second Doctor came along, played by Patrick Troughton, and suddenly the character became fun and much more pleasant. The second safety rule…has nothing to do with that, really. In fact, this is a terrible analogy. Forget I said anything here. Let’s start over.
Every rule after Regla Número Uno (which is Spanish for Regel Nummer Eins, which is German for Rule Number One) is made under the assumption that you have ignored or skimped on the previous rules. They’re a fallback, in some regards. This is why I say that, with every rule ignored, your chances of an accident increase. After rule number one ALL the rules become about minimizing damage rather than preventing an accident altogether.
You’ll often hear a term that is in many ways associated with Rule #2: “Lasering”. One way you might hear it used is “that person just lasered the whole room!” or “I was at a gun show and that dude kept lasering me. I finally went to a different booth.” This stems from an old trick that instructors use to help people follow Rule #2. Imagine a laser shooting out of the barrel of your gun. This is one of those sci-fi lasers where you can actually see the beam, mind you. You never want that beam to cross a person. This may result in some strange anglings of the gun sometimes and if you watch people who follow the rules religiously, you’ll see them quickly and instinctively turning and twisting their hands to make sure that laser never passes over so much as a person’s foot. This is what you need to get good at: picturing that laser and keeping it away from living things.
The reason for this is simple: if you have ignored Rule Number 1 or if you are at the range or even a self defense situation where you and the attacker aren’t the only people around, you are carrying a live and ready to fire gun. If a gun is fired, you ideally only want it pointed at things that need to have a bullet in them. While not ideal, firing a bullet accidentally at the ground is FAR better than in your buddy’s foot. A hole in your TV is better than a hole in a loved one. The easiest to follow Rule #2 is to keep your gun pointed at the ground as much as possible. True, concrete floors may cause a ricochet and wood floors probably won’t stop it at all but it’s a start. Once you’re conscious of where the barrel is pointing at all times, it becomes easier to keep people out of harm’s way.
Keep in mind, if you are in a situation where Rule Number 2 and its protections have come into play (aka “the gun just went off”…which is a huge lie), you’re in for a world of hurt. You have “done goofed” as is the popular internet vernacular at the moment. There will be some legal issues moving forward. In most cases, the cops will be involved. Often, it’s written off as an accident if no one was hurt or at risk (the third rule helps with this but that’s the next article). Some districts will levy a small fine. Others, you’re looking at jail time or a confiscation of your guns. This is another reason why the rules are important: they protect you from a legal standpoint as much as they protect you and other from a safety standpoint.
Start picturing that laser and keep it away from the living. Your pets, friends, kids and spouses will thank you for it.
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