[Uri’el-2012]

Jeff Cooper rules
were the best we had when they were first developed.

They were developed for dogfaces and grunts.

They worked well enough.

The NRA adopted and the Training Department taught the Cooper Rules.

Over time the Cooper Rules were shown to be ineffective
as "NDs" did not decline.

The NRA Training Department researched a better way to teach gun safety.

The result of this extensive study over a number of years led the NRA Training
Department to reject the Cooper Rules that they had embraced.
This despite Jeff Cooper being on the NRA Executive Committee.

One can only imagine the arguments over many years
until everyone on the executive committee were convinced
that the new NRA Safety Rules were superior to the
then current Cooper Rules.

Anyone who knew Col. Cooper's massive Ego and Pride,
knows how heated these arguments were.

The result was that the NRA adopted the
recommendation of the NRA Training Department.

and issued the following NRA Safety Rules.

Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction

Always keep your finger of the trigger until ready to shoot

Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use

• The NRA rules are all positive; and thus easier to remember.
  
• The words used are ones that everyone can understand.
  
• They are in a sequence, such that if you follow rule one,
  you remain safe even if you violate rule two and rule three.
  
• You don't need to waste time and effort remembering that
  all guns are loaded, because if you
  Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
  it does not matter.

Following the introduction of the new NRA Safety Rules,
the number of "NDs" were reduced and continue to decline.

However in those areas where Cooper Rules continue to be taught,
"NDs" have not declined.

When you plan to shoot there are more rules to follow.

OBTW; I learned the Cooper Rules sixty years ago
as a boy with my first BB gun.

I could repeat the rules and violated them consistently.

I'm sure you did too.

My Daisy Red Ryder was always loaded.

[William Tell]

Uri’el-2012 said: "My Daisy Red Ryder was always loaded. "

My Daisy wasn't a Red Ryder, but it was "unloaded" one day when I decided to target my brother. Fortunately it hit him square in the middle of the Boy Scout web belt he was wearing. I was very surprised by the red welt it left.

I sure can't see how Cooper's rules are inadequate. I'll continue to use them. The "negative" aspect of the rules I find quite appropriate. Each rule suggests what can go wrong if you violate the rule.

I took a class at Frontsight several years ago. They made us sign an agreement as to how dry fire practice was to be carried out. This was because, with the thousands of students they had trained over the years, there had been several incidents in the nearby hotels.

The problem with dry fire practice is that you end up violating several of Cooper's rules. You have to assume the gun is unloaded. You have to aim at a target you don't really want to destroy. You have to touch the trigger even though you have no intention to fire.

The written agreement is to always use a dedicated target, put the target in a safe direction, and don't have the target available except when intentionally conducting a dry fire exercise. I'm not surprised by the NDs they suffered.

I think they needed a dedicated dry fire range that people could use before and after the training sessions and have people sign that they would only use that range for dry fire.

Thanks for the information.