The Cornered Cat
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Rule Sets
January 22, 2018

Newsflash: within the firearms world, people often use different safety rulesets. The most common and most widely-trusted rules come from Gunsite in the form of the Four Rules. Gunsite Four Rules: 1) All guns are always loaded. 2) Never let the muzzle cover anything which you are not willing to destroy. 3) Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target. 4) Always be sure of your target. Many people have taken the Four Rules… Continue reading →

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Dying of Embarrassment
January 1, 2000

…nes. The cones represent kindergarteners. Or your own loved ones. Or a pack of peaceful nuns crossing the road in front of you. Whatever happens, the instructor says, the student must not hit the cones. That’s the only rule. The instructor then blocks the student’s view of the road ahead, and steers for the student as the student brings the vehicle to full speed. The instructor yanks the vision blocker away when the vehicle is nearly… Continue reading →

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Unintentional Discharges Project – Part 2
June 26, 2018

…st often when someone violates more than one of the rules. This is why it is important to follow each rule, every time, even though they overlap. Even in circumstances where it might feel overly cautious to follow all of the rules all the time, the rules overlap for good reason. When a person regularly breaks one rule, but has long avoided serious consequence by consciously and carefully following one of the other rules, this is the circumstance… Continue reading →

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The Other Three Rules
January 1, 2000

…n isn’t the cause of his injury. Here’s the actual cause of the injury: he pointed the muzzle of the gun at his own left hand and then he deliberately pulled the trigger. By focusing his entire safety protocol on Rule One—trusting himself to check properly that the gun was unloaded—the shooter set himself up for the injury that followed. When he pointed the gun at his own hand, he broke Rule Two. When he pulled the trigger while the… Continue reading →

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Building Good Habits
December 31, 2012

…stance, with the same cautious respect you would give it if you knew for sure that there was a round in the chamber and the gun would fire if the trigger was pulled? If so, you are building a good safety habit in relation to Rule One. Rule Two Violating Rule Two is, I think, the most immediate cause of this man’s injury. He pointed the gun directly at his own body before he pulled the trigger. Why he did so is not really the critical… Continue reading →

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Dry Fire Safety
January 1, 2000

…safety and build good habits. Notes: Many of the people who get most infuriated by this type of question have literally never thought about the rules before. They get cranky at this type of question because it transforms the rules from trite little truisms into something more real that they have to really think about. ↩ Street Safe: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Violent Crime (Marc MacYoung, Paladin Press, 1993/LOTI, 2007). ↩… Continue reading →

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The overlapping, redundant, ridiculously unnecessary safety rules
October 30, 2017

…217;t throw any of them away. Notes: Many of the people who get most infuriated by this type of question have literally never thought about the rules before. They get cranky at this type of question because it transforms the rules from trite little truisms into something more real that they have to really think about. ↩ Street Safe: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Violent Crime (Marc MacYoung, Paladin Press, 1993/LOTI, 2007). ↩… Continue reading →

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The First Trip to the Range
January 1, 2000

…ying, but it is surprisingly easy to let non-essentials get in the way of this important goal. The very first step, before you even get to the range, is to make sure your child knows and understands the basic firearms safety rules. These basic rules are not at all hard for even a young child to learn, nor are they difficult to explain. Because they are so basic and so fundamental, once your child knows these rules it will become very much easier… Continue reading →

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