Who Can Recite The 4 Universal Laws of Firearm Safety?

[g.i. joe]

Lately there have been too many Negligent Discharges that result in Death or great bodily harm.
My question to all of you on NWF is:
1- How many of you know the 4 universal laws of firearm safety well enough to recite them at any given time?
2- Do you follow them?
3- Do you correct others who you see violate these laws?
I realize that there are at least 2 versions of this law out there, but regardless of which you follow, please respond back honestly with a "yes, yes, yes", a "yes, yes, no" or what ever fits your current status in regard of these 3 questions.
If you are a NO on any of these, make a public statement here, dont be ashamed, but decide publicly that you are going to change any unsafe attitudes.
Here are the 4 laws as I have learned them.
1- Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.
2- Never point the muzzle at anything your not willing to destroy.
3- Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are ready to fire.
4- Know your target and what lies beyond your target.
I believe Negligent Discharges are 100% operator error, and if everyone would follow these laws, I believe these tragedies would come to an end.

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[g.i. joe]

Im a "yes, yes, yes" on this. Always vigilant.

 

[Nwcid]

I believe Negligent Discharges are 100% operator error, and

What about mechanical problems? Is it something that happens with ALL mechanical items that get used.

if everyone would follow these laws, I believe these tragedies would come to an end.

Then of course if you only followed rule #2 that really covers all the rest.

 

[Boomerang]

Yes to all three. And I agree, there are occasionally mechanical failures which count as accidental discharges IMO.

 

[coop44]

Yes to all three. And I agree, there are occasionally mechanical failures which count as accidental discharges IMO.

Largely "it just went off!" is B.S.

If the rules are followed no injury and little damage would result from such mechanical issues

 

[Boomerang]

Largely "it just went off!" is B.S.

If the rules are followed no injury and little damage would result from such mechanical issues

Yup. Totally agree on both points.

 

[Horses are delicious]

When teaching my kids the 4 big ones, I changed the wording on #2 to "Don't point a gun at anything you're not going to eat" and #3 to "Keep your booger-hook off the bang-switch". Only reason I mention this is that I am so used to saying it that way, I thought I had them wrong before I read the "correct" version!
I am admittedly guilty of an infraction on #4 many years ago while shooting across a huge draw. I was an idiot then, like most young men are to some degree. I remember stopping in horror, realizing that I had no idea what was over there, about two miles past my target. Just because there are nothing but trees on your horizon doesn't mean someone isn't walking through those trees.

 

[Muddslinger12]

Yes to all 4 safety is a number one. With all these idiots accidentally discharging it makes it easier for the gun grabbers to further their agenda. Mechanical errors happen too of course but it all comes back on the operator. Especially if they know there is an issue with the firearms reliability.

Its like driving a car you need to be aware of your surroundings. If your throttle sticks do you know wat to do? If not your just a 4000 pound bullet with an infinite potential for energy until its hits something. It is your responsibility to be prepared and trained for various situations while driving. If you cant handle your vehicle DONT DRIVE IT! If your not confident in your vehicle and its reliability DONT DRIVE IT!

It is also your responsibility to be prepared and trained for various situations while carrying. If you cant handle your weapon DONT CARRY IT! If your not confident in your weapon and its reliability DONT CARRY IT!

 

[Cheesemaker]

I know them, and follow them religiously. I go as far as checking the breech after I've been handed a firearm, even though I just witnessed the person handing it to me check it himself. And I teach my kids that too.


I have no respect for those that fail to follow these simple rules. A while back a buddy had a co-worker die from a self inflicted gun shot wound to the chest. He was pulling a loaded, and cocked rifle from his vehicle with the barrel pointed to his chest. And he was a LEO to top it off. My buddy was very sad at the loss of his co-worker, and we weren't, cause he failed to follow very simple firearm rules.

 

[g.i. joe]

Right, If (in the very slim chance) you have a true mechanical malfunction which results in a discharge, Its up to the operator to insure that discharge is not a Negligent one. Follow the laws, especially, as Nwcid said, Law #2 and that bullet wont end up in something fleshy.

 

[Misterbill]

Yes to all of the above, though I follow the NRA 3 rules and add the NRA "additional rules" which cover more than the above.

