Why Safe Gun Handling Is A Must

Some of you might know that I put my horse down last week.  I did it, not the vet, and I did it using my Para.

I was thankful for the knowledge and ability to end her suffering quickly.

I was also thankful for years of gun handling.  Now, I've never been in a fire fight, and I don't ever want to be, but I did learn some things when I put Estes down.  Stress works in funny ways.  On one hand, I was worried because all I had with me was target ammo and I was worried about over-penetration.  (It was days later that I remembered I had an eight-round magazine full of defensive rounds in my bag.)  I also worried that the wound channel and hydrostatic shock wouldn't be sufficient to immediately incapacitate the medulla.

Turns out, the target ammo did the job and I compensated for the over-penetration by angling my shot so that the projectile had the length of her body to stop it.  I did not look for an exit wound, nor did I hear a second impact, so I'm going to assume there was no over-penetration.

Good gun handling made doing the job easier, but I was most thankful for it in the moments immediately after delivering the shot.  Even overwhelmed with grief, my finger was straight and along the frame and I had engaged the safety without thinking about it. 

When my step-father came to take the gun from me, I unloaded and showed clear without a second thought.  Muscle memory took over.  (I never did hand over the gun, though, I stowed it myself.)

In moments of grief and high stress, it's exceptionally important to have good gun handling skills, not only for your safety, but for the safety of those around you.

Practice good gun handling yourself.

Insist those around you have good gun handling skills.

Because you'll never know how you'll react in a high-stress situation and having those skills without ever "cheating" or taking short cuts will continue to ensure your safety.

Firearms 101 - The Rules

I posted this over on my personal blog, Preachers and Horse Thieves, a while back before GunDiva invited to the party here. Since we are starting a new year with an imminent battle over gun rights and responsible gun ownership, I figured now was a good time to repost this here.

I originally prepared this for a friend who is interested in learning to shoot. Enjoy.

The Four Rules

1. All guns are loaded.

2. Never point the muzzle of a firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you are ready to shoot.

4. Know your target and what’s beyond it.

Memorize these four rules. They are the basis of all firearms safety. It is highly unlikely to the point of being statistically impossible to be hurt by or hurt someone else with a firearm when obeying the four rules. Further, there is no such thing as an “accidental discharge” when properly handling a modern firearm in accordance with the rules. More importantly, no matter how many safety features that are designed into a firearm, the most important safety feature a firearm can have is the trained mind of the person holding it.

Further explanation of the Rules:

1. The longer version of Rule 1 is “Treat All Guns AS IF They Are Loaded.” Every time you pick up or are handed a firearm, you personally should check its chamber or cylinder to verify whether or not it is loaded before doing anything else with the firearm. If someone else is handing the firearm to you, it is not a matter of trust/distrust to verify that the firearm is unloaded. It is a signal to responsible shooters that you are not a fool who will waive a gun around indiscriminately, that you respect firearms as tools that must be handled mindfully in the same way that you would operate power tools and respect your life and the lives of others. Responsible gun owners/shooters EXPECT you to verify the condition (i.e. loaded versus unloaded) of the firearm. 
2. Rule 2 is fairly straight forward. Bullets come out of the muzzle end of the barrel. They come out fast and have a lot of kinetic energy that they are just waiting to dump into something, anything in their way. So, don’t point the barrel at anything you don’t want a bullet to hit or go through. Such as your wife and child, your car’s engine, the neighbor’s house, etc. If you would like some examples of what bullets will do, go to: http://www.theboxotruth.com/index.htm for plenty of examples with photos. 
3. Rule 3 is also pretty straightforward. If your finger is on the trigger, Mr. Firearm is no one’s friend whether it’s loaded or not. If your finger is not on the trigger, the chances of a loaded firearm discharging are significantly reduced. Most modern firearms have been designed and tested such that you can literally hammer nails or tent stakes or small children with them and still not discharge; however, smart people follow the rules religiously and don’t tempt Murphy’s Law. 
4. Rule 4 typically gives people the most fits. Once a bullet is fired, it does not stop until its kinetic energy is completely dissipated. Where and how that energy gets dissipated depends on several variables including bullet design, muzzle velocity, trajectory, target density, gravity, etc. For instance, a 230 grain .45 caliber bullet fired at 1000 feet per second (which is a typical bullet weight and speed for a 1911 style handgun) parallel to the ground at a shoulder height of 5 feet will travel approximately 156 feet before impacting the ground due to gravity assuming it hits nothing else in its path. If the bullet hits a rock at impact, it could ricochet in unpredictable directions with unknown consequences. That same bullet fired straight up at 90 degrees to the ground will climb to over 15,000 feet before coming back down. Big difference. For this reason, most firearms ranges have some sort of ballistically proven back stop material to safely dissipate the energy of a bullet and secondary measures to prevent you from inadvertently shooting someone in the next town. A huge pile of dirt works very well which is why it’s used almost exclusively at outdoor ranges. Concrete and/or ½ inch to inch thick steel works well with some caveats. Sheet metal doesn’t work too well which is why cars do not provide very effective cover in shootouts despite what Hollywood has portrayed.

