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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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)
Some years ago I acted as crew on an ultra-low budget film. We didn’t have the budget for simulated firearms so we had to use real ones. Everyone involved in the project agreed that extreme care was warranted. We made certain that there was no live ammunition anywhere near the set. Firearms were locked up unless they were being held by a trained crew member or an actor. The actors were all taught the basics of how their firearms operated and how to check the chambers. The prop handlers and actors checked every firearm every time it changed hands, even when they had just watched the person who handed it to them check the chamber.
With all of that in place, we still insisted on following the other rules as well. Trigger discipline was maintained at all times, including while filming scenes. Camera angles were adjusted so that firearms never had to pointed at anyone or anything that we were not willing to damage. Actors were careful to keep their firearms pointed in the safe directions that had been arranged, even when simulating their use.
It was a fair amount of trouble and it added time to a very tight operation, but there were absolutely no incidents, or near incidents, or concerns that there might be an incident. That is how everyone who handles firearms should treat them in real life. It takes a little time and attention, but it isn’t difficult. And following even one of the safety rules makes it impossible for anyone to be hurt accidentally.
Learning and following the safety rules is a cheap investment for the benefit of not accidentally killing someone.
With reading this I’m always amazed that incidents like the rust movie still happen.
If you set things up like this where everyone checks each other as well, it becomes really hard to somehow get a bullet on set, and then in a gun…
We were fortunate to have a producer/director who felt strongly about safety and was willing to spend the extra time necessary. A lot of the time, especially for productions that are running on a shoestring, everyone is pushed very hard to reduce the time and cost to an absolute minimum. The low pay selects for inexperienced armorers and the time constraints means that the armorer is constantly being pressured not to “waste” any time. An armorer who is believed to have “slowed down” a production may be fired and will have trouble finding more work. That is what happens everywhere when money is more important than people.
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.
…… 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
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.
Then it’s the kids problem
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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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
- Don’t live in America.
- You won’t need to know about guns unless you really want to.
- Seriously, you’re likely to never see one in real life, so it’s all good.
- …
Its been 40 years and still have not come across one after having lived in multiple south american and European countries.
you didn’t go through a major train station in London? there’s usually armed guards there.
They said EUropean countries, not rope island /j
A bunch of year ago, but I never noticed it. But in the spirit of the post I wouldn’t have to worry about knowing how to handle those guns anyway.
Or China, or Russia, or Ukraine, or any 3rd world country, or even some 2nd world countries.
Actually it would probably be easier to name the places you won’t see a gun than places you can.
Russia has very strict gun controls.
And guns are expensive.
Which country are you from?
I live in Israel, where there’s actually valid reasons to own a gun for defense, and I still hardly ever see one except on soldiers or police. I can only recall a single time I saw a civilian’s pistol, which they only showed me because we were having a conversation on the topic.
Granted, soldiers with guns is an everyday occurrence on pubic transport, so maybe you have a point. But still, gun safety/violence is not even remotely as big an issue as it is in USA.
Not the person you replied to, but I live in Spain and outside the cities there’s plenty of guns around.
Mostly for farmers / hunting / trap competition, but also old heirlooms from the civil war that are still operational … and target shooting, which is what I do.
Yeah Israelis need guns to murder people and steal their homes
What’s the valid reason?
Terror attacks. Every now and then someone tries stabbing people with a knife or running over people with a car. Sometimes they are successful. Most incidents like this end with the terrorist getting shot, usually by a nearby police officer or soldier (on- or off-duty at the time). But occasionally it’s a civilian with a weapon.
Political shit
Of course, I was talking about terror attacks by arabs against jews, but there’s no shortage of terror attacks by jews against arabs. These, “naturally”, usually end with no charges. Yeah, this place is fucked.
This asymmetry is obvious enough that it’s even brought up and criticized often in mainstream media. But with the current administration it’s unlikely anything will change, and who know what the hell is going to happen in the upcoming elections. Cult-followers outnumber sensible people.
If you see innocent Palestinians
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.
That would unironically be a major point in break-action’s favor; unless you’re dealing with multi-barrel, eg. like a double-barreled or triple-barreled shotgun, you can only load one round at a time with break-action, ditto for single-round bolt-action weapons (as in the type where you manually load one round at a time).
triple-barreled shotgun
don’t you make me dream. i still prefer bolt action myself
Doesn’t even need to be single shot
I’m sure that theoretically you could be so surprised by the recoil that you’d somehow cycle the bolt and pull the trigger to fire a second shot, but trying to imagine how that could actually happen only conjures up some pretty wild Rube Goldberg scenarios for me.
So I guess if it’s your first time shooting, don’t do it with any kind of repeating firearm in a room full of mouse traps, ball bearings, umbrellas, boxing gloves, etc.
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.
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😘)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.
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.
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.
Does it have its own battery then? What does the fingerprint reader use to draw power?
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 😅
It has disposable batteries and a charging port. It’s similar to this model.
In hindsight it’s a small miracle neither I, my siblings, or my cousins ever got ourselves or someone else hurt with the guns that were casually left out at my grandparents’ house. It was drilled into me to never touch them without someone watching me first, but what if I’d just not given a fuck, you know? I can’t imagine doing the same with a kid today. Different times.
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
I live in TX. I see more guns going Home Depot than a military parade
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).
Australia is a great place, except that everything that isn’t a gun is also trying to kill you.
New Zealand is like Aus’s overly earnest cousin, but has better internet and not even on most maps.
Not true. In Australia, except for the sharks, spiders, snakes, bees, crocodiles, drop bears, mosquitoes, jellyfish, scorpions, ants, bats, fish, snails, dingoes, centipedes, wasps, octopuses, possums, ticks, sea snakes, emus and other birds, there’s really not much trying to kill you.
/s (yes, the should not be necessary, but have you met people)
Don’t forget that bush that makes you want to die.
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.
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.
YSK not everyone lives in a unstable country.
YSK that there are guns in every country
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
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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 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.