Bottom line is that if you follow any ONE of the NRA three rules, even if you screw up everything else you have essentially a ZERO chance of hurting anyone, even if you do something stupid.

Being human and therefore occasionally stupid, these rules save me and everyone else from tragedy. As long as I remember even ONE, I'm pretty well safe from my own stupidity. -Worst that happens is a bad scare and a hole in the ceiling.

I've never had an ND. I've had a AD from a slam-fire once on a M-16 in the military -Into a clearing bucket. No one was hurt and the weapon went to the armorer's ASAP.

 

[cueball1214]

Largely "it just went off!" is B.S.

If the rules are followed no injury and little damage would result from such mechanical issues

I was at the skeet range with my father.... using one of his pump shotguns. put a shell into the chamber pulled the slid forward and boom gun goes. Apparently the firing pin was stuck forward. Now of course i had the gun pointed away for people as you should. But there are rare ocations that a gun will acidentaly go off. My finger was not on the trigger. Now of course i would not be point it ant anyone as i load the gun, and i was handling the gun safely but there is a occation...VERY RARE that there is a mechanical issue with a gun, but if the gun is handled right and safely no one will get hurt

 

[netcarrier]

Hi All,

1- Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.
2- Never point the muzzle at anything your not willing to destroy.
3- Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are ready to fire.
4- Know your target and what lies beyond your target.

As to what G.I. Joe was asking. I do use all of the above.
Hope all of you use them too.
Tony Portland, Oregon Area

 

[Jammer Six]

They are not "universal". They are the Cooper Four.

There is another, older set of three, put out by the NRA.

I'm an instructor, so the answers to your questions are foregone conclusions-- but I wanted to point out that there is more than one set of safety rules. (And more than one means that, by definition, there is no standard.)

Safety rules also vary between ranges-- at a fixed, outdoor range for NRA Bullseye, one waits for a cease fire, and then stands behind the red line until the range is clear, and then heads downrange to change targets.

At an indoor, hot-line range, one never steps forward of the firing line, and most people never notice the red line.

The path to real knowledge has many instructors, and learning from as many different people in as many different places (ranges) as you can is a good thing.

 

[Norm0931]

I learned the Marine Corps safety rules, which the NRA doesn't like because they aren't "poltically correct" enough.

1. Treat every weapon as if it were loaded
2. Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.
3. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
4. Keep your weapon on safe until you intend to fire.

 

[g.i. joe]

I learned the Marine Corps safety rules, which the NRA doesn't like because they aren't "poltically correct" enough.

1. Treat every weapon as if it were loaded
2. Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.
3. Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
4. Keep your weapon on safe until you intend to fire.

Rule 4 is very wise. But then there should be a rule 5 for knowing your target. I guess the Military doesn't care where bullets land outside the intended target. Not a good practice for citizens.

 

[Working 4 U]

I have 2 beautiful girls that the Lord has blessed me with they are 17 and 12 and you ask them and they can recite the 4 rules. Train and then practice practice practice.

 

[Norm0931]

Rule 4 is very wise. But then there should be a rule 5 for knowing your target. I guess the Military doesn't care where bullets land outside the intended target. Not a good practice for citizens.

Refer to rule 2. I greatly disagree about the military "not caring where bullets land." Maybe you believe Hillary Clinton and Jane Fonda but, just because I was a Marine does not mean I am some heartless killing machine.

 

[g.i. joe]

Refer to rule 2. I greatly disagree about the military "not caring where bullets land." Maybe you believe Hillary Clinton and Jane Fonda but, just because I was a Marine does not mean I am some heartless killing machine.

Whoa Pard'ner, dont go overboard with that statement. The point is, when you are in the heat of battle, are you really going to hold off shooting if your target is on the crest of a hill and you dont know what is on the other side?
As citizens, we individually held accountable for every bullet.
In Battle, there is a ratio of shots fired for every kill, most people dont realize that ratio is 20,000 (or higher) rounds per 1 enemy killed. Where are the other 19,999 bullets going?

 

[MarkAd]

you can carry your loaded weapon in the car, not on your person if you have your CPL