Top 5 Firearm Safety Rules

Firearm safety is a big responsibility and should not ever be taken lightly. One of the biggest reasons firearm accidents happen is because a loaded firearm is handled by someone who does not know to handle one properly.  Firearm safety must be taught to anyone who lives in a home, where there is a firearm. Below is a list that covers the Top 5 Firearm Safety Rules.

#1 – Point Firearm in a Safe Direction

When a child walks into a store with glass items his/her parents watch their child like a hawk and remind the child not to touch anything, the entire time they are in the store. Yet people do not always show the same respect to firearms. 

Firearm safety demands that when handling a firearm it must be pointed in a safe direction. That means when handling a firearm it should be pointed in a direction that if it goes off, unexpectedly, no one will get injured. If the firearm is pointed in a safe direction and it accidentally goes off, although it would be scary, no one we get injured.

#2 – Check Your Surroundings

The first step is to make sure that the firearm is pointed in a safe direction. The second rule is to also check your surroundings. Even if the firearm is pointed in a safe direction it is essential to be aware of your surroundings, including beyond your vision of sight. For example, if you are holding a firearm pointed at a wall within your home and the firearm goes off you may not injure anyone inside the house, but someone standing on the other side of that wall could get hurt.

 #3 – Finger off the Trigger

This next one may sound like common sense, but not following this rule is why guns go off accidentally. keeping your finger off the trigger, until you are ready to pull the trigger, is essential to keeping you and those around you safe.  When you are not actively shooting a firearm your finger should be laying on the barrel next to the trigger.  By keeping your finger off the trigger you eliminate the risk of being startled and accidentally pulling the trigger.

#4 – Safety On

Another important rule is to make sure that the safety is on at all times, other than when you are actively shooting your firearm. Even if you are at a firing range and you are stopping to talk with someone or re-adjust your ear protection the safety should be on. 

#5 – Unload Your Firearm

When you are not using your firearm it should be unloaded. This is especially important if the firearm is being kept in a home with anyone who is not properly trained to handle a firearm and/or with children. Children are naturally curious and should they ever find the firearm and try to handle it the last thing anyone wants is for there to be a possibility of a loaded firearm going off.

There are other important firearm safety rules but this article covers the top 5 firearm safety rules that any person owning a firearm should follow. owning a firearm is a privilege and should not be taken lightly. Owning a firearm comes with the responsibility of using and storing it properly.