Firearm Safety Rules

Every good class starts with the same safety rules. Learn them until they are automatic, and expect every instructor and range to enforce them.

The four rules

Jeff Cooper set down these four rules at Gunsite, and most training schools teach them today.

1. All guns are always loaded. Treat every firearm as loaded, every time.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you have decided to shoot.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

The NRA’s three fundamental rules

1. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
2. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
3. Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

On the range

Term	What it means
Cold range	Guns stay unloaded except on the firing line when the range officer says to load.
Hot range	Students keep loaded guns holstered at all times, as they would when carrying. Common in defensive classes.
Cease fire	Stop shooting at once, finger off the trigger, and wait for instructions. Anyone who sees a problem can call it.
Make ready	Load and holster, or prepare the gun as instructed.
Unload and show clear	Remove the magazine, lock the slide or open the action, and show the empty chamber to the range officer.

Medical plan

• Know who on the range has trauma training and where the trauma kit is.
• Carry a tourniquet and pressure bandage in your range bag.
• Know the range address and the fastest route to the nearest hospital.

At home and on the road

• Store guns so children and unauthorized people cannot get to them.
• Check the transport and carry laws for every state you pass through.
• Teach children what to do if they find a gun: do not touch it, leave the area and tell an adult.

See Training Gear for what to bring to class, and the Firearm Training Timeline for how these rules developed.

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