The "dark side" of Rule 1

[Skribs]

I finally got around to buying a flashlight for my handgun, a Streamlight TLR-1. I pulled out my magazine, cleared the chamber, and put in an empty magazine to eliminate the chance of accidental discharge while my friend and I were taking a couple of pictures of my new configuration. Pictures done, gun goes back into my easy-access safe, ready for when I need to grab it for carrying or if I'm going to need it for a bump in the night.

It wasn't until I went back to the kitchen that I noticed the full magazine sitting on the table. Granted, it was only a few minutes, but if I had not remembered to put a full magazine in, that could have been VERY bad if I had needed my firearm. Thus, the rule "the gun is always loaded" almost bit me in the butt..."the firearm is always loaded" until you actually need to shoot a 2-legged predator, and the gun just goes CLICK.

Anyway, not disputing that rule (and I always treat a gun as if its loaded unless I have VERY RECENTLY seen for myself that it isn't), but my heart did skip a beat when I thought about what would have happened if someone broke in and I tried to stop them with an empty firearm.

 

[T Bran]

Yea thats a scarey thing glad you caught it.
T

 

[Mike1234567]

That's a memory issue and one which I share. You need a "coping mechanism". If it were me, I'd buy a mag SPECIFICALLY for that purpose, assuming I needed one in the future, and put some bright read tape on it to remind me to swap it out.

 

[Skribs]

Good idea, Mike.

 

[Loosedhorse]

The way I think about Rule 1 is that it is meant as an attitude while handling the gun and NOT expecting it to fire: you'd better assume it's loaded anyway.

Similarly, if I was about to need a gun to fire, I'd assume it was unloaded--I'd still handle it safely, but I'd check it (assuming I have 5 spare seconds).

Bottom line: obey Rules 2, 3, and 4 at all times; and in all cases, check the loaded status of the gun and mag everytime you pick the gun up. That should catch times when you thought it was loaded, but it wasn't.

 

[BK]

Simple fix: Any and every time you pull the gun out of your easy-access safe, leave the ammo and loaded mag there. Then you can take the gun to the range and feed it range ammo, dry fire it in your living room, clean it, take pictures of it, etc. When you come back to the easy-access safe, the ammo will be waiting there to remind you to load it up.

 

[Frank Ettin]

The Four Rules are rules of safe gun handling and are intended to avoid injury. So as far as I'm concerned, when I pick up a gun, there is no such thing as an unloaded gun, and I conduct myself accordingly.

BUT we also train that proper procedure when preparing a gun for use, or to carry, or to keep handy for self defense, is to (1) verify that the magazine is fully loaded; (2) insert the loaded magazine; (3) rack the slide to chamber a round; and (4) perform a press check* to verify that a round has been properly chambered. It's a good plan to make a habit of doing that all the time.

As a rule of safe gun handling, Rule One in application means --

• If you hand me a gun, don't bother telling me it's not loaded. I won't believe you and will personally verify/clear the gun.
  
  
• If someone tells you a gun is not loaded, don't believe him. Insist that he not let the muzzle cover anything you value and that he keep his finger off the trigger. If he gives you control of the gun, you personally determine its status.
  
  
• If I criticize you for pointing a gun at me, my spouse, my cat, or anyone/anything else I value, don't bother trying to excuse yourself by telling me that it's not loaded.
  
  
• If your gun fires when you didn't intend it to, don't bother trying to explain yourself by saying anything like, "I didn't think it was loaded." You should have understood that under Rule One since it is a gun it is loaded, and you should have conducted yourself accordingly.

*There are several ways to do a press check. My favorite is --

1. Follow Rule Three and keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard. 


   
   
2. With the weak hand, grasps the slide with the thumb and middle finger on the REAR serrations and the index finger resting on the barrel hood.


   
   
3. Pull the slide back slightly. Something between a quarter and a half and inch should do it.


   
   
4. Allow the index finger to drop down into the space between the end of the barrel hood and the breech face. If there was a round in the chamber, you will feel it.



