Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the nation, people are taking this opportunity to become first time firearm owners. Uncertainty about the future has caused people to realize the importance of being your own first responder and taking the safety of yourself and your family into your own care. Owning a firearm is an amazing step in exercising your Constitutional freedoms, but it does not come without responsibilities. Here are a few tips, reminders, and ideas for first time firearm owners!
Four Rules of Firearms Safety
Always treat your firearm as if it is loaded.
If you own a firearm, you need to respect the ability of the tool. If you are getting ready to dry fire, store your firearm, or clean; do a chamber check to ensure that your firearm is unloaded and there is not a round in the chamber prior to completing these tasks.
Never point your firearm at anything that you are not willing to destroy.
Firearms are tools and they should be treated as such. Pointing your firearm at something indicates that you are ready to pull the trigger (this is try for dry fire and live fire). This rule is especially important if you have children, friends, or family who are either unfamiliar or uncomfortable with firearms. You are setting an examples of the amount of responsibility that you posses and the respect that you have for the capabilities of your tool.
Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you are ready and willing to fire.
This ensure that you will not have an accidental discharge of your firearm. It also ensure that if an accident happens (such as slipping) you will not cause a dangerous situation.
Know your target and what lies beyond it.
Getting in the habit of knowing your target and its surroundings is a crucial step for a firearms owner. This can be a skill that is learned while you practice. Ensure that during practice you have a proper backstop, no one is downrange, and you will be able to safely discharge the firearm at a proper target with no risk. The reason that this skill is so important is because it translates to self defense situations. If you are in the unfortunate situation where you have to defend yourself or your family using your firearm, you want to eliminate the chance of accidental incidents that could be avoided with caution.
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Beth Walker 