- Ignoring essential safety rules and failing to follow instructions.
– All guns are always loaded. Always.
– Never let the muzzle cover anything you don’t wish to destroy.
– Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target (and you intend to shoot).
– Be sure of your target – know what you are shooting at and where the bullet will go if it passes through the target.
- Poor Gun Handling
We’ve all seen them. People who wave a gun around or can’t seem to keep their finger off the trigger when they aren’t shooting. The usual excuse when brought to their attention is, “But the gun isn’t loaded.” Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t, but the rest of us have no way of knowing that. Gun handling and safety rules apply all the time.
- Turning around with a gun in your hand.
Go to most public ranges, and it won’t take long before you’ll see someone with a gun in their hands turn away from the firing line and sweep other shooters or bystanders. See Rule 2.
- Bending over with a gun in your hand.
This can be especially dangerous on a range, as we lose control of the muzzle, cover other people, or worse, put our head in line with other people handling firearms. If you drop something, leave it until the line is declared safe.