#jeff cooper

This one is for @wilsonbrothersupdates

Recently I have seen several posts which seem to conflate firearms safety with firearms restriction or legislation. Most seem to focus significantly more on the legal and moral side of the issue rather that actually focusing on safety. Regardless of your opinions on firearms in general I think we can all agree that knowing the basic rules for operating one safely is important.

TL;DR: Keep your booger hooker off the bang switch, assume it's loaded, don't point it at anything you don't intend to destroy.

There are two sets of basic rules for the safe handling of firearms which are recognized in most places: the NRA's fundamental rules for safe gun handling, and Col. Jeff Cooper's 4 rules of gun safety. Either will work fine, though I prefer Jeff Cooper's 4 personally.

The NRA's 3 rules are:

Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

The advantage of these rules is they're easy for newer shooters to remember. The disadvantage is they're worded as if you're just shooting on a range, which you may not be if you're hunting or, heaven forbid, you're forced to use a firearm to defend yourself or your loved ones.

For that reason I prefer Jeff Cooper's rules which are as follows:

1.Treat all guns as loaded. 2.Never let the muzzle cross anything you are not willing to destroy. 3.Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made a conscious decision to shoot. 4.Be certain of your target and what is beyond.

Both sets of rules are fairly similar. And both will serve you well should you find yourself in possession of a firearm.

As a final note, more on the moral side of things, remember: armed minorities are a lot harder to oppress. It's incredibly difficult to murder someone for being gay, trans, a color other than white, etc. if they shoot you when you try to kill them.