Gun Safety

There are a variety of ways of handling a gun. Most of them are the wrong way. Here are some basic rules for handling firearms safely.

The Short Version
The below gets into details, but there are four commonly quoted universal rules of gun safety:
 * 1) Treat a gun as if it's always loaded, especially when it's not.
 * 2) Never point a gun at anything you aren't willing to kill or destroy.
 * 3) Keep the safety on and your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
 * 4) Be absolutely sure of your target and what's behind it.

1) Understand a gun is a dangerous tool.

 * A gun is not a toy. It is designed to kill people and animals. Even used against non-living things, it will still cause destruction. Always handle a gun as if it is loaded. Especially if it's not.
 * This has the double-advantage of getting you into the good habit of instinctively holding a gun safely, instead of having to remember to do so.
 * On the other hand, don't believe that having a gun makes you invincible. The first rule of winning a gunfight is not to get into one.
 * A gun should never be aimed at anything unless the holder is willing to accept the legal, moral, and physical ramifications of pulling the trigger.
 * A gun should never be aimed at anyone simply to intimidate them. If you are not ready to kill the person you are going to aim the gun at, do not aim the gun at them. If they call your bluff you are completely out of options.
 * Quote from a gun safety instructor: If you don't know 100% how to use your handgun and simply wish to threaten people with it, you deserve fully for your opponent to take your handgun by force and beat you over the head with it.
 * A gun is not reliably capable of inflicting nonlethal injury. Pulling the trigger means that you have decided you are willing to kill the thing you are firing at.

2) Know your limits.

 * Use a gun only if you are comfortable with it. If you are scared of what a gun is capable of, you shouldn't use it.
 * If you have no experience with guns, do not touch one, unless properly supervised. Media (and this page) are not a substitute for instruction.
 * If you have experience with guns, but come across a new one, find out how it works (either instruction manual or experienced user) thoroughly before using it.
 * Do not drink alcohol or use any drugs you have not been prescribed by a doctor. Ask your doctor if you have any doubts about your ability to operate a firearm while on medication. Ask your doctor even if you do not have such doubts.

1) Be aware of possible collateral damage.

 * A gun should always be pointed in a safe direction.
 * In a shooting range, this means down range.
 * In the field, this means toward the ground, unless in a building with thin floors.
 * Always carry your firearm in such a fashion that you can control where it will point if you stumble or fall.
 * Know what is behind and to the side of the targets and assume they will be hit. A projectile can still have lethal force even upon penetrating something.
 * Know what is your target. In a target-shooting situation, this includes being aware of whether your bullets may ricochet or cause spalling. In self-defense situations, this includes knowing that the figure you're aiming at is actually a threat, and not (for example) your son come home early from a sleepover.
 * There are two ranges for firearms: maximum range and maximum effective range. Maximum range is the farthest the bullet will travel given the right circumstances. Maximum effective range is the farthest a bullet will travel and still retain lethal force. Even if you cleanly miss a target, the bullet may still kill after travelling for hundreds of yards (or even a mile). One source to read further on this subject is the Gunwiki article on Effective Range.
 * As a corollary, never, under any circumstances, fire into the air. Even in celebration. That bullet WILL come down, and you have no idea of where. Also, it's a waste of perfectly good bullets.

2) Maintain trigger and safety discipline.

 * Do not put your finger near the trigger until you are ready to fire the weapon. Keep your trigger finger either securely on the guard or on the grip with your other fingers.
 * Always ensure the safety is in use and enabled until ready to fire. Do not, however, use it as a substitute for proper handling and trigger discipline. A broken safety cannot cause an accident but it can fail to prevent one.
 * Many pre-World War I weapons either do not have a safety, or they're very hard to use. And quite a few of these (namely, revolvers, bolt-action rifles, and muzzle-loaders) have a "trigger will do nothing if pressed" state -- do not use this as a safety.
 * There are even multiple safety types, such as a grip safety, magazine release safety, or other mechanisms (such as the multiple safety features in Glock pistols). Never assume any random gun has them or use it instead of the actual safety.

3) Always keep the gun unloaded when not in use, but treat it as if it still is.

 * In the Famous Last Words of Terry Kath of Chicago fame: "Don't worry, guys. It isn't even loaded. See?"
 * When unloading the gun, remove the magazine or rounds, and pull the slide/bolt back to eject any cartridge(s) and/or visually confirm that the chamber(s) are empty. In that order.
 * Even if there is no magazine in the firearm, it can still fire a round. Many firearms are "closed bolt", in which the resting position of the bolt (the mechanism that holds the cartridge in the chamber and contains the firing pin) is forward. Even if there is no magazine in the firearm, there may still be a round inside the chamber. Hence, you unload the gun in the order described previously, otherwise you may end up loading another round into the chamber.
 * When receiving a firearm from someone, even if you saw them unload it and engage the safety, ensure for yourself that it is safe to handle (magazine ejected, chamber cleared, bolt/slide locked back) before doing anything else with it.

4) Interacting with others.