Using this technique (1) you keep your hand far from the muzzle; (2) it doesn't matter whether your gun has front serrations; and (3) you don't have to look so it's useful in low light or if circumstances dictate that you keep your eyes elsewhere.


 

[Single Action Six]

Why Carry A Partially Loaded SD Sidearm..!!..?

FiddleTown said in part..

BUT we also train that proper procedure when preparing a gun for use, or to carry, or to keep handy for self defense, is to (1) verify that the magazine is fully loaded; (2) insert the loaded magazine; (3) rack the slide to chamber a round; and (4) perform a press check* to verify that a round has been properly chambered. It's a good plan to make a habit of doing that all the time.

After reading the above, I'm curious as to why you don't teach/train to top off the magazine that now has one less round in it? After all, you said (2).. insert loaded magazine (3) rack slide to chamber a round.. and (4) preform a press check.

Nowhere in your post did you say anything about removing partially loaded magazine (less one round that's now in the chamber) and topping it off. Why would you then want to carry a SD sidearm that doesn't have a fully loaded magazine?

Here's what I typically do..

(1).. Load one round into empty magazine and insert partially loaded one round magazine into handgun.
(2).. Rack slide chambering the single round, while keeping finger away from trigger area.. and at that point apply safety (if sidearm has one).
(3).. Don't need to preform a press check because if (after removing the magazine it's found to be empty), then obviously there's one in the pipe. Where else would it be..!!..?
(4).. Remove empty magazine and load to its fullest.
(5).. Re-insert and insure now fully loaded magazine is back into sidearm (while once again keeping finger away from trigger area).

I'm not picking on the above poster.. but am just curious as to carrying the partially loaded magazine.

Single Action Six

 

[Frank Ettin]

...After reading the above, I'm curious as to why you don't teach/train to top off the magazine that now has one less round in it?...

[1] Topping up is a whole new topic.

[2] Some people intentionally don't top up on the theory that a magazine loaded one down is more reliable. Whether or not that theory is sound is another matter, but a debate on the subject would be wildly off topic for this thread.

[3] When and how to top up is often very situational. How many full or partially full magazines are at hand? Is loose ammunition handy? Where are you? What are you doing?

[4] Different circumstances may call for topping up, if you're going to do it, in different ways. And often topping up would be done after the press check anyway. Personally, I like to start out with four magazines, one of which may be only partially full. I start by inserting a magazine, the partial one will do here, racking the slide and doing the press check. I then remove the partially magazine and insert a full one. The gun is holstered, and the two other full magazines go in my magazine pouch. There are other ways to manage it, but a full discussion is, again, wildly off topic for this thread.

[5] In any case, loading the gun and confirming that a round has been properly chambered is fundamental.

 

[Oxide]

I don't care to stick fingers in guns where they could get pinched. I'll pull a slide back far enough to see. Usually, I will rack a gun with it pointed up, and the projectile, if there, will fall out, or be clearly seen.

 

[Ringolevio]

I would think that if you are familiar enough with the particular gun and have practiced enough to be confident that it will perform with a round chambered and the magazine loaded to full capacity (all of this with the type of rounds in use), then "topping up" the magazine (I would have said "topping off", just as I top off my gas tank) becomes your SOP.

Conversely, if you experience feeding problems with a topped off magazine, and those seem to be cured when the mag is one round shy of full capacity, then that should be your SOP.

It all comes down to knowing the gun through lots and lots of practice.

 

[Skribs]

I prefer NOT to keep my magazine topped off. That way, if I want to clear my weapon, I have a place to put the bullet that was in the chamber.

 

[Warp]

I always load +1. I can not, personally for me, think of a single good reason to have one less round in the gun.

 

[OKBOOMER]

Skribs: That's what pockets are for

Tactical pistol class will give you practice in ammo management

 

[altitude_19]

What's REALLY scary is getting home and realizing you've been carrying a S&W revolver with the internal lock engaged all day.

