Shoot Safely: The Top Gun Safety Tips You Need to Follow

Aaron Spuler is a firearms enthusiast and recreational shooter. Follow more or his work at The Weapon Blog

Shooting guns is a fun pastime. Anyone who has spent time learning to perfect their marksmanship can tell you how exhilarating the experience actually is. For many people, learning to handle guns is a part of growing up. In fact, it’s a part of our American heritage. 

But if you are new to the world of shooting, you’ll first need to learn all the firearm safety rules. This is the best way to ensure that you have the safest experience possible.

In this article, we take a look at the most important gun safety rules you’ll need to know before getting started. Keep reading to see the best ways to handle firearms so that no one gets hurt.

Never Point a Gun at Anyone

This rule should be obvious, and yet you’d be amazed at the number of people who simply don’t understand how dangerous it is to point a gun at someone. Always keep in mind that a gun is a deadly weapon. It’s literally designed to kill things. That’s why you must always treat your gun with total respect. 

Accidents happen everyday, thus it’s your responsibility to minimize the potential for accidents to occur. And the best thing you can do is never point the muzzle at anyone. We recommend keeping the muzzle pointed at the ground. 

Keep Your Finger Off the Trigger

The next rule should be just as obvious as the first one, but again you’d be amazed by how many people don’t understand the basics of gun safety. It’s simple: Keep your finger off the trigger until the moment you are ready to shoot. This means that when you are doing anything other than preparing to fire at the target, your trigger finger should be kept on the outside of the trigger guard. 

Keep in mind that the trigger is designed to be extremely sensitive. Very little finger pressure is required to engage the firing mechanism. Thus any pressure you apply to the trigger will cause it to fire. A smart gun owner should get in the habit of never placing your finger inside the trigger guard until the last possible moment before firing the weapon.

Keep It Unloaded

There is never any reason to keep a gun loaded. This includes when it is stored in your home, and when concealed in your vehicle. After all, the only way a gun can go off and cause injury is when it’s loaded.

When you take your gun to a shooting range or to the woods for hunting, don’t load the weapon until the moment when you are ready to get started. Never transport a loaded weapon. Even if you are very careful, accidents can still happen. But again, accidents can’t happen when there’s no ammo loaded in the weapon.

Read the Owner’s Manual

You’d probably be amazed by the number of people who don’t take the time to read the owner’s manual that came with their gun. And yet this is the first step in fully understanding everything about your weapon. Keep in mind that every gun is unique. There are many guns manufactures in the world, and each manufacturer produces manual filled operating and safety tips for how to properly use the weapon.

This might seem boring or unnecessary, but there’s nothing boring about preventing gun accidents. So do yourself a huge favor by taking the time to read the manual and become as familiar with the details of your gun as possible.

Lock It Up

When it comes to storing your gun, you’d be wise to invest in a quality gun vault. This is the best way to prevent children from having access, which is one of the leading causes of gun-related accidents. A gun vault requires a code and makes it impossible for anyone without the code to access the guns that are stored inside.

If you don’t have a gun vault, they should be stored in a locked cabinet or storage case that can be locked. And make sure they are stored in a location where children cannot easily reach them.

Store Ammo Separately

The next important gun safety tip is to always store the ammo separately from the firearm. This way if a child locates the empty gun, there won’t be ammo available to load it. We suggest hiding the ammo in a separate safe with a different code in order to further reduce the odds of an accident.

Use a Gun Lock

Another smart way to reduce accidents is to invest in a gun lock. This is a simple device that attaches to the trigger guard so that the trigger cannot be engaged. A gun lock requires a key and cannot be removed from the trigger guard without it.

Always Clean Your Gun After Every Use

Believe it or not, cleaning your gun after every use is one of the top ways to prevent accidents. When a gun is fired, the discharge creates debris that remains in the barrel and can cause problems if not properly removed.

Cleaning your gun is a simple process, and you can learn all the necessary steps by studying the owner’s manual that came with it.  If you’re interested in learning more about working on guns, take a look at these AR Workshop tools.

Train Every Member of Your Family

Finally, the best way to keep your family safe is to make sure that every member of your household receives proper gun education. We suggest signing up for a class offered by your local gun shop. This way they can learn from certified teachers who will demonstrate, step by step, how to properly care for, handle, and fire a gun. 

Shooting guns can be a lot of fun. But you’ll have more fun knowing everyone is safe. And the best way to keep everyone safe is to learn the firearm safety rules contained in this article. Be sure to check out our website for more information on gun ownership.