# which rules were you taught / follow



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

A discussion was brought up what rules were you taught which do you use , or what variation of them

Coppers 4 



> *RULE 1
> ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED*
> The only exception to this occurs when one has a weapon in his hands and he has personally unloaded it for checking. As soon as he puts it down, Rule 1 applies again.





> *RULE 2
> NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO DESTROY*
> You may not wish to destroy it, but you must be clear in your mind that you are quite ready to if you let that muzzle cover the target. To allow a firearm to point at another human being is a deadly threat, and should always be treated as such.





> *RULE 3
> KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER TIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET*
> This we call the *Golden Rule* because its violation is responsible for about 80 percent of the firearms disasters we read about.





> *RULE 4
> BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET*
> You never shoot at anything until you have positively identified it. You never fire at a shadow, or a sound, or a suspected presence. You shoot only when you know absolutely what you are shooting at and what is beyond it.



NRA 3 


*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.


*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.


*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.


TABK
The 4 Rules of Firearm Safety can be remembered by the acronym TABK 
T = Treat every firearm as if it was a loaded firearm. 
A = Always control the muzzle of the firearm. 
B = Be sure of your target and what is before and beyond your target. 
K = Keep your fingers outside of the trigger guard until ready to shoot.



https://dnr.wi.gov/volunteer/instructorcorner/documents/hunt/HE%20Lesson%20Plan%201%20TABK%203-2015.pdf


above is copied from the WI DNR this is what kids and adults born on or after Jan 1, 1973 in WI are taught in Hunters education so we use it in many other things in WI firearms training

I use the acronym but say each a little different 


T= treat every firearm as loaded.
A= Always keep your muzzle in a safe direction 
B= Be sure of your target and what is beyond 
K= Keep your finger out of the trigger guard till your signs are on the target.

the DNR curriculum says this about T
_1. This is a mind set before a firearm is even handled. 
2. Always consider every firearm to be loaded until you personally confirm that it is not. 
3. When first handling a firearm, immediately open the action and check the chamber and magazine. (Demonstrate how to open action, & location of magazine) 
4. If someone is handing you a firearm ask them to open the action prior to handing you the firearm_

I take issue with one part of this and that is "Always consider every firearm to be loaded until you personally confirm that it is not."
I say no that is getting away from your mindset . once you have personally confirmed it is not loaded you can walk in front of it on the bench to go down range , you can place it in a case , you can do repairs and maintenance. BUT you never treat it like it is not a gun. you never point it at anyone no matter how unloaded you think or "know" it to be.
it is always the unloaded ones that get people at least the ones they thought or "knew" to be unloaded 

the DNR curriculum notes on A
_A = ALWAYS CONTROL THE MUZZLE OF THE FIREARM 
1. Show students muzzle of firearm. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. 
2. Usually muzzle straight up with 2 hands on the firearm is the safest way to control the muzzle_

I teach it as A Always keep your muzzle in a safe direction , back to mind set what is control mean to someone especially a kid they point the remote control at the tv all the time. but if I tell you you are always to keep the muzzle in a safe direction they you will be controlling it by default 

B = BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEFORE AND BEYOND YOUR TARGET 
1. Bullets and pellets do not know what your target is. 
2. Bullets and pellets just fly through the air until they hit something. 
3. If there is anything before or beyond the target there is a good chance those things will be hit by the bullets and pellets. 
4. The shooter is responsible for all bullets and pellets fired

when I was a kid taking WI hunters education this is actually where this ended 

K was added later and for very good reason 

K = KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUTSIDE OF THE TRIGGER GUARD UNTIL READY TO SHOOT 
1. The trigger fires the firearm. Your finger has no business being anywhere near the trigger until you intentionally want to shoot something.


I really think the WI DNR probably wanted to just out right copy Coopers 4 but changed the language and made it a touch more hunting as cooper was a military and security trainer.


I feel the NRA 3 were written for a supervised range and fall short of the others.

what is your opinion


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

When I carry my rifle back into the house with the muzzle pointed down and off to the side it's the wrong way? I was taught it's better to point the muzzle down because the ground is a safer direction than the air. 

