Rules are for thee and me. With the new year comes new opportunities. In the wake of the holidays, we ought to remember the significance of birth and rebirth. Both represent potential. Potential is the cornerstone of hope and it is in hope that we try to instill new habits, new traditions, refinements and new disciplines. Revisiting the 4 rules of firearms safety is an important and coveted tradition within the firearms community. Consider your new potential with this new year.
Sponsored by the NSSF and Project ChildSafe
Among Becky Yackley’s great feedback on the 4 rules of firearms safety, she places particular emphasis on checking a firearm’s status and stresses that rechecking said status is never a misuse of time. What is particularly refreshing is the symbiotic relationship that the firearm’s status has with handling. Attentiveness, confidence and safety walk hand-in-hand with one another from the first time we’re handed a firearm as children and adults to the moment we become the teachers in our own right.
In addition to this foundational rule, Becky also covers muzzle awareness, trigger discipline and identifying the target and beyond. It is rightfully stressed that a gun should not be pointed at anything the firer is not prepared to destroy. Certainly, keeping the trigger finger clear of the trigger well is a bona fide technique in managing a safe firearm. And lastly, understanding what the target is as well as identifying its surrounding area and beyond is critical, in particular, to the safety of others.
A foxhole is never finished being refined and neither are a trigger-puller’s foundational skills, no matter how tested or how old and to what degree. Receive and review. Have a happy and skillful new year. ~IBR
Here, we spend a little extra time on the pivotal rule of the 4 rules of firearms safety:
Now, obviously you can skip checking if a gun is loaded if you are watching say, your dad show clear on his favorites pistol when he hands it to your husband, and you watched the entire process and decide that you want to see it. But will it really hurt to check? Can you cycle the action and see how it feels so you can check yourself? Sometimes we fear appearing as the overzealous “safety cop” to our family or friends. You don’t have to be a “safety cop” to follow all the rules. You can open a bolt/cylinder/action, just feel how the gun cycles and in the process, verify it’s empty. Teach your children to do this step – no matter who hands them a gun. It’s not just good manners, it’s a rule. Make it your own first rule for every firearm you handle.
To see the rest of the rules that build off of this foundation, view the original post here. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the NSSF’s important program, Project ChildSafe.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
