Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use
Huh? A self-defense gun needs to be ready to use at all times. The mugger or rapist or home invader won't wait for you to load up.
The correct rule is "Always treat a gun AS IF it was loaded".
And Rule #4, too often forgotten, is "Be sure of your backstop". By all means, blow away the intruder who's heading for your kid's bedroom, but be sure you don't take your kid out with the same shot, as it goes through the flimsy modern sheetrock wall and into the kid on the other side.