Cooper rules are unclear and thus UNSAFE. The only organization that I am aware of which has firearms safety in their mission statement is the NRA. Cooper Rules RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET Sorry but from a learning and retention point of view,
Cooper rules are random and confusing,
Cooper rules use words which are not easily understood by all.
Cooper rules 2 & 3 each contain two topics.
Some wag stated ""All guns are always loaded!" is a ridiculous thing to say. That is why NRA Certified Instructors teaching NRA basic courses teach I'm sure if you were to call the NRA Training Department, they would gladly assist you in your quest.
Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use Your points are well taken.
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
there are a great many differences between Cooper Rules and the NRA rules.
NRA rules are all positive and start with the same positive word.
which facilitates learning and retention.
thus difficult to learn and retain.
NRA rules use words that can be understand by all.
Each NRA rule is one topic.
Sometimes Cooper rule three has two topics
The NRA rules are in a sequence of safety
If rule one is observed rule two and three if violated will cause no harm.
If rule two is observed rule three if violated, will cause no harm
The most violated Cooper rule is rule number one.(I thought it was unloaded)
What kind of safety rule is a declarative statement which is patently false?
"Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction" as Rule One.
Many thinking shooters, who can move beyond fawning over Colonel Cooper,
understand that teaching a rule which is obviously false doubtless will result
in less than strict adherence to the rule.NRA Gun Safety Rules :
Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
Seems to me that a shooter who was so unstable as to be teetering on the edge of disaster due to the confusing nature of the “Cooper rules” and could only be brought back from the brink by learning the “NRA rules” should probably seriously consider something more user friendly than a firearm, like a rock or stick.
Even then, it would be an extremely dicey proposition.