Up until this point, we’ve been discussing the big three. These are the same rules you’ll see plastered over every gun range, gun store and gun show from coast to coast. Here at GunNoob, we like to take a “just because it works doesn’t mean it can’t work better” approach to things so we have added our own set of rules to the big three just to cover all the bases.

One of the rules of the site is “never assume the reader knows what we’re talking about”. That’s not as insulting as it sounds. It’s simply a way of making sure we don’t fall into an “everyone knows that” trap because, frankly, not everyone does. Even if it’s one person that doesn’t know it, that’s enough to justify things. I mention this because these last three rules might seem a bit obvious. Let’s be honest though, ALL the rules seem obvious and yet there’s still accidents. If obvious things didn’t need to be said, there wouldn’t be warning labels on toasters saying not to use it in the bath. So we’re going to finish off our rules discussion with a big talk on the last three rules.

Number 4: Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to fire

If your booger hook isn’t on the bang switch, there’s less chance of it going bang unexpectedly. This doesn’t mean remove your finger after shot either. Just keep it extended and out of the trigger guard until you’re ready to go. when you’re done or reloading or what have you, take it out of there until you’re ready to go again. Those who pocket carry, the desire to fiddle with the gun may be strong. Rule number 4 is especially important here because the gun is potentially pointing at some especially vital areas. Triply-so for those who appendix carry.

Number 5: Drinking and drugs do not mix with guns

That whole “Hey, ya’ll, watch this…” thing is almost cliche at this point. Still, even one can of light beer can have an affect on judgement. The more alcohol you get, the more funny that “Russian Roulette” joke might seem. Also the more threatening that dude accidentally bumping into you might seem. Drinking and shooting is a perfect storm of stuff that fuels our opposition’s fire and it is one of the worst things they can trot out. Do us all a favor and avoid this at all costs.

Number 6: Your gun’s safety doesn’t work. Ever.

Not all guns have safeties but, if it does, you should never rely on it. Its presence does not allow you to skimp on the other rules in any way, shape, or form. It is an added layer of safety in some ways and a false sense of security in others. I’ve seen situations where I was examining guns at a store and, in doing some dry fire testing, the gun still would fired with the safety still on. Why? The safety wasn’t actually on. It looked like it was on but didn’t actually engage. Now, with that in mind, let me recite a conversation I overheard at a gun range:

Stranger 1: Careful where you’re pointing that. Remember what I said about keeping the barrel downrange?!

Stranger 2: Relax! The safety’s on.

Thank goodness I was packing up for the day already when I heard that. Stranger 2 went on to explain that it didn’t matter as I was heading out so good on him. Regardless, never skimp on the rules no matter what. Having a safety doesn’t make a gun any safer. It all comes down to you.

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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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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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Rule #1: Treat every gun as though it were loaded.

If you’ve spent enough times around firearms, you should be able to recite this in your sleep. There is a reason why this is always rule number 1: It is the most important rule. This rule can prevent more accidents than any other rule on the list. The other rules on the list? Those are there to cover you in case you don’t follow this rule.

What does it really mean, though? What is involved in following rule number one?

First off, it means never taking someone else’s word when they say “don’t worry, it’s not loaded.” It doesn’t matter if it’s a gun store clerk or a cop, you check the gun yourself. If it’s a semi-auto, lock the slide back and look inside the gun. Make sure there isn’t a round lodged in the barrel. Same with revolvers, rifles and shotguns. Inspect the chamber itself. If you can angle the gun right to see inside, stick your finger inside and feel the chamber. Try to get your finger up the ramps and into the barrel itself. If you feel a hole, you’re good to go.

I say this because I once handled a gun where the cartridge was expanded. The brass had lodged itself into the chamber and the extractor could not pull it out. Had I not actually inspected the chamber itself, I would never have known that the gun with no magazine and had the slide cycled two or three times by people before I picked it up had a live round in it. Thank goodness everyone was also following rule #2…but that’s my next post. You should have seen the looks on everyone’s faces when I pointed it out. No one argued with me when I said “and that’s why we visually inspect the chamber as well”.

I’ve also gone over another scenario a number of times: emptying/checking the gun then walking away from it. If the gun is ever out of your sight, check it again when you next pick it up. As stated in last week’s post, never trust your memory and never trust your “habits”. Ever heard the phrase “To err is human”? We are human. We err. We err a lot. Just do a Google search for “negligent discharge new story” to see how many times we err on a regular basis.

Also, just because you’re in a gun store doesn’t mean you can relax on the rules. At my local store, the clerks always check the gun before they hand it to a customer. Every time, they hand one to me, I inspect it myself. Not once have I ever gotten flak for it. If I’m ever in a store where someone does give me a hard time, I will set the gun on the counter, say “thanks but no thanks” and walk out because that’s not a store you want to do business with. If they encourage a customer to be unsafe, what other safety methods are they skipping. It’s those kinds of places you hear about a gun “going off” in a shop.

Ultimately, Rule 1 is about accepting responsibility for your own safety. The way you do that is to inspect, inspect, inspect. It doesn’t take long. I type between 80 and 100 words a minute. It takes less time to check a gun than it took me to write this sentence. You have no excuse not to. Keep in mind, once you’ve verified it’s unloaded, that doesn’t mean you can relax. Oh no, reader, we’re just getting started with the rules…

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