The "Four Rules"

[bearcreek]

In another thread, https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/dry-fire-practice-without-snap-caps-yes-or-no.821363/ the subject of the "four rules" came up and started to sidetrack the thread a bit. It was suggested that I start another thread to discuss this subject. I do not claim to be some sort of authority on firearms and the ways they are used. This is simply my opinion that you can take or leave at your pleasure. I have what many would consider to be a significant amount of professional training in the "TTP's" for both pistol and rifle. I'm also an NRA certified basic pistol instructor (a credential that means little or nothing when it comes to practical, real world weapons knowledge).

Here's Cooper's "Four Rules". There are a few variations of this but this is the basic idea.
1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond.

I'll go over each one and give my thoughts on it.

#1. I believe this one to be far too simplistic and juvenile. All guns are not always loaded and it's impossible to treat them that way. This would be the similar to saying that you should always keep your seatbelt buckled and your hands on the wheel while in your car, even when it's parked in your garage and you're changing the oil. Cleaning, dry fire practice, some training techniques (this one will be controversial) and gunsmithing would all be impossible if we were actually always treating all guns as if they were loaded.

#2. This one is also overly simplistic and rather confusing for new gun users. Obviously, when the gun is unloaded and in a case we all regularly point the muzzle at things we don't want to destroy. Even when the gun is loaded it's impossible in many cases to holster it without at some point having the muzzle pointing at something we don't want to shoot. Obviously this is more common with certain carry methods than others. Some people object to appendix carry for this reason. Any carry method is subject to this "problem" at some point though. Try drawing from the four o'clock position while seated and engaging a target at nine o'clock without pointing the gun at any part of your body and simultaneously avoiding flagging people sitting across the table or room from you. In many cases, it can't be done. If we're on the second floor of a house, there may be no way to avoid having the muzzle at some point cover something we don't want to destroy. There are also certain training techniques (again, I realize this is going to be controversial) that would would not be possible if this rule was followed religiously.

#3. Again, too simplistic. Generally speaking it's best to keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target, but getting a sight picture is not always possible. Anyone who has done any close quarters gunfighting training will know what I'm talking about. If you can get your sights on the target, then by all means do so but there is not always a guarantee that you will be able to use your sights. Contact shots and the ever popular revolver technique of shooting through a pocket are a couple examples.

#4 This one I am largely ok with. I would add "be aware of what or who is to the sides of your target, and where and how fast it/they may go" to that rule.

These are just my somewhat scattered thoughts on the subject. I recognize that this is bucking long standing tradition a bit and I mean no offense to anyone here. In our CCW classes we tell the students about the four NRA rules, but we want them to remember two basic rules that cover all the bases when taken fully to their logical conclusion. Those two rules are:

1. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot.
This one is self explanatory. When you it's time to actually fire the weapon, that's when you put your finger on the trigger. Otherwise, keep it off.
2. Always maintain active muzzle awareness.
This one requires some more explanation. Active muzzle awareness means always knowing where and at what, your gun is pointing, whether you're in the act of shooting are just transporting the weapon. I know that when I sit down, my appendix carried Glock 19 is pointed at my right testicle. I know that when I dry fire practice in my house, I don't point the weapon at the wall of my kids bedroom, I point it toward the back yard. I know that when I'm doing a three to five yard bound, peeling to the side behind my training partner, that I don't flag his legs as I run behind him. Those are some examples of active muzzle awareness.

Let the games begin!

 

[Ironicaintit]

My dad always drilled these into me when I was growing up.

I don't take them as literal "all the time".
Like, obviously when a pistol is in pieces on the bench, it isn't loaded.
When it's in a holster, or in a case, chances are, at some point the muzzle is going to cover something you wouldn't want it to.

The rules are an easy means to develop safe habits to keep ignorance from killing anybody.
Guns that are treated as loaded, will never fire under the pretense that, "I thought it was empty"

Guns without a finger on the trigger will never go off because of nerves, or an inadvertent squeeze while jumping over a log, or taking a spill....or even just holstering the thing.

Cartridges are your responsibility. From the time you possess them until the time the bullet has lost all momentum, you had better be very sure where they are headed and where they will end up.

And in case all those rules have failed, it's nice to not to have had it pointed in a catastrophic direction.

They're simple for a reason......so anybody and everybody, especially children IMO, can understand them when developing and ingraining habits.

That's just me. Even with my "bug-a-salt", I follow these rules without one iota of conscious thought about it. And that's the point.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Cooper's rule #1 addresses your mindset when handling a firearm. Rule 2 applies when you have a firearm in your hands, not when it's in a holster or a case.

 

[Frank Ettin]

Our group of instructors (we teach monthly NRA Basic Handgun classes) find the Rules to be helpful and quite well understood by the complete beginners in our classes. Of course since we're all NRA certified instructors and we're teaching the NRA syllabus, we focus on the NRA three rules. But since we're all Gunsite alumnae, we bring up Jeff Cooper's Rule 1, "All guns are always loaded." This is how we explain it:

• If you hand me a gun, don't bother telling me it's not loaded. Because Rule One applies, I won't believe you and will personally verify/clear the gun.
  
  
• 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.

Remember that the Four Rules describe an appropriate mindset and attitude for safely handling a loaded gun, as well as specific ways of acting. Rule 1, especially is about mindset and attitude. If someone fires a gun unintentionally, he apparently didn't think it was loaded; but since the gun fired, he was wrong. Anyone one who uses a gun for practical applications, such as hunting or self defense, needs to be able to handle a loaded gun properly.

Whenever I take a gun in hand, I know it is loaded and conduct myself accordingly.

Let's see what Jeff Cooper had to say.

• Jeff Cooper's Commentaries, Vol. 6 (1998), No. 2, pg. 8.
  

  ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
  The only exception to this occurs when one has a weapon in his hands and he has personally unloaded it for checking. As soon as he puts it down, Rule 1 applies again.

• Jeff Cooper's Commentaries, vol.9 (2001), No. 6, pg. 29:
  

  ...We think that "treat all guns as if they were loaded" implies with the "as if" qualification a dangerous choice of assumptions...

• Jeff Cooper's Commentaries, vol.11 (2003), No. 13, pg. 64:
  

  ...A major point of issue is Rule 1, "All guns are always loaded." There are people who insist that we cannot use this because it is not precisely true. Some guns are sometimes unloaded. These folks maintain that the rule should read that one should always treat all guns as if they were loaded. The trouble here is the "as if," which leads to the notion that the instrument at hand may actually not be loaded....

Then as As John Schaefer, another student of Col. Cooper, puts it:

All firearms are loaded. - There are no exceptions. Don't pretend that this is true. Know that it is and handle all firearms accordingly. Do not believe it when someone says: "It isn't loaded."

And at that same link, Mr Schaefer quotes John Farnam in part as follows:

...The correct philosophical approach to serious firearms training is the "the condition doesn't matter" method. This was first articulated by Uncle Jeff in his four rules, but all four can all be rolled together in the universal admonition "DON'T DO STUPID THINGS WITH GUNS!" The "hot range" concept logically flows from this philosophical conclusion. Now, we handle all guns correctly, all the time. We don't have to "pretend" they're loaded. They ARE loaded, continuously, and all students need to become accustomed to it....

A short time ago I received 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".

The current Four Rules grew up on a hot range where it is customary to indeed go about with one's gun(s) loaded and where people are trained who will indeed be going around with loaded guns out in the world and about their normal business.

Gunsite is a hot range. The pistol in your holster, or the rifle or shotgun slung over your shoulder, is expected to be always loaded. So this is posted on every range at Gunsite:

Let's all remember that real life in the real world is a hot range.

 

[AZAndy]

Let's all remember that real life in the real world is a hot range.

That's interesting. I use holsters as a visual cue that a pistol is loaded. If I have a loaded gun lying around, like if I've taken it off my belt to switch guns or to disarm for the evening, I always have it in a holster. That's not to say that I pick up an unholstered one without checking it.

 

[Hokkmike]

#1. I believe this one to be far too simplistic and juvenile. All guns are not always loaded and it's impossible to treat them that way. This would be the similar to saying that you should always keep your seatbelt buckled and your hands on the wheel while in your car, even when it's parked in your garage and you're changing the oil. Cleaning, dry fire practice, some training techniques (this one will be controversial) and gunsmithing would all be impossible if we were actually always treating all guns as if they were loaded.

