- Always Keep the Muzzle Pointed in a Safe Direction
- Firearms Should Be Unloaded When Not Actually in Use
- Don't Rely on Your Gun's 'Safety'
- Be Sure of Your Target and What's Beyond
- Use Correct Ammunition
- If Your Gun Fails to Fire When the Trigger is Pulled, Handle with Care!
- Always Wear Eye and Ear Protection When Shooting
- Be Sure the Barrel is Clear of Obstructions Before Shooting
- Don't Alter or Modify your Gun and Have Guns Serviced Regularly
- Learn the Mechanical and Handling Characteristics of the Firearm you USE
1st Commandment: Always Keep the Muzzle Pointed in a Safe direction This is the most important gun safety rule. A "safe direction" is one in which an accidental discharge will not cause injury to yourself or others. Never point your muzzle at anything you don’t intend to shoot. Be especially careful when you're loading or unloading, and make it a habit to know where your muzzle is pointed at all times. Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
2nd Commandment: Firearms Should Be Unloaded When Not Actually in Use Load your fireman only when you're in the field, or on the target range and ready to fire. Never let a loaded gun out of your sight or out of your hands. Unload it as soon as you're finished shooting, before you bring it into your car, truck, or home. Before handling a firearm, or passing it on to someone else, visually check the chamber, receiver and magazine to be certain it does not contain ammunition. Always keep the gun’s action open when not in use. Never assume a gun is unloaded. Use common sense in the storage of your firearms. Never store loaded guns. Keep guns and ammunition in separate and secure places so they can’t be touched without your knowledge, particularly by children.
3rd Commandment: Don't Rely on Your Gun's 'Safety' Treat every gun as though it can fire at any time -- whether or not there's pressure on the trigger. Remember that a gun's safety is a mechanical device, and, like any mechanical device, it could fail. In addition, the safety is not a substitute for common sense. It's only a supplement to your proper handling of the firearm. Don't touch the trigger on a firearm until you're ready to shoot. Keep your fingers away from the trigger while loading or unloading. And do not pull the trigger with the safety engaged, or positioned anywhere between "safe" and "fire." The gun could go off at any time.
4th Commandment: Be Sure of Your Target and What's Beyond You cannot stop a shot in mid-air. So do not fire unless you know exactly where your shot is going and what it will strike. Never fire at a sound, a movement or a patch of colour. Never shoot without being absolutely sure of what you're shooting at, and what's behind it. Before you pun the trigger, be absolutely certain that your shot has a backstop -- such as a hillside, or dense material like sand. Remember, bullets can travel great distances with tremendous velocity -- know how far your shot will go if you miss your target or the bullet ricochets.
5th Commandment: Use Correct Ammunition Every firearm is designed to use a certain calibre of gauge of ammunition. Using the wrong ammunition, or mixing ammunition, can destroy your firearm and expose you or bystanders to serious personal injury. Make sure that the ammunition you use exactly matches the gauge and chamber length of your gun. Refer to your owner's manual to find out about the specific requirements of your gun and always read and heed the instructions on ammunition boxes. Check all ammunition before you load it to be sure that it matches. If a 20-gauge shell is loaded into a 12-gauge shotgun it will probably lodge in the bore. If a 12-gauge shell is fired behind the 20-gauge, the two will slam together and can cause the barrel to explode, possibly resulting in serious personal injury or death. Firearms are designed, manufactured and proof-tested to standards based on factory-loaded ammunition. Hand-loaded or reloaded ammunition that deviates from load or component recommendations can be very dangerous. Observe all possible safety precautions and practices related to the proper handling of explosives. Today’s modem powders and primers can lead to higher pressures. Don't mix or substitute powders or primers, because the firearm could explode. Do not use unknown or substandard components.
6th Commandment: If Your Gun Fails to Fire When the Trigger is Pulled, Handle with Care! If for some reason the ammunition doesn’t fire when you pull the trigger, stop and remember the First Commandment of Safe Gun Handling (always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction). Keep your face away from the breech, open the action, unload the firearm and dispose of the cartridge safely. Remember, any time there is a shell in the chamber, your gun is loaded and ready to use -- even if you've tried to shoot and it does not fire. It could still discharge.
7th Commandment: Always Wear Eye and Ear Protection When Shooting Your sight and hearing risk injury from shooting, and should be protected at all times. Serious damage to your eyes, including loss of sight, can result if the barrel of your gun bursts for any reason. Wear shooting glasses to guard against such injury, as well as falling shot, clay target chips, powder residue and twigs in the field. Continued exposure to shooting noise can damage your hearing. Use the maximum protection of a headset on the range, where shooting volume is the loudest. And learn to use earplugs in the field -- especially in confined locations like duck hides.
8th Commandment: Be Sure the Barrel is Clear of Obstructions Before Shooting Before loading your gun, open the action and make sure there's no ammunition in the chamber or magazine. Check to see that there's no debris of any kind in the barrel. Even a small amount of snow, mud, excess lubricant or grease in the bore can dangerously increase pressure and cause the barrel to bulge or burst on firing. Use a cleaning rod and patch to wipe away any anti-rust compounds or any other residues in the gun. Never try to remove an object from the barrel by loading another shell and firing. When firing, trust your instincts -- if the noise or recoil on firing seems "off," stop everything and be sure nothing is lodged in the barrel.
9th Commandment: Don't Alter or Modify your Gun and Have Guns Serviced Regularly Never alter or modify your firearm in any way. Your firearm has been designed to operate according to certain factory specifications. You will jeopardize your own safety or that of others by attempting to alter its trigger, safety or other mechanism. Your gun is subject to wear, and must be maintained and periodically serviced to assure optimum safety and performance. Do not allow anyone to service, repair or modify your firearm except a service facility recommended or approved by the gun’s manufacturer. Proper cleaning and lubrication of all parts of your gun are also critical to gun maintenance, and are necessary to assure accuracy, safety and reliability. Clean your gun before and after long-term storage, and no less frequently that once a year. And clean your gun whenever it has been exposed to adverse conditions, such as dirt, mud, rain, and snow sleet or in saltwater areas. Carefully inspect the trigger assembly to be sure it's clean and free of debris and residue build-up. Use recommended lubricants on your gun, and take care not to over- lubricate. Excessive use of a non-recommended lubricant could cause serious functional problems that might result in an accidental firing.
10th Commandment: Learn the Mechanical and Handling Characteristics of the Firearm You Use Not all guns are alike. They have different mechanical characteristics that dictate how you should carry and handle them. Anyone who plans to use a firearm should first become totally familiar with the type of gun it is and the safe handling requirements for loading, unloading, carrying, shooting and storage. Remember! There's one other rule you must follow when handling firearms. In fact, respect for this rule is necessary in order to effectively practice the ten commandments of safety: