The Ten Commandments of Firearm Safety

ALBANY — For those who pick up a firearm for whatever reason, it is important to realize there are two sets of Ten Commandments that are in effect. The original is meant to be a guide for attaining eternal salvation. The second serves as a guide to avoid rushing the process of judgment relating to the adherence to the first.

To avoid such calamity, always keep in mind the Ten Commandments of Firearm Safety:

1) Treat every firearm as if it is loaded: The moment you take a firearm in your hands, it becomes your responsibility. The first thing any responsible shooter should do when handling a firearm is to ensure it is unloaded. This should be done not only anytime someone hands you a firearm, but when you remove it from a rack, gun case or vehicle. It is especially important to do so before attempting to clean or repair any firearm. With the gun pointed in a safe direction, ensure not only that the chamber is empty, but that any other source for ammunition including cylinders, magazines or magazine tubes are empty.

2) Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. A safe direction is one where any accidental discharge will not cause injury to yourself or others. Never pull a firearm toward you holding the muzzle.

3) Be sure that the barrel and action are clear of obstructions and only use proper ammunition. The smallest obstruction can cause the barrel of a firearm to rupture. It does not need to be plugged with mud or water to do so. I have seen barrels that exploded when they were merely blocked with a small piece of rag from cleaning or the shot cup from a defective shell. Another serious danger comes from loading the wrong ammunition in a firearm. Just because it goes into the chamber doesn’t mean it is safe to shoot. Firing the wrong ammunition in a firearm can lead to excessive pressure that can rupture the barrel or frame. The same applies to reloads that are not within safe standards.

A 20-gauge shotgun shell chambered into a 12-gauge shotgun will slide down the barrel, tightly blocking it. When a 12-gauge shell is then chambered, what is known as a 12/20 burst occurs frequently, resulting to injury to the shooters hands, face and eyes. Most firearms have the ammunition they are chambered for stamped on the firearm. Likewise, most ammunition is identified by a stamp on the shell casing. Check each round of ammunition before loading it into your firearm.

If your firearm does not fire when you pull the trigger the first time, stop, point the gun in a safe direction, wait a minute, then open the chamber and inspect the ejected shell as well as making sure the barrel is not obstructed.

4) Keep your safety on and your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Any safety is a man-made mechanical device and therefore may fail. Understand where the safety is and how it functions on any gun you handle. Do not take the safety off or put your finger inside the trigger guard until your eyes are on your target and you are ready to shoot. This holds true for rifles, shotguns and handguns.

5) Know your target and what is beyond it. Once you pull the trigger, there is no stopping the projectile until it hits something. In a hunting situation, too often shots are made at targets that are not clearly identified. As a result, the rushed shot at a blur of brown or “brush deer” moving through the woods often results in the injury or death of another hunter. It is also important to realize that even a .22 can lethally travel much farther than the shooter may be able to see. Therefore, it is critical to know what is in the background beyond your target.

6) Never shoot at a flat, hard surface or water. Bullets traveling at a high velocity that hit a hard surface or the surface of a body of water will bounce and skip uncontrollably, traveling in any direction. This is the definition of a ricochet. The errant projectile is potentially lethal. Therefore, it is best to shoot into an earthen backstop when shooting at targets.

7) Never point a firearm at anything you don’t intend to shoot or kill. Firearms are not toys for horseplay or careless gestures. “I didn’t know it was loaded” is a meaningless statement.

8) Never climb a fence, climb into a stand or jump an obstacle with a loaded gun. When climbing a fence, unload the firearm and lay it on the ground pointing in a safe direction away from where you will be crossing the fence. When climbing a tree or into a deer stand, unload the gun and attach it securely to a line attached to the upper level of the stand. After climbing into the stand, the firearm can be pulled up and reloaded. Reverse this process when climbing out of the stand. Before attempting to jump a ditch, stream or other obstruction, unload the firearm. Once you are safely past the obstruction, you can reload.

9) Store firearms and ammunition separately. It is important to keep firearms and ammunition securely locked in separate locations. This makes it much more unlikely that children, irresponsible adults or criminals can combine the ammunition with the firearm. There is no reason to store a loaded firearm. If you choose to have a loaded firearm in your home for protection, there are a number of safes available to secure the loaded handgun and still have it readily available.

10) Avoid alcohol or any mood-altering drugs. If a substance is illegal to use while operating a motorized vehicle or has a warning label advising against operating heavy equipment, it is certainly advisable not to handle a firearm while under its effects. With good reason, a number of legal issues are involved as well.

As simplistic as it might be, adherence to these commandments lead me to believe that all “accidental” shootings are avoidable.

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