Why YSK: Even if you don’t own a gun, there is a chance you can encounter one at the home of a friend or family member. These are the four core rules of gun safety, but the same can be used with airsoft/paintball guns, nerf or even chemical spray bottles!
First, treat every firearm as if it were loaded. Even if it was clear the last time you saw it. If looking at a gun with someone else and they assure you it’s not loaded, you can respectfully ask them to clear it in front of you before you handle it yourself.
Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. Pretend there is a lazer beam coming from the barrel. Don’t let that “beam” point at anyone. That is known as “flagging”. In nearly all cases keeping the barrel pointing down between your feet is a good move.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. This includes the whole trigger guard area. Most people keep their finger on the frame well above the trigger guard, pointing their finger in the same direction as the barrel. This is known as “trigger discipline”.
Finally be sure of your target and what’s behind it. Bullets can still travel a long way even after they pass through a target. If you are target shooting make sure there is a solid backstop. If in a real life situation you must positively ID the threat, no shooting at shadows or noises.
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Lastly, secure your firearms you uncultured swines that don’t.
Not only for your safety, but the safety of your children if you have some. I hate that people don’t follow this rule.
Saw an article recently about this 10 year old who shot his dad in the head while the dad slept next to the mother. Kid found the key to the gun storage when searching for the Nintendo Switch his dad took away from him, and he was angry at the dad, found the gun… Now he has no dad. Mom woke up to a loud bang and the sound of liquid pouring on the floor.
Devastating read. Really tragic.
That’s horrible! That’s why I went for a safe with a fingerprint reader. Easier access for me and harder access for the kids.
This is the way. Store your ammo separately too.
Where I grew up you had to store weapons in two distinct places, like part of the firing mechanism in one.
But I’m not usanian so I don’t need to dream about grabbing a GUN and fight off The Bad Guys. I don’t even have a firearm.
Does that come with a backup generator in case they cut off electricity?
It doesn’t need backup power. It’s just a small gun safe for a pistol.
Does it have its own battery then? What does the fingerprint reader use to draw power?
It has disposable batteries and a charging port. It’s similar to this model.
Boy he’ll really regret using an electronic safe when the world runs entirely out of batteries for six straight months
I’m thinking if that happens, there will be enough reason since a while back to already have taken the gun out 😅
They come with keys too, lol.
Thieves love those. Just by looking at it, you know there’s a gun in there. They’re light and small enough you can pick up and steal the whole thing, no problem. Then, you can smash it open when you get somewhere else with no tools required. If you spike it like a football with both hands onto concrete and concentrate the force onto one of the lid’s corners, it’ll pop right open after a few tries. Most of the hinges can also be easily attacked if you have some basic tools and need to be quiet.
also the safety of the children and general community what live around you (if they enter into your calculations). when i was growing up, the neighbor was a professor at the prestigious university down the way. they thought it was enough to teach their kid gun safety and store the gun in a safe place in their room and for their house it was. problem was some dipshit who wanted to roll with the norteños across the way. broke into the professor’s place, took their gun, shot at some other dipshits and was fortunately a terrible shot. ditched the gun, the police recovered it and brought it back. fortunately we were already paying our bribes so when they came around asking and i told them i didn’t know, they believed me (they knew my tells already when i lied: we played poker for halloween candy thursdays after
karatebribe practice and i suuuucked at poker😘)
Average Aussie here… aside from on the hip of a police officer, the blokes moving money or on video, I haven’t even seen a gun in over 20 years… good post for those who do hang around guns though
Because guns are ubiquitous in the US, I taught our son, and his friends these rules as soon as they were able to understand and remember them, e.g. 10-13 years old. This is because should they encounter guns somewhere they need to immediately know if those firearms are being handled safely. And I told them to immediately leave the area to f they ever come across people handling guns in an unsafe manner.
Unfortunately here in the US it’s increasingly pertinent information. It makes me want to pack up my family and leave to somewhere sane (er).
Guns are still a thing here in Australia. It’s just more balanced and reasonable than the USA.
