Did you know that citizens of the United States of America own a combined 393 million firearms? Firearms are a wonderful tool for helping to maintain healthy populations of wildlife and also providing food for human consumption.
With that being said, a gun safety checklist is an important part of firearm ownership. One of the big issues haunting the firearm industry is the issue of firearm safety. Knowing how to operate, clean, and hold a firearm is important for your safety as well as the safety of everyone around you.
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to firearm safety then you’re in luck. You’ve come to the perfect place to learn about how to use a gun safety checklist. Keep reading this article for more.
Table of Contents
Always Know Where You’re Pointing Your Gun
A huge part of firearm safety that many people overlook is always being aware of where you’re pointing your gun. This is true even if you believe that your firearm is loaded. It is important to always handle your firearm as if it was loaded even if it isn’t.
You also need to be aware of where your firearm is pointing at all times in order to keep the people around you safe. Doing this is one of the best ways to create a safe environment and prevent accidents from happening.
When handling a firearm you should always take a look around to make sure that there is no one that could get hurt nearby. This will also help you to make sure that the muzzle is pointing in a safe direction at all times.
If you want to get some target practice in then you should find a safe place where no one is around. This decreases the odds of someone getting hurt. Always know where your firearm’s muzzle is pointing.
Keep Your Firearm Unloaded
An important part of firearm ownership is knowing to keep your firearm unloaded at all times unless you’re somewhere that it is safe to operate and shoot. A good rule of thumb is to keep your firearm unloaded unless you’re ready to shoot at a target.
This is true except for instances where you’re concealed carrying. Check out this article to read more here. All other situations should mean that your firearm is unloaded and in a secure place. This is huge for homes that don’t have the best gun safe or best gun vault.
A big cause of injuries and death related to firearm safety is not keeping firearms secure. A gun vault gives you a place to secure the firearms so that family members and children can’t access them. A part of firearm ownership is ensuring that you keep firearms in a place where no one can access them except you.
Another good rule of thumb is to make sure that your firearm is completely unloaded when you’re finished with hunting or target practice for the day. This is a sure way to prevent accidents that could change someone’s life. This will also keep you from having a loaded firearm in your vehicle or in your home.
Always check the chamber of the firearm as well as the receiver and the magazine if your firearm uses magazines. Never under any circumstances should you assume that a firearm is unloaded. It is better to assume it is loaded until you determine otherwise.
Treat Every Firearm Like It Could Go Off at Any Time
Another good rule of thumb when it comes to firearm safety is to treat every firearm as though it could go off at any moment. This is true even if your firearm has the best safety mechanism on it possible.
Even the best safety and best trigger lock isn’t a perfect combination for firearm safety. You need to be on constant alert that your firearm might go off. The firearm’s safety and a trigger lock are both manmade mechanical objects that can fail or get broken.
You also need to always be 100 percent sure that the safety is on with your firearm. This means double-checking to make sure even if you think that it is on. The safety of your firearm is a lifesaving device but the only way to make it foolproof is to combine a good amount of common sense.
Be Smart About Targets
Something that you should keep in mind about firearm ownership is that you need to be extremely certain about your targets. Once you pull the trigger and fire a round at a target there is no taking that shot back. The instant that you pull the trigger the bullet is out of your control.
It doesn’t matter if you’re target shooting or if you’re hunting. You always need to be aware of who is around you and where they’re at.
You should never fire a gun unless you know that everyone is out of harm’s way. Be sure to check behind your target as well as all around you. Doing your safety check prior to firing is the only way to make sure that everyone is safe when you pull the trigger.
Use the Correct Ammo
Another big thing to think about when it comes to a gun safety checklist is to make sure that you’re using the correct ammunition for your firearm. Using the wrong ammo will cause damage to your expensive firearm investment but it can also cause significant injuries to you and those around you.
You also need to avoid using ammo that is of poor quality. This will ensure that your firearm remains in good condition and that you don’t put yourself in harm’s way when operating it.
Follow This Helpful Gun Safety Checklist to Improve Your Firearm Safety
Firearm safety is the most important part of firearm ownership, and this means that you need to use a gun safety checklist when at the range or out hunting. This will keep you and those around you safe. It will also help you to keep your firearms in great condition.
For more helpful articles, make sure you check out our website today.
