The 4 Safety Rules

[LaEscopeta]

Rules as I remember them from Boy Scout camp, 30+/- years ago:

1. Always treat all firearms as loaded.
2. Always know the muzzle of the firearm you are holding is pointing in a safe direction.
3. Keep the breach open and the chamber empty until ready to shoot.
4. Know you target and what is behind it, for the entire range of the round you are firing.

The above were taught by the “smack†method, so I’m pretty sure I’m remembering something close to what the rules really were.

I think the wording of #2 is a little better then “Never point a gun at any thing you don’t want to shoot.†First, the muzzle is always pointed at SOMETHING; I don’t want to shoot the sky or the ground, but that’s where I keep the muzzle pointed almost all of the time. I believe a rule that has you doing something is better then one telling you not to do something, like good football coaches will tell their players to “protect the ballâ€, and won’t say “don’t fumble.†A rule to “KNOW it’s pointed in a safe direction†puts the responsibility on me not only to do the safe thing, but know I’m doing the safe thing.

#3 was a good rule for a bunch of pre-teens and teenagers with kerchief around their necks, but of course the new “keep you finger out of the trigger guard until the target is in the sights†rule is much better for all shooters and all situations. (Anyone know when this rule came about, and who first had the good idea for it?)

For # 4, we knew the range of our single shot .22 rifles when fired into the earth berm at the end of the range was less then ½ an inch. It was drilled (smacked) into our heads that even a rim fire short round will travel almost a mile with lethal velocity through air.

As always, just my opinions.

 

[LoadedDrum]

Following rule #2 as some of you prefer means you can never shoulder your long gun in a urban area because there is always something with in range, making any direction unsafe. Do you always know what is on the other side of the wall, not just what was there ten minutes ago, but IS there NOW? It means if you are in a second floor apartment, do not take the gun out of the case because you cannot even point it at the floor. There is NO COMPLETELY SAFE DIRECTION in some places unless you have a bullet trap handy. While some of you are sure your muzzle is covering something you can live with destroying are you sure of what is behind that object(rule 4)? In some places you can never be sure, ever. That is why following my version of rule one and every one's rule three is necessary.

Sure rule 2 as some of you have stated is an extra layer of protection but it is not possible TO TRULY FOLLOW in some areas. If you cannot follow #1 (my version of it) and #3 do not pick up the gun.

 

[Archangel]

There are a number of versions of the 4 (or 3) rules. They pretty much all cover the same principles.

However...

[pet peeve rant mode on]

What I don't get are the people who reject wording Rule 1 as "Always treat every gun as though it is loaded" because the "as though" or "as if" phrase supposedly implies that guns aren't loaded and woos you into handling them unsafely. The same people usually insist on using Cooper's Rule 1, "All guns are always loaded."

To this, I can only say, "Huh?"

"Always treat every gun as though it is loaded." It's a simple, clear, straightforward directive. It tells you what to do (treat guns as though they are loaded), what to do it to (every gun), and when to do it (always).

Yes, it does by its wording acknowledge the very real possibility that some guns may not actually be loaded. But there is no exemption or exception, no clause that says it's ok to handle unloaded guns differently. In fact it does exactly the opposite. It clearly says that "every gun" (meaning every gun, loaded, unloaded, or unknown) should be treated as though it is loaded.

Cooper's Rule 1, on the other hand, is simply a statement. And a patently untrue one at that. It does not give you any directions, does not tell you what to do. It just makes the (false) statement that "All guns are always loaded." Great, so what do I do about it? And if the gun's not actually loaded, can I ignore Cooper's Rule 1, since it's no longer true?

I realize what Cooper was trying to imply with his Rule 1, (which, if I'm not mistaken, was to always treat every gun as though it is loaded, no?) but I'd prefer to have my safety rules be self explanatory, have the gist clearly spelled out in plain English, rather than to expect someone to magically infer the meaning from a cryptic statement. Call me crazy, but I think that's just easier for beginners / new shooters.

[rant finished]

So, now that I've disagreed with the Colonel, I'll be donning my flame-proof jumpsuit and barricading myself inside my home.

But first, let me leave you with the version of the 4 Rules that I use and teach. The NRA rules are great, but don't take into account self defense / CCW so well. I prefer something a little more universal.


Rule 1 - Always treat every gun as though it is loaded.
Always, always, always, whether the gun us loaded, unloaded, or unknown, treat it like it's loaded. It's impossible to have a "oops, I didn't think it was loaded" type of accident if you always expect it to be loaded, and treat it accordingly.

Rule 2 - Do not point a gun at something that you are not prepared to destroy.
The rule formerly known as "always point the gun in a safe direction." Wherever you point the gun (including during handling, dry firing, administrative functions, etc), have the expectation that it could go off at any time, destroying whatever is in line with the muzzle.

I don't use the "safe direction" wording because if you ever have to use a gun in self defense, you will have to point it at another person, and that is most definitely not "safe" for one of you. Which one of you depends on how "prepared" you are to destroy another human being. When your sights are on target is no time to second guess the decision. You must be completely prepared, physically, mentally, and emotionally, to pull the trigger when you have to.

To me, Rule 2 is not just about safe gun handling. If you are going to use a gun for self defense, get training, and lots of it.

Rule 3 - Keep your finger outside of the trigger guard untill you are actually firing at your target.
I say "outside the trigger guard" rather than just "off the trigger" as you can have your finger off the trigger but still in the trigger guard, and that's not safe IMO. I also don't say to keep your finger straight, as that precludes certain weapon retention techniques. Finally, I say "untill you are actually firing at your target" rather than "untill your sights are aligned on the target" so as not to preclude techniques like firing from retention or extreme close quarters point shooting. (another inflamatory topic - please note that I'm not advocating point shooting at distances longer than about 1 yard.)

Rule 4 - Always be sure of your target and what is beyond.
Always clearly identify your target before you shoot at it. No shooting at a sound or shadow that you think is a burglar. No shooting at a russle in a bush that you think is a deer. Make sure that you have a good backstop behind whatever you are shooting at.

In a self defense situation, you don't always have the luxury of choosing a good backstop. Obviously, if your attacker is direcly in front of a crowd of nuns and orphans, you shouldn't shoot. But a single layer of drywall between your apartment and the next becomes a bit more of a grey area. You should only be firing at an attacker if to fail do do so would cause you be killed or severly injured. In that case, the chances of overpentrating and possibly hitting your neighbor becomes a regrettable, but acceptable, risk.

Also, in addition to being aware of what is beyond your target physically, in a self defense scenario, you should be aware of everything beyond the moment that you pull the trigger. What are the terminal ballistics of you SD ammo like? What will the legal repercussions be? What sort of psychological and emotional effects might you have? You must be absolutely sure at the moment that you pull the trigger that doing so is the right thing to do, and be prepared for the consequences.

Rule 4 is unique in that breaking only half of it can lead to tragedy. You can obey the first 3 Rules, clearly identify you target, and still accidentally kill someone behind your target. The first 3 Rules provide some redundancy for one another, but Rule 4 depends on your good judgment. For that it deserves a little extra thought and attention.


Thus ends my dissertation on the 4 Rules. Hopefully someone will get something out of it. Other than a reason to flame me for disagreeing with Jeff Cooper.

 

[GunWares]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I prefer the rules as they are stated by the GunSite folks. I think the NRA version does not adequately cover CCW and other situations, such as a loaded nightstand gun.