Last thoughts on safety:

1. Obey the rules and no one gets hurt.
2. Disobeying the rules might get you shot and not necessarily by someone else.
3. Do not fear the firearm. It is only a tool used to hit a target in the same way a saw is used to cut wood. They are neither good nor evil. They just are.
4. If you are not sure, ask questions. There are no stupid questions.

Hold It Like You Own It

One of the biggest mistakes I see with women shooters, especially new ones, is a fear to take control of their gun.  Having a gun that fits properly is just the first step; proper grip is the second.  YouTube is full of videos mocking women shooters who have hit themselves in the head with whichever handgun their "friends" have given them to shoot.  Those videos infuriate me for one reason - with proper instruction, no one would ever get tattoo'd by their handgun.

Proper grip will allow you to control the recoil and bring the gun back on target much more quickly, which means you can get your next shot off much more quickly.

Attitude is crucial when handling guns.  If you are afraid of it, or of the recoil, it will bite you.  Tara's favorite phrase when dealing with new shooter is, "Hold it like you own it, not like it owns you."  You control the gun, not the other way around. 

A good grip starts the same way you check for fit, with the gun snugged into the web between your thumb and first finger.  Your index finger should rest along the frame of the gun, the other fingers wrapped comfortably around the grip.  Your support hand should be wrapped around the gun, covering the fingers of your strong hand, both thumbs facing forward.

Having your support hand wrapped around your strong hand helps control muzzle flip - when the gun fires, the front end of the muzzle will "flip" up.  Not controlling the muzzle flip is what caused all those women in the YouTube videos to smack themselves in the head.

It used to be popular to support the gun in a "tea cup" grip, with the support hand cupped underneath the gun, like a saucer under a tea cup.  The problem is that the gun can flip up off of the "saucer", leaving the strong hand to control the gun and bring it back down on target.  In order to avoid that from happening, people who use the tea cup grip will hold on tightly to their strong hand and pull down, which can cause their shots to dive.

Thumb position is very important when shooting a semi-automatic.  Semi-automatics are designed so that when they fire, the slide is forced backward, ejecting the fired brass and reloading a new cartridge.  If your support thumb is wrapped around the back of the gun the slide will take off skin when it cycles.  It hurts.  A lot.  Trust me on this one.  Keep those thumbs out of the way.

Having the gun tucked into the web of your hand will direct recoil back through your wrist, through your arm and into your body.  Absorbing the recoil with your body instead of your thumb (as with a poorly fitting gun) will make shooting even the biggest gun a lot more fun.

Here's a slow-motion video of me shooting; watch the muzzle flip up and notice how my grip helps to bring the gun back down on target so I can get the next shot off.  Thanks to my flabby, out of shape arms, you'll also be able to see the recoil travel from the gun to my body.