I'll just respond to the first one. The rest follow similarly. The ENTIRE point here is that if you treat a gun as if it was always loaded, call that respect for your firearm, you will NEVER, EVER point it at anything or anyone that might be impacted or killed by your weapon unless you intended it to be so. In your analysis of "simplicity" your are using the technique of "reductio ad adsurdum". It is a logical fallacy. It is a form of argument that attempts to disprove a statement by showing that it leads to a ridiculous, absurd, or impractical conclusion, or to prove one by showing that if it were not true the result would be absurd or impossible. It appears that you are willing to forgo the basic tenets of safety in favor of semantic argument. Your premise is unsafe. I would not feel comfortable in such a training environment as you espouse.

 

[bearcreek]

It appears that you are willing to forgo the basic tenets of safety in favor of semantic argument. Your premise is unsafe. I would not feel comfortable in such a training environment as you espouse.

What about the basic tenets of safety did I say I forgo? In a nutshell I simply think the "four rules" need revision and clarification in order to be more accurate for adults in the real world. I know where my muzzle is pointed and if we were on a range or cleaning our guns together or whatever it wouldn't be pointed at you. It might be pointed at my leg when I sit down though. I keep my finger off the trigger until I'm ready to fire the weapon. That means that if we were doing CQB training together, (or doing it for real, for that matter), you can rest easy because you know the guy behind you isn't resting his finger on the bang switch. If I need to fire my gun into the torso of a bad guy at a range of 6 inches though, I'm not going to wait to get sights on target before pulling the trigger. That makes rules #1 and #2 only partially accurate. Why is it so bad to revise them to something that is concise and always accurate?

 

[DeepSouth]

I might be wrong, (I have been twice before so their is a precedent) but to me it seems like this entire arguement comes down two groups of people.

1: Those that do not take the four rules literally, and allow for some exceptions. Such as holstered guns are allowed to point at your foot.

2: Those that take the 4 rules literally, and therefore see them as impossible, simplistic, etc... and therefore in need of revision.


IMO, the 4 rules are simple common sense when applied correctly. Unfortunately not everyone has simple common sense, so they are likely a great help to them.

 

[Hanzo581]

Yeah, like others have said, the rules are more of a common sense guideline not to be taken completely literal. But prior to clearing and inspection it's a good idea to adhere to them strictly.

 

[bearcreek]

Yeah, like others have said, the rules are more of a common sense guideline not to be taken completely literal.

So why not revise them to something that can be taken literally? Why continue quoting a set of rules that are impossible to follow or only accurate some of the time? Sometimes I get the impression that the only real reason is nostalgia.

 

[Hanzo581]

So why not revise them to something that can be taken literally? Why continue quoting a set of rules that are impossible to follow or only accurate some of the time? Sometimes I get the impression that the only real reason is nostalgia.

I'd be happy with a rewrite.

 

[murf]

So why not revise them to something that can be taken literally? Why continue quoting a set of rules that are impossible to follow or only accurate some of the time? Sometimes I get the impression that the only real reason is nostalgia.

these rules are for the ignorant, the first-timers, the occasional shooter that doesn't have time to learn the basic gun handling skills necessary to prevent shooter mistakes. all ranges should post these "rules" as a basis for learning the skills. too bad most ranges stop at the rules and never teach the skills.

murf

 

[Ironicaintit]

So why not revise them to something that can be taken literally? Why continue quoting a set of rules that are impossible to follow or only accurate some of the time? Sometimes I get the impression that the only real reason is nostalgia.

Once you have rules with clearly defined, literal boundaries, then you start creating a list of exceptions to those rules.
And again, Coopers rules are supposed to be so simple that even a child can grasp the concepts.

1. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot.
This one is self explanatory. When you it's time to actually fire the weapon, that's when you put your finger on the trigger. Otherwise, keep it off.
2. Always maintain active muzzle awareness.
This one requires some more explanation.

This is what I meant....you boiled it down to two rules, but the 2nd one requires an explanation.

