MA Firearm Safety

These are the  ten Cardinal rules of firearm safety, you break any one of these and you or someone else could die, many have. Firearms are very unforgiving of mistakes or foolishness. The first mistake you make could be someone else’s last breath on earth. Red signifies:  Extreme DANGER,  especially in uneducated hands!

1.  Treat EVERY gun as if it were loaded AT ALL TIMES! (crucial mindset, there is no such thing as an unloaded gun!)

2.  MAKE SURE ANY gun you handle is pointed in a safe direction. (because it is loaded!) Never ‘assume’ otherwise!

3.  NEVER point a gun that is loaded at anything/anyone you do not intend to destroy. (Proper mindset, remember, they are ALL loaded!)

4.  Be aware that a round as small as a .22 LR bullet can travel up to a mile or more. (you must know where the bullet will end up or DO NOT take the shot!)

5.  When target practicing ENSURE there is a backstop high enough and with no hard objects, to avoid ricochets.

6.  ALWAYS ensure your firearm is UNLOADED and the action OPEN before ever handing the gun to anyone! Check it TWICE. (that person must then handle it exactly as if it were loaded!) People are killed by ‘unloaded’ firearms every year!

7.  While hunting, ALWAYS unload your gun before climbing up or over anything, jumping ditches, or negotiating any obstacle in your way. (use good sense to avoid any accidental discharge)

8.  While hunting ALWAYS be able to IDENTIFY your game first, OR DO NOT TAKE A SHOT!! (also, look beyond your game before shooting , if you see blaze orange DO NOT SHOOT, the deer/whatever is NEVER that important!)

9.  NEVER shoot at or over open water with ANYTHING other than a shotgun loaded with bird-shot. Bullets from rifles and handguns will ‘glance’ off water causing them to fly wildly. (you can/will be held accountable for any negligence with a firearm)

10.  Alcohol, Drugs, and firearms are a deadly combination, NEVER consume  ANYTHING that will even mildly impair your judgement or physical coordination when you are about to use a firearm!!

Reminder;

    A mechanical ‘safety’ on a firearm does NOT give you license to carelessly handle the firearm, anything man makes can break. YOU are the overriding  ‘master‘ safety on ANY firearm that you handle! 

    Remember, Firearm Education will save lives, Firearm Ignorance can take lives.  Please, pass these life saving rules on. 

Sincerely, Mark Shean

Former NRA Law Enforcement Instructor

posted 6-10-2010  

Below, questions to the firearm TEST:   Firearm Safety Test with relevance to Ma.

Answers at Gun Sense #29, 

1. A firearm is given to, or received from another individual with the action open whenever it is possible to do so?  T  F

2. Ammo must be stored in a locked container.  T  F

To read this chapter in full, and any other articles in the #Gun Sense series, it is available as an Ebook and a Paperback at Amazon under:
Gun Sense Massachusetts Gun Law Information and Common Sense Firearm Safety By Mark R. Shean Sr.

GUN SENSE, Rated #1 at AMAZON in the Shooting section!!