Now here's the same clip at "normal" speed.  In slow-mo, the muzzle flipped looked huge, but in this clip it's minimal.  You can also see how my support hand balances out the upward movement of the gun, simply by resisting the movement.  I don't have to muscle it down like I would if I used a tea cup grip.

What Does Your Gun Handling Say About You?

I'll admit it, I've made snap decisions about people based on their gun handling.  However, I think those snap decisions are safe ones.  For example: if you're out at the range and you're sweeping everyone nearby with the muzzle of your gun, I'm going to assume that you don't understand the responsibility of safe gun handling.  I'm going to immediately assume that A) you're a self-centered, lazy asshole, B) your a freaking idiot who couldn't be bothered to learn good gun handling (which is an awful lot like option A), or C) no one ever taught you any gun manners.

Sadly, my assumptions always come in that order: A, B, and then C.  Those assumptions are generally based on experience.  At one point in time, I would take the time to explain the range rules and tell the person how dangerous their actions were.  With *one* exception (which lead to assumption C), the offenders were of the A or B category.  I've found that pointing out the error of their ways, no matter how nicely I tried, was just wasted breath.  Now, I just pack up and leave.  It's not worth potentially getting shot because of a negligent discharge, nor is it worth getting into a verbal altercation.

There is basic gun etiquette that I expect all shooters to follow and I'll judge you on it.  Just being honest folks.

The first thing: if you want to show me your gun, please point it in a safe direction and "make it safe", which means drop the magazine and clear the chamber, all the while keeping your finger OFF the trigger.  Show me that the gun is clear before handing it over and hand it over without pointing the muzzle at me.

Understand that I am going to physically clear the gun myself.  Don't be offended by it.  It's just good gun handling etiquette.  I promise that I won't point the gun at you while I'm clearing it either, and I'll be sure to keep my finger off the trigger.

Few things make me more nervous than someone wanting to show me their gun and just handing it over, or worse, leaving in its case and handing it over.  I don't care if you tell me it's loaded or unloaded.  I want the gun cleared before I get it, and I want to see you clear it.

When handling your gun, keep it pointed in a safe direction.  Namely,  away from me!  I feel much better when someone turns away, keeping their body between me and their gun, to drop the magazine and clear the chamber.  Don't worry, I'll peek over your shoulder (or under your arm) while you lock the slide back so that I can see the empty chamber for myself.  And then I'll repeat the process on my own once I've got the gun in my hands.

When out at the range, PAY ATTENTION!  You're not the only one out there.  Never break the 180 degree rule.  The muzzle of your gun should never break the firing line in either direction.  In fact, the muzzle of your gun should be pointed down range AT ALL TIMES unless it's in your holster.  Even when setting the gun down on the bench, keep the muzzle pointed down range.  When loading and unloading your gun, keep the muzzle of the gun pointed down range.  When clearing a jam, keep the muzzle of the gun pointed down range.  When talking to your shooting buddy standing next to you, keep the muzzle of the gun pointed down range.  See the pattern here?

Finger off the trigger, buddy.  That trigger's not a convenient place to rest your tired booger hook.  If your finger is so tired that you need to rest it, put the gun down (with the muzzle pointing down range).  The only time it should be on the trigger is when you're fixing to press it.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen people at the range with their gun dangling from their hands by their sides and their fingers on the trigger while they talk to their shooting buddies.

I've seen some life-long shooters who have gotten complacent with their gun handling, because they've done the same thing a hundred times before without a bad outcome, so why would this time be any different?  Just because they've gotten lucky that nothing bad has happened in the past is no guarantee that it won't happen in the future.  Gun complacency is the reason why people get shot with "unloaded" guns.  Those people have mishandled their guns so frequently that they've forgotten how dangerous they can be until they get a painful reminder.  Kinda like this guy...



Now, on the other hand, someone who follows the basic gun etiquette and handles their gun as though they've got a brain in their head is someone I'll associate with.  See, to me, good gun etiquette means that you give a damn about yourself and those around you; you don't needlessly or recklessly put yourself or others in danger.  And I appreciate that.