And your revision doesn't include a "the weapon is always loaded" rule, which I think is the most important one.

 

[tubeshooter]

I view it as a distillation of safety down to the lowest common denominator.

The more literally you follow the rules - the less likely you are to have an accident/tragedy.



Remember, what might seem elementary or unnecessary for YOU may not apply to others. Following the rules as-is keeps the most people the safest, IMHO.

 

[drband]

Following the rules as-is keeps the most people the safest, IMHO.

^^^This^^^

 

[AlexanderA]

This can all be boiled down to one thing: Don't be a thoughtless jerk around guns.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

2: Those that take the 4 rules literally, and therefore see them as impossible, simplistic, etc... and therefore in need of revision.

I once had a person take exception to my explanation of how to use a proper sized range rod to check for the presence of a squib:22

1: Remove the magazine and or open the cylinder.
2. Operate the slide a couple of times, locking it to the rear when done or remove cartridges from the cylinder
3. Visually check to make sure the chamber(s) are all empty of ammunition
4. Keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, insert the range rod from the muzzle end of the barrel. If it does not pass cleanly through, there is an obstruction.

OBJECTION!!! All Guns are always loaded and you should never allow anything to be in front of the gun you don't want to destroy!!! Your technique is dangerous!!!

Some people

 

[murf]

Our group of instructors (we teach monthly NRA Basic Handgun classes) find the Rules to be helpful and quite well understood by the complete beginners in our classes. Of course since we're all NRA certified instructors and we're teaching the NRA syllabus, we focus on the NRA three rules. But since we're all Gunsite alumnae, we bring up Jeff Cooper's Rule 1, "All guns are always loaded." This is how we explain it:

• If you hand me a gun, don't bother telling me it's not loaded. Because Rule One applies, I won't believe you and will personally verify/clear the gun.
  
  
• 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.

Remember that the Four Rules describe an appropriate mindset and attitude for safely handling a loaded gun, as well as specific ways of acting. Rule 1, especially is about mindset and attitude. If someone fires a gun unintentionally, he apparently didn't think it was loaded; but since the gun fired, he was wrong. Anyone one who uses a gun for practical applications, such as hunting or self defense, needs to be able to handle a loaded gun properly.

Whenever I take a gun in hand, I know it is loaded and conduct myself accordingly.

Let's see what Jeff Cooper had to say.

• Jeff Cooper's Commentaries, Vol. 6 (1998), No. 2, pg. 8.
  
• Jeff Cooper's Commentaries, vol.9 (2001), No. 6, pg. 29:
  
• Jeff Cooper's Commentaries, vol.11 (2003), No. 13, pg. 64:

Then as As John Schaefer, another student of Col. Cooper, puts it:

​

And at that same link, Mr Schaefer quotes John Farnam in part as follows:

​

A short time ago I received the following (quoted in part) in an email from another Gunsite alumnus:

​

The current Four Rules grew up on a hot range where it is customary to indeed go about with one's gun(s) loaded and where people are trained who will indeed be going around with loaded guns out in the world and about their normal business.

Gunsite is a hot range. The pistol in your holster, or the rifle or shotgun slung over your shoulder, is expected to be always loaded. So this is posted on every range at Gunsite:

Let's all remember that real life in the real world is a hot range.

love that last sentence! that is why "the gun is always loaded" is, by far, the most important "rule". it is applicable 24/7/365. it not only applies to your gun, but every one else's gun. when you think "gun", it is loaded: no exceptions.

when someone presses a finger into your back and you think "gun", there is no time to wonder if that happens to be a finger or a gun or , if it is a gun, whether it is loaded or not. you must react immediately without thinking and react as if it is a "loaded" gun (since that is your first thought) and act accordingly. any delay and you may not survive the incident (if, indeed, it is a gun with a bullet in the chamber, ready to fire).

the only way to act accordingly is to learn the skill of "the gun is always loaded" and learn it well enough for it to be automatic. it could save your life.

murf

 

[LawHoc]

Nothing wrong with the 4 rules. Because They are not intended to be taken literally, rather as instructional hyperbole.