We were taught to never handle another person's firearms unless we were invited or it was an absolute necessity.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Danaus29 said:


> When I carry my rifle back into the house with the muzzle pointed down and off to the side it's the wrong way? I was taught it's better to point the muzzle down because the ground is a safer direction than the air.
> 
> We were taught to never handle another person's firearms unless we were invited or it was an absolute necessity.


I always figured there were four things you never loaned out, your dog, your wife, your rifle and your chainsaw. Not necessarily in that order.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

When my uncle was teaching me how to shoot, he lent me his rifle.

Your list has 4 items, not 3.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

haypoint said:


> I always figured there were three things you never loaned out, your dog, your wife, your rifle and your chainsaw. Not necessarly in that order.


You left out your tractor, car, truck, farm implements and anything else with tires or a motor.


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## cannonfoddertfc (Dec 20, 2020)

haypoint said:


> I always figured there were three things you never loaned out, your dog, your wife, your rifle and your chainsaw. Not necessarly in that order.


Or your calculator


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Phone, camping equipment, computer, and a million other things.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

I will say helping out with youth in the shooting sports has given me more gray hair. The younger ones <16 aren't as big a challenge with gun safety as the 16+ ones. It wasn't one of our juveniles that shot not once a few feet in front of his feet on the trap range, but twice....I have never seen so many old, fat men move so fast in my life.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Hiro said:


> I will say helping out with youth in the shooting sports has given me more gray hair. The younger ones <16 aren't as big a challenge with gun safety as the 16+ ones. It wasn't one of our juveniles that shot not once a few feet in front of his feet on the trap range, but twice....I have never seen so many old, fat men move so fast in my life.


been at it a while with youth shooting sports I am glad I can say that mostly is not a problem we have had.
we have had zero ND
however when your new to shooting you have an instructor hanging very close to you till you prove trustworthy

we do require all powder burning shooters to have taken WI hunters education 

most of the 16 year olds started at 8-10 with air rifle and worked up

I had a 7th grader this year that had to be corrected several times on finger in the trigger guard when picking up an air pistol , first time shooter. It was pointed down range I just very much dislike the bad muscle memory it can build.
I prefer if we get them earlier I think the listen better

we had a range master when I was a kid at scout camp, carried a big Bowie knife he said he would rather cut your trigger finger off than let you be a danger to others or have someone get killed on his range. many a kid said but you would go to prison , he said then they would have to feed me 3 times a day and cover my medical till I die.

while I am sure that was 99% bluff and no kid ever took him up on it , and he was quick to eject anyone fooling around at all
there was no horse play at the line period.


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## SWTXRancher_1975 (8 mo ago)

Danaus29 said:


> Phone, camping equipment, computer, and a million other things.


Sharing is basically communism, best to avoid the practice.

I was always taught the gun is to kill whatever it’s aimed at, don’t point it at something/someone you don’t wish to destroy.

unload before cleaning

don’t fetishize the gun more than you would a lawnmower.

that was basically the list.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Never share with locals the contents of your firearm collection.
Your kids are never to go to school and tell their friends what mom and dad have in their gun safe.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Keep your booger hook off the bang switch, and don't look down the round hole cause when the light comes on it's too late.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Fishindude said:


> Keep your booger hook off the bang switch, and don't look down the round hole cause when the light comes on it's too late.


I think that is part of the the ******* 4 ( are you kidding me red neck is now getting hit by the language filter and I though RaCOON was ridiculous this takes the cake)
1 Keep your booger picker off the bang switch !
2 treat every gun like it is loaded , then keep it loaded they make a a piss poor club.
3 don't you point no loaded guns at no one who don't need to be shot (see number 2)
4 don't you miss and hit anything you shouldn't your paying for it


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Posted 6/10/22 1:10 A.M. CDST

GCP,

Between my father , uncles, school sportsman's club teacher sponsors and range safety officers over my 55 years of continued firearm training to keep safety embedded in my subconscious and easily retrieved by my concision mind , I have learned all you listed and more.

The main one of the more lesson I learned was taught to me by a range instructor who told us to always carry a handgun in our primary carry location if only a derringer as a stash back up when carrying another weapon just in case we were faced with a gunfight and instead of going to draw the weapon in the shoulder holster first, we went to our usual carry and only found empty waist band or pocket lint.


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