 

[Warp]

Sounds like a good reason to not engage the lock perhaps...

 

[Skribs]

OKBoomer, some of my pockets have holes in them. I don't go clothes shopping very much.

 

[duns]

Sounds like you just need to do a press check before putting the gun back into the "easy access safe" to make sure it is loaded. If you want to keep the chamber empty, then you just need to pull the magazine to check it is full and then reinsert it.

 

[altitude_19]

Sounds like a good reason to not engage the lock perhaps...

Funny how that same thought occurred to me...

 

[MyGreenGuns]

Following rule #1 keeps everyone safe.

Additional set of rules for "Storing Loaded Weapon"
Mine includes.
A~Shotgun
--Verify weapon empty
--Verify light operational
--Fill magazine
--Fill sidesaddle
--Safety OFF
--Place near bed

B~Autoloader
--Verify weapon empty
--Verify light operational (remove if holstering)
--Fill magazine
--Cycle slide
--Drop mag/+1/re-insert
--Place in nightstand (or holster)

C~Revolver
--Verify weapon empty
--Verify ILS disengaged (THR is making me like this feature less)
--Load cylinder
--Place in nightstand (or holster)

I do this in ADDITION to the other rules. Yes these three are always loaded. I do like the idea of putting the full mag in your pocket during the photoshoot. (Surely you have at least ONE pocket without holes?! I dont shop much either, I feel your pain! )

 

[sm]

I don't see a dark side to Rule 1.

Then again I treat my range top as being "hot" all the time. My current range is the smooth glass top type. While it does have a "red warning" light, indicating it is on, and will stay "red to warn" the range top has been used, therefore still hot, or warm...

I do not depend on this "safety" feature.

Instead I treat the range top as being hot, all the time. i.e I don't set anything on the range top, not even unpacking groceries.

It is MY responsibility to investigate and verify the range top is safe, just as it is MY responsibility to make sure a firearm is safe, or "hot" and ready to be used.

I do this with others as well, with my range top, or a firearm.

 

[Jenrick]

"Always know the condition of your weapon system" I have found to be a much better phrasing. There are times when we need to know and verify that a weapon is unloaded and safe to handle, and there are times when we need to know that a weapon is loaded and ready for use if need be. Simply declaring "all guns are always loaded" (or any of the myriad of variations on that) is a bit simplistic once we move away from sport shooting (including hunting).

-Jenrick

 

[Frank Ettin]

I received today the following (quoted in part) in an email from another Gunsite alumnus:

Negligent discharges that result in injury are the result of 1. IGNORANCE, and/or 2. COMPLACENCY and/or 3. HABIT that is inappropriate to changed conditions.

Proper training with the universal rules can only address #1 and #3.

...The great deficiency of much NRA civilian training ... is that muzzle and trigger discipline are not rigorously enforced except when on the range when the line is hot and sometimes not even then. Change the conditions to carrying a loaded gun at all times and adverse results are predictable.

EXAMPLE #1: Trap and skeet shooters often rest muzzles on their toes and point them at each other. They have almost no accidents on the range because guns are unloaded until just before they shoot. ...CHANGE CONDITIONS to a duck blind with loaded guns and the results are predictable....

One thing that Jeff Cooper said ... made a big impression on me. It is seldom repeated. To address complacency he said that every morning when he picks up his gun he says to himself "somewhere today someone is going to have an accident with a gun - not me, not today".

It is well to remember that the Four Rules evolved at Gunsite, which operates a hot range. It is customary to indeed go about with one's gun(s) loaded. And Gunsite is practical training for people who will indeed be going around with loaded guns out in the world and about their normal business.

One might learn shooting in a more controlled environment, i. e., the shooting range, in which guns are commonly only loaded just before being fired. Safety rules and perspectives that might function satisfactorily in such an environment may be unsuited to an environment in which one is out and about in public, doing normal things like shopping and using public rest rooms and dining in a restaurant, etc., with a loaded gun on his person.