 * An ignorant person with a weapon is a danger to themselves and others, and should be avoided.
 * If someone shouts "CEASE FIRE", you stop immediately. No questions, no finishing what you're doing, just stop.
 * When handing a weapon to someone, empty and clear the weapon before handing it over grip or butt first.
 * Always ask the person if they know how to handle the firearm. If they don't know or you suspect they are BSing you, do not allow them use of the firearm until they are informed of:
 * Where the safety is, how to operate it, and what's "safe" and "not safe".
 * How to insert and eject a magazine or rounds.
 * What to do in case of a misfire.
 * Warn the user of recoil if there's a substantial amount of it. Especially with non-shoulder fired guns, as the user may be more prone to dropping the gun.
 * If you never handled the firearm before, or it's been a while, ask the owner about its operations (the above is what you should know)
 * If somebody is uncomfortable with handling a gun for ANY reason, never try to force them to do so, or try to reassure them it's safe. Even if you are 100% sure the gun is unloaded and safe, if they don't want to hold it, don't make them. If you do so, you make them a danger to themselves AND you.
 * Do not try any "trick" anywhere. The life that your stupidity ends may not be your own.

1) Ammunition safety

 * Misfires and jams happen, even with proper maintenance, in more ways than you can imagine. Know how to safely clear a firearm.
 * There are three kinds of misfires: hangfire, dud, and squib.
 * Hangfire means the cartridge has a delay before firing. This is anywhere from the time you pulled the trigger to about 60 seconds.
 * A dud is when the cartridge won't ever fire, at least if left alone under proper storage conditions.
 * A squib occurs when there is insufficient expanding gas to expel the bullet from the barrel.
 * What to do in case of misfire:
 * If a cartridge does not fire, keep the gun pointed in a safe direction for 60 seconds in case of a hangfire. Then eject the cartridge, store it in a steel container, and dispose of it properly at a later time. Dud cartridges should be treated as a live, and care should be taken when handling them.
 * If on a firing range, the range should always have such a receptacle for these. If it doesn't, you might want to go to a different range.
 * If there is light or no recoil, odd sound, or failure to cycle (with semi-automatic firearms), there's a good chance of a squib. Proper procedure if you think you have a squib fire is to cease firing, clear the stuck bullet from the barrel with a cleaning rod or similar object, clean any unburnt powder out of the firearm, and ensure that there are no other issues. If you believe someone else had a squib fire, immediately call a cease fire and inform them that you believe they had a squib.
 * If there's a bullet in the casing, it's live. Even if there's a dent in the primer (dud rounds will often have a dent where the primer is).
 * Always ensure that your ammunition is designed for use in your gun. Many rounds may look similar, but they do not always work for that gun.
 * As an example, the 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington are almost identical except the pressure generated and the gun's chamber shape. You could fire .223 Remington in a gun designed for 5.56mm with reasonable reliability (according to That Other Wiki). It's possible to do the other way around, but it's strongly discouraged.
 * Know where your ammunition came from. Random gun show reloads might be cheap, but replacing missing fingers is not.
 * Blank cartridges are not harmless, even if you are certain that they are blank. Depending on the type of weapon, it is possible for some combination of a jet of flame, burning particles of propellant, and any foreign body in the barrel, to strike a person with enough heat and force to cause severe injury or death. Never fire a blank cartridge directly at another person, or in close proximity to them. The probability of these type of accidents is why movie and TV actors today undergo actual firearms training before shooting even flash-paper non-guns on set.

2) Maintenance & Modification

 * A new gun bought from the manufacturer will come with a manual as well as some cleaning tools.
 * Always ensure your gun is properly cleaned and maintained before and after firing. Cleaning kits are normally cheap and can prevent accidents and jams. Be aware of proper cleaning procedures if you are using corrosive ammunition.
 * Only use cleaning products that are safe for use in your weapon. For example, ammonia based solvents will damage nickel finishes and other products should be used instead. Check the manual or contact the manufacturer if you are unsure if a product, tool, or technique is safe and effective to use on a particular firearm.
 * If there is significant damage to the gun, do not try to fix it yourself unless you are a certified and licensed gunsmith. Take it to a certified and licensed gunsmith for repair and any major maintenance.
 * Do not customize your weapon yourself unless you are knowledgeable enough to be sure that you have done any modifications safely. If you are unsure about a given modification, take it to a professional gunsmith and ask a professional's opinion as to the viability and safety in doing so.
 * To clarify, this rule is about doing something such as working with the gas system, the safety, or headspacing. As a general rule, the external modifications such as adding slings and accessories is fine. It's the internal modifications you need to watch out for.
 * When your gun is not in use, store it unloaded (of course) and in a secure location, such as in a locked gun safe.

Ignore those that decry these rules; you will outlive them.

(Footnote: while we have done our best to make the above information clear, concise, and comprehensive, there is no substitute for actual training with firearms. Such training can be had from many sources, ranging from major organizations like the US National Rifle Association to local shooting clubs. This page is not intended to be used as a substitute for said training.)