1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
This is the primary rule of gun safety. A safe direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if it were to go off it would not cause injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle or front end of the barrel is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances.
2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
When holding a gun, rest your finger on the trigger guard or along the side of the gun. Until you are actually ready to fire, do not touch the trigger.
3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
Whenever you pick up a gun, immediately engage the safety device if possible, and, if the gun has a magazine, remove it before opening the action and looking into the chamber(s) which should be clear of ammunition. If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does.
nras attempt to dumb down the rules for use plebes leads to this crap...
how does one carry for defense with an un-loaded weapon ??? of course 'use' could be defined as carrying in that sense, BUT this #3 is easy to use as 'i thought it was unloaded, rather than demanding the resepct of 'all firearms are always [considered] loaded'...
i guess im just a stickler for demanding responsibility in the fact that there are no 'accidents' because someone thought that a gun was unloaded and therefore safe...unless its broken down into component pieces on a bench, or the mag is visibly removed and action tied open...my .02...
"Whenever you pick up a gun, immediately engage the safety device if possible, and, if the gun has a magazine, remove it before opening the action and looking into the chamber(s) which should be clear of ammunition. If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does."
Can't agree with this one. My guns are loaded all the time, unless I am dismantling them for cleaning. An empty gun does exactly no good if you REALLY REALLY need it.
The NRA rule # 3 seems to directly contradict rule #1 from the article.