My town has a shooting club, game reserves and is surrounded by farms. Seasonally we wake up to the sound of gunfire in the distance from hunters.
I’ve known professional people in the heart of our biggest cities who love nothing more than to head out bush and shoot feral animals when they can.
You won’t stumble onto a firearm at your kids school for obvious reasons but there could be some under lock and key in a gun safe at your mates house. It’s not unreasonable to know some basics.
That sounds exactly what it’s like where I live, in the USA!!! Big country, many different laws. I live in New Jersey, which has some of the strictests gun laws in the country, and wouldn’t you know it, we also have the least amount of gun violence in the country. Imagine that?
The US isn’t a homogenized wild west, there is a lot of nuance, and I don’t like where I live being lumped in with some of the less civilized places.
It’s an extreme outlier, but you guys did just have a very well-publicized mass shooting there barely over a month ago (fuck man, it feels so much longer than that)
And to boot, a random civilian struggled with and took a gun from one of the attackers.
You probably won’t find yourself in that kind of situation, and I certainly hope you never do. But these kinds of things can happen anywhere. I’m quite certain that Ahmed el-Ahmed didn’t have “hold a gun” on his to-do list that day, but nonetheless it happened, however briefly.
And if you ever do find yourself in that kind of situation, it’s best to know how not to hurt yourself or others with that gun you’ve unexpectedly come into possession of.
I live in TX. I see more guns going Home Depot than a military parade
Even if you don’t like guns or even want to be around firearms, this is incredibly important information to understand. We live in a world of violence and weapons. Understanding how they work is important or at the very least how to not kill someone accidentally because you were ignorant.
If you see someone ignoring these rules, you know to look out, say something, or act. Whichever is the appropriate action. And, God forbid (or whateveryou might believe), you have to use a firearm, you understand the important rules of gun safety. Remember, you have to screw up multiple of the rules to cause a real deadly incident, if the gun goes off because your a dummy and put your finger on the trigger, but you had it pointed to the ground then likely everyone is okay and you are just an idiot. Safety first, always
Another rule - If you’re actually firing a gun and never have, only load one bullet. I’ve seen plenty of videos where someone fires a second accidental shot because they weren’t ready for the recoil. More of an issue with bigger caliber guns but firearm negligence can be fatal so don’t fuck about.
That’s why clay pigeon shooters only load one cartridge at the time and only once it’s their turn.
I have never once seen this in a controlled range environment.
Modification to the first one, at least for me — I don’t care if I literally just watched you check it in front me of me before handing it over, I’m still checking. Always. I would expect others to do the same. First, it is just a reassurance, and second, it shows I actually know how to check it myself.
Finally, I didn’t see it listed, but keep the safety on until you’re ready. This kinda goes with the “keep finger off trigger” rule, in that it offers an extra degree of protection.
Agreed, but I think they meant if you don’t know how to clear it.
When I got my gun, first thing I taught my wife was how to check and clear it. Then we played a game: check, clear, rack, pass. No magazine or rounds involved. So I’d get it from her, lock the slide back, check the magazine well, check the barrel from the top, hold it up to the light (trigger finger on the frame), then rack the slide, and pass it back — muzzle aimed down, as one does.
Oh goddess yes. Handed a revolver (cylinder out to show it was empty) to a friend who is ex-military and was a designated sharpshooter … back in the 70s …
He proceeded to play with the cylinder and then flick it closed, because that’s how they do it in the movies >:-(
If you don’t really know how to handle a gun you should say so, and let the owner walk you through how to handle it … assuming they actually follow the golden rules.
I agree and I do the same! Like others have said this is for someone who might have just learned the 4 safety rules for the first time and I didn’t want to dive into that just yet
This just happened. Could not ask for better.
And now, for the obligatory drivel:
I live in one of the countries where more guns are owned and kept by civilians in Europe and the times I’ve seen one, it was on a police officer belt or on a museum.
Portugal (I was surprised when I learned this) has a lot of guns in civilian hands, mostly small handguns and hunting rifles, mostly shotguns and carabines.
