If you are a gun owner, you are surely already familiar with the 4 rules of guns safety. But here they are again, just in case:
- All guns are always loaded.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target.
- Identify your target, and what is behind it.
Since 60% of gun-related deaths in the US are suicides, and because guns are dangerous machines just like a car (1.35 million US deaths per year), chainsaw (28,000 injuries per year), or lawnmower (80,000 injuries per year, 70 deaths), we add a fifth rule:
Be aware of your mental state, and don’t handle guns if you are impaired.
But for people who already have a good handle on those rules, here are some additional tips that will help you stay safe with your firearms. We are aware that several of these recommendations are controversial among American gun owners; we are also aware that we’re right. 😉
Use the “safety finger” no matter what you are doing.
The third rule of gun safety is to keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. Practically speaking, this means using the “safety finger” — keeping your trigger finger straight, pointed toward the direction that the gun is pointed, resting on the frame of the gun. We often point out that your finger is by far the most important safety device. However, a huge part of competent operation of a firearm involves muscle memory, and a gun isn’t the only thing in your life that has a trigger. If you own guns, or even if you’re planning to get one, you should be using the safety finger with everything — I mean your drill, bottles of glass cleaner, spray paint that has a trigger, and even your infrared thermometer (if you have one of those). That way, you are developing and maintaining safe muscle memory. When people accidentally pull a trigger, they typically don’t even realize that their finger was on the trigger — that’s muscle memory.
Use a holster.
While the gun itself is the most expensive part of purchasing a firearm, there’s a lot of other stuff that you need. We encourage you to include a holster in your initial gun purchase even if you only plan to use the gun for home defense. It’s an extra layer of safety between your finger (or some other object) and that trigger. If your gun isn’t in your hand, and it isn’t in a secured container, it should be in a holster. Carrying in a bag or pocket without a holster creates the opportunity for something to get into the trigger guard; fortunately, there are holsters that fit inside a bag or pocket.
Secure the gun.
Another gun-related expense that people overlook is a way to secure the gun when you don’t have it with you. Since most first-time gun owners purchase a handgun (we suggest that you start with a long gun), that can mean a very inexpensive locking box. This keeps it out of the hands of both children and criminals. It might make sense to buy a gun safe before you have the gun — a gun safe can be a great place to keep other items that need to be secure. If you have a gun that you don’t want to have on you, but you also want to be able to get to quickly, there are storage devices for quick access.
Choose the right kind of holster for your application.
The correct holster holds the gun in a rigid covering (usually kydex) that completely protects the trigger from fingers and foreign objects. While part of the holster can be leather, the part that actually covers the gun should not be leather — even rigid leather can change shape and end up in your trigger guard, causing a negligent discharge. A concealed-carry holster should have passive (friction) retention only. An open carry holster should have some kind of mechanical release mechanism. Read up on the safety of any mechanical release mechanism before you buy — some of them are associated with negligent discharges. In terms of how to carry your gun concealed, that depends a lot on you; be prepared to buy a lot of holsters before you find the right solution for you.
Draw fast, re-holster slow.
Re-holstering errors are one of the most common types of negligent discharges, and are always a severe danger to the shooter (and a lesser danger to bystanders). A re-holstering error can result in a bullet in your leg, your ass, or your genitals depending on how you carry. Therefore, when you re-holster, stop, look at the holster to make sure it is clear, make sure your finger is safe, and slowly re-insert the gun into the holster. If you have a gun with a manual mechanical safety (we recommend that you do not), make sure you’re getting that safety to the correct position before re-holstering — not as part of the re-holstering itself. If you have a gun with a hammer (we recommend striker-fired), ride that hammer with your thumb to make sure it doesn’t move as you holster the gun. If conditions are dangerous enough that you do not feel safe eyeballing the holster thoroughly while you re-holster, then it is not safe to re-holster at all.
Do not stage guns.
In the way, way back, in the long ago, people used to “stage” guns around the place where they lived or worked instead of carrying a gun on their person. The idea was that this would be faster than trying to draw and would free you from the uncomfortable feeling of carrying a gun. And let’s be honest — it can make people there with you uncomfortable, too. However, we now understand that staging guns prevents you from having total control of all those guns, creating the opportunity for unauthorized people to access them — that includes keeping a gun in your car or truck. The new way is to keep the gun (or guns) on your person whenever possible. Yes, this means wearing a gun around the house or workplace. It may seem awkward at first, but it’s the more responsible option, and people will get used to it pretty quickly — especially if you explain the hazards of the alternative. I’m guessing that this recommendation is going to cause some people to get particularly bent out of shape, but the only real problem with it is the existence of gun-free zones, which essentially force you to store a gun in your car or go without it.
Know the status of your weapon.
The first rule of gun safety is that all guns are always loaded, but there might be a situation where you need the gun to be loaded, but it is not. That could really ruin your day. Make sure you know that your gun really is loaded. The best way to do that is to learn how to do a “press check” which is where you slightly pull back the slide to reveal the brass of the cartridge case without ejecting the cartridge out of the gun. This is something you should practice with a dummy round (snap cap) before trying it with live rounds.
Pass guns between people safely.
Before you hand a gun to someone, you should check it to make sure it is not loaded. We don’t recommend handing another person a loaded gun — not even in a holster — but regardless, you should report the status of the gun to the other person and make sure they understood what you said. If you are receiving a gun from someone, check that gun again so that you know the status of the gun.
Let your kids touch your guns.
Children are naturally curious, and if they’re curious about your guns, they’ll eventually manage to touch them. Making something forbidden makes it more appealing not just to kids, but to adults as well. If you are there to make the gun safe, supervise while the kid is touching it, and then enforce good hand washing after, you are increasing the chances that a child will have safer interactions with guns in the future. Children should never have unsupervised access to firearms, and you must consult with a child’s legal guardian before you let them touch a gun (if you’re not that person).