We talk about "The Four Rules" but all have diff. versions of the list. What's yours?

[peacefuljeffrey]

It seems to me, heuristically, that many times I see someone refer to a gun safety rule and calls it "rule 2" or "rule 3" and that there is inconsistency among us regarding what the actual rules 1, 2, 3 and 4 are.

Here are mine.

#1: Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
#2: Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
#3: Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction that will minimize damage and preclude injury if the gun were to fire.
#4: Know your target and what is behind it.


Now, does your list differ from mine in essence? Did I replace a rule with something you don't recognize as one of "the Four"?

Please post your own list of the "Four Rules of Gun Safety" in your own words, or the words of the publication from which you take them.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[rmarcustrucker]

same here, as I am "drilling" into the neighbor boys head:
1. assume it's loaded.
2. keep your finger off the trigger till your ready to shoot.
3. never point it where you don't want to drill a hole.
4. know your target and what surrounds it.

[P95Carry]

I always had learned rule #2 as ''don't point''. Anyways my sequence and wording is a follows and is what I teach, other than when necessary, the NRA triplet.

1 - All guns are always loaded (regardless!).
2 - Do not point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
3 - Keep finger off trigger until ready to shoot.
4 - Know your target - and what is beyond.

[Miggy]

Mine is pretty much the same as Chris. In our club we have a funny version for breaking the ice with new shooters during New Shooter Orientation.

1) Don't shoot me.
2) Don't shoot anybody else.
3) Don't shoot yourself.
Please comply at least with Rules with 1 & 2

Once the relax, we go with the Four Rules plus the match rules & procedures.

[joffe]

I don't like the ones that are all-encompassing and try to describe the entire concept behind the rule, like those elaborating on what it actually means with a second sentence. They're supposed to be simple adages, to the point, no sugar or lemon. If you can't comprehend them the way they're written, well... Anyways, here goes:

- The gun is always loaded.
- The finger stays off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
- The muzzle can never cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Be sure of your target and what is behind your target.

(Keep in mind that they're translated from English to my language with my own changes and then back again so they might not convey the same way)

I like the definite article, I'm not some instructor but to me it seems a lot more personal and might get a bit more attention, especially if you're holding up a gun or the person you're teaching is holding a gun while you teach him them. Again, this is just a theory. I'm no educator.

The safety rules they taught us in the military pissed me off to no end.. They were far too elaborate, they included useless details and were specific to one weapon. (there were SIX rules! I guess public sector bureaucracy and excess manifests itself everywhere) I'll have to see if I can find them and translate them (I immediately un-learned them after boot camp and went back to the four), they're good for a laugh.

[Dan M.]

I use "LLTT" - Loaded, Laser, Trigger, Target

1. Every gun is loaded.
2. Don't let your muzzle cover anything you don't want to destroy (Laser )
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your target is acquired.
4. Know your target and what is beyond.

[aus71383]

Mine are the Marine Corps':

Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.
Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.
Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
Keep the weapon on safe until you intend to fire.

Austin

[SixBravo]

[retsupt99]

...#1: Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
#2: Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
#3: Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction that will minimize damage and preclude injury if the gun were to fire.
#4: Know your target and what is behind it....

Same as I have known...

[Bark'n]

Ditto for post #8!

[ccw9mm]

L.M.F.T. = Loaded, Muzzle, Finger, Target.

Specifically:

• Loaded -- A gun is always loaded.
• Muzzle control -- Never point the gun at anything you're not willing to destroy.
• Finger control -- Keep the finger off the triger until you are ready to fire.
• Target -- Know your target and what's beyond it.

[peacefuljeffrey]

I appreciate the responses. We all seem to be on the same page, for the most part. (Why the Marines don't care about what's beyond the target, I don't understand. )

Now I can't be sure if, when I originally learned the Rules, my #2 was then #3 and vice versa.

I don't suppose that matters, but the more "official" versions I see (like that Gunsite sign, and Glock's pamphlet, which I just checked), the more likely I am to put muzzle before trigger like so many here have quoted.

So my new official version would switch my original #2 and #3 positions.

Cheers!

[max7777]

Post #8

[dogrunner]

The ONLY one that really counts is being "muzzle concious"..........I don't care who you are, how much training you have, or what your position in life might be. The simple truth is that there're only two types of people, those that have had an AD and those that WILL.


That is the single rule that ought to be drilled into every head at every training session.

[peacefuljeffrey]

The ONLY one that really counts is being "muzzle concious"..........I don't care who you are, how much training you have, or what your position in life might be. The simple truth is that there're only two types of people, those that have had an AD and those that WILL.

If that statement is to be considered true, it has to apply even to those who assiduously follow the safety rules. Because you're saying that EVERYONE will have one, and "EVERYONE" includes those who don't follow the rules, and those who DO follow the rules.

And that would have to mean that it's an admission that the safety rules do not have the capacity to prevent having an AD.

Is that what you're asserting, here? Because to me, it doesn't make sense.