The average hunter - I live in a somewhat rural area - stores guns empty, with trigger locks in place. And having more than one gun requires a gun safe, that is routinely inspected by police. Handguns have to be stored in lock boxes or safes unloaded. Ammunition must be stored separately and outside a minimal range of the guns.
Secret storage compartments are forbidden. Open carry is forbidden. Concealed carry is mostly standard here but manifesting it, with no reason, is a serious crime.
Gun violence is not rampant here, regardless what sensationalist news outlets and social networks desinformation campaigns try to do.
Most people never see a gun their entire life and if confronted with one will instantly call the police for safe removal.
So… I appreciate this kind of topic but it always strikes me as unnecessary for the average reality.
When I was about 12 or so, my father, who was just really bad at like, everything, and was always inebriated… was checking something on the 12-gauge he kept in the house, he decided to sit next to me on my bed to fiddle with the thing and of course, he pulls the trigger and it goes off.
Fortunately it was pointed away from me, and fortunately there was nobody else in the house at the time, so it just took a large chunk out of the wall and not a family member, but it was startling on a level that shook me for life, and whether he meant to teach the lesson or not, I sure as shit learned the rules of firearms from that incident.
It also makes me call BS on at least the “saving private ryan” part of the 4chan post. There’s no way you will mistake an actual firearm going off for any kind of media or recording.
Honest question: Why is open carry forbidden, but concealed carry can be okay in certain contexts? The idea of being coy about whether or not one has a gun seems more alarming than somebody unquestionably having a gun that everyone can see. Not brandishing it, but rather just being honest and open with everyone about the idea that you’re carrying a gun seems less upsetting to me than the unanswered question of who might possibly have a hidden gun on them if they had that special kind of feeling when they woke up this morning.
A visible weapon generates discomfort. Unless on a police agent, nobody likes to see a gun here. It’s a threat. Hence the default for concealed carry.
Knowing that concealed guns are out there keeps the bad guys guessing, open carry scares normal people are makes it easier for the bad guys to get the drop on lawful carriers
For the vast majority of people that conceal carry a gun, the goal is still to be peaceful and avoid trouble. They want to live life as they normally would just with that extra training and capability. Some do it for personal reasons (stalkers, violent exes and so on) or because their area is generally sketchy. Sometimes it’s just a preference. You usually don’t hear about them because on average they are responsible.
Open carry has a place, like on hikes in the woods for example. But people who open carry in public areas like restaurants are trying to make a statement. To everyone around them the vibe is “don’t mess with me…or else”. It draws tons of attention. People may take photos or alert security/police. And any bad actor knows exactly who to surprise and take out first. That’s why it is generally deemed as a bad idea and counterproductive
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Treat the barrel of a gun like it has an infinite length death laser pointing out of it at all times.
No, it doesn’t matter if you just unloaded it, or saw someone else unload it. The barrel stays pointing down range and away from people.
Yeah, if it’s never ok to do you’ll never do it willingly and will treat any errors as grave. If it’s ok sometimes you’ll occasionally make mistakes about which time it is
…… And don’t go out in the woods during deer season because there’s always someone treating a deadly weapon all too casually and don’t think those rules apply to them
These are good practices for anything that shoots projectiles, not just weapons. I replaced some baseboard trim in the house a few months ago, and was extremely careful regarding where I pointed the air nailer, particularly when it was under pressure.
Paintball guns can easily remove an eyeball, yet the way people handle them at open games should make us all terrified for how unaware and and careless people are around dangerous devices. We need far more training and preparation on a nationalized, standardized level for preparing people for the real world.
If looking at a gun with someone else and they assure you it’s not loaded, you can respectfully ask themn to clear it in front of you before you handle it yourself.
Would you have a good video of what that looks like? I don’t think someone should be handling a gun if they’re that unsure, but it still might be helpful to someone
I don’t have a specific video recommendation handy, but I’m sure if you punch “how to safely clear a [pistol/revolver/rifle/shotgun]” into YouTube you’ll get 10,000 good results.
As a general overview though (and bear in mind that there’s countless models of firearms out there, so there’s bound to be some outliers that don’t quite fit into this.)