Hyperbole: Noun, Rhetoric. 1. obvious and intentional exaggeration. 2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as "to wait an eternity." Dictionary.com

 

[Coyote3855]

these rules are for the ignorant, the first-timers, the occasional shooter that doesn't have time to learn the basic gun handling skills necessary to prevent shooter mistakes. all ranges should post these "rules" as a basis for learning the skills. too bad most ranges stop at the rules and never teach the skills.

murf

I approve of the three rules in the NRA Basic Pistol Class curriculum:

1. Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction
2. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
3. Always keep the firearm unloaded until ready for use (obviously a carry gun is ready for use)

These can be debated at length as well but I believe they are a good start.

As to these, or any other rules, being for the ignorant, first timers, or occasional shooters, I've seen dangerous gun handling by experienced gun owners/shooter who have become complacent and careless. New shooters or at least those who bother to take our classes tend to listen to instruction and accept correction if they violate the rules (most often the finger on the trigger thing).

 

[stoky]

People that think their too smart to take The Four literally make me very antsy.
IMO, adhere to all four whenever possible. They have some redundancy, so you might be able to cranialy flatulate one and still not shoot someone unintentionally.
Sweeping people with the muzzle, when there's absolutely NO REASON for it, is one of my pet peeves. It seems like it's not so much of a problem with beginners as it is with people that think they're more expert than they really are.

 

[loneviking]

The problem with revising the rules is that, as written, they are easy for beginning shooters and youngsters to memorize. These easily memorized rules, strictly followed, will keep them safe until they've advanced enough to understand that there unwritten nuances to these rules.

 

[Hanzo581]

these rules are for the ignorant, the first-timers, the occasional shooter that doesn't have time to learn the basic gun handling skills necessary to prevent shooter mistakes. all ranges should post these "rules" as a basis for learning the skills. too bad most ranges stop at the rules and never teach the skills.

murf

Couldn't possibly disagree more. The rules are for everyone, even if you think you have expert gun handling skills, it's overconfidence in ones skills that cause most accidents.

 

[Demi-human]

I belive the four rules to be succinct. Any observations of the 'news' would indicate we need rules. There are more than enough people blatantly disregarding any rule or law at any one time.

 

[strambo]

First off, thanks for starting this thead bearcreek! It will lead to a lot of thought about how each of us handle guns and why.

As to the 4 Rules...I think they are great for about 99% of the shooting population (and about 90% of .mil and LE included). For pros in the 1% (and extremely experienced/trained civilian owners) there may be exceptions. For example, all 4 rules were violated yesterday when I gave an AR-15 to my friend and had him shoot at my wife with it. This was Simunition FX force on force training and as a certified FoF instructor, I knew the additional steps we needed to take in order to make violating the 4 rules safe (a lot goes on behind the scenes for FoF to be safe). Similarly, you can bet that a Tier 1 HRT unit will have their finger on the trigger and muzzle sweep a hostage while transitioning between 2 "tangos." But...they have honed that skill to a razor's edge (and under extreme stress) to a level us mere mortals aren't going to attain.

From over 20 years Army (Infantry) experience, I can tell you that the longer the safety procedures list gets, the more NDs you will have, period. (The Army has big confusing "clearing" procedure instruction boards for all the different weapon systems on bases at the clearing barrels...plenty of ND's happen into those barrels anyway!) Once it becomes just about following the steps or rules, the "why" gets lost and mistakes are made. The beauty of the 4 rules is they are simple and easy to understand. If you re-write them to cover/expand on what might be construed as exceptions (but really aren't), then it becomes endlessly complex.

Cooper's thoughts on Rule #1 were covered here, here is what he said in general about #2 in one of his books (not a quote, just the gist from memory). He was recommending dry-fire at the TV. But doesn't it violate rule #2? No, while he does not want to destroy his TV, he is willing to do so as opposed to something living like himself, family member pet etc. He can buy a new TV.

Anyway, good discussion. The main thing is that we all have and follow a variation of firearm safety rules where the end result is that if a (an assembled) gun is in our hands, we verify its condition for ourselves, the muzzle is always pointed in a safe direction, finger off trigger until ready to fire and we know our target and what is beyond it.