Step 0. Make sure you are keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and your finger off the trigger at all times.
Step 1. If there’s a removable magazine, remove it.
Step 2. Pull back the slide/cocking handle/bolt/pump/lever, if there’s a round in the chamber, this should eject it. There’s an important reason to do this after removing the magazine, because releasing that mechanism will load the next round from the magazine there is one in there.
Step 3. Repeat that at least 1 more time to make extra sure that another round didn’t get loaded. Keep going until no round ejects. For some guns where the magazine isn’t removable, like some pump action shotguns, it can sometimes be quicker or more convenient to do that repeatedly than to remove the rounds manually.
Step 4. Lock open the action of the firearm and visually confirm that there is no round in the chamber and nothing in the magazine well.
Step 1R. (if you are clearing a Revolver.) Release the cylinder
Step 2R. Press the ejector rod to eject the rounds.
Step 3R. Visually confirm that all of the rounds have ejected.
You would “clear it” by “opening” the action. A firearm cannot be fired with the action open. What that looks like depends on the type of action.
Edit: It’s a good firearm safety protocol to open the action before handing a weapon to someone. Always, always, always assume that it’s loaded.
Between my buddies, whenever we are looking at each other’s guns we’ll pick it up. Check that it’s unloaded, hand it to the other person and they will also check it again that it’s empty.
We don’t care if we literally watched each other clear it right before handing it to us. We always do it.
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Remove the magazine (or cartridges)
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Open the action and confirm no cartridge is present
The exact steps will depend on the action (pump, bolt, break, semi-auto, etc.) and the particular model of firearm, but it’s essentially the loading process performed in reverse
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I’d offer this as well: if you don’t have to pick up a gun, don’t pick one up.
So just leave it there for some kid to find?
That’s an example of when the gun needs to be picked up and secured. Also the kid may have the proper firearms training.
What if the kid needs it?
good point
Then it’s the kids problem
Rule 0: Don’t fucking handle with guns in the first place, if you don’t know the basic rules.
Gotta start somewhere, we were all inexperienced once. But yeah this is a case where you should take your time and learn what you’re doing
Maintenance should probably be in there too: A poorly maintained firearm is potentially dangerous to the user.
Doing proper maintenance is more applicable to someone who owns or is responsible for firearms. I think the rule for the casual finder would be adding something like “assume moving any part of the gun may cause something inside to explode”.
The rule for a casual finder would be to not touch it at all: If you find a random firearm, leave it the hell alone and report it to the authorities. It could be a weapon used in a crime and it’s probably not a great idea to get your fingerprints on it.
In other words :
- Gun can go bang ! Scary.
- Point gun at bad guy, never good guy.
- Fingy behave until bad guy show up.
- Good guy close or behind bad guy ? No bang !
(This is meant to make the rules easy to remember, not to make fun of them)
For sure all this, one note, rule 0 is
encounter one at the home of a friend or family member.
If you don’t know what to do (RE: these other four rules and how to operate that specific firearm) or are nervous, don’t goddamn touch it unless you have to. If it’s a safe situation and not something out of the ordinary like kids or burglars are around and the owner is dead, go get the owner of the gun or someone who is experienced enough to handle them safely.
Yeah. I used to work in a destination outdoors store that sold sometimes hundreds of guns in a day. Once every few years we would find an unattended firearm in the store - usually in the bathroom. People would have a gun in a holster, and when the belt came off and slid down they’d lose retention and slide behind the toilet.
Even though every employee from the janitor to the cashier to the finance people were required to be trained on how to safely handle a firearm, we had a small list of managers that were allowed to handle guns that had been left unattended.
Out of 200 employees there were 8 of us allowed to secure a weapon.
The worst case of abandoned guns we had was someone who bought a concealed-carry purse, decided they didn’t like it and returned it. 2 weeks later they came by to ask if they’d left their gun in it.
I found it in the purse on the sales floor. The customer service team got a very stern lecture on another reason why we always inspect returns.
sigh the number of coworkers who I’ve had talk about their couch guns…
