Clint Smith Safety Challenge

Clint Smith is the founder of Thunder Ranch in Lakeview Oregon. Clint puts out a newsletter monthly that is great.
If you are not aware Clint Smith has been a firearm instructor for many years at Thunder Ranch in Texas and Oregon, NPI, the original Gunsite Academy, and for a decade in law enforcement. He is known for his straight-forward, candid advice concerning shooting, self-defense, and tactical techniques.
Clint says:
“REVIEW THE FIREARMS SAFETY RULES
Can you say what the 4 are correctly and in proper order…first time through?”
Well what do you say? A new year is a good time to take stock and review the basics. So can you quote the four safety rules by heart?
1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cross anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target and ready to fire.
4. Be sure of your target and beyond.
1. All guns are always loaded.
Sometimes I see this written “Treat all guns as if they are loaded.” This is a mistake in my opinion. “Treating” a gun as if it were loaded is quite different than the declarative “All”. This is a good foundation rule on which the others can stand.
2. Never let the muzzle cross anything you are not willing to destroy.
We have this rule because of Rule one. If the muzzle is pointed at anything that is of value, be it a human, a pet, a body part, or an inanimate object, it will cause death, damage, or great bodily harm if the gun were to be discharged.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target and ready to fire.
I will add to this “out of the trigger guard” even though there are some guns without a guard. Yes they are old guns that don’t have a guard, but out of the guard works for me. Number three is because of number one! This is probably the most often violated rule.
4. Be sure of your target and beyond.
Again, because all guns are loaded, we need to be sure of our target. If there is not a proper backstop or clear area behind the target, the bullet can miss, or pass through, the target and cause damage in unintended areas and to bystanders.
Reviewing the safety rules is great and we should do it often. But being safe with a gun is more than that. Storing guns securely, shooting them in a safe place, and even selling them responsibly is what I call being safe with a gun.
I am one who feels that a gun should be accessible as possible. What good is a gun that is unloaded in a case in a safe? But, I know that children and others who should not have access need to be prohibited. There are many safes on the market that will keep your gun accessible and secure. A little practice and you’ll be able to draw from a safe pretty fast.
As far as gun sales goes. To ensure the transfer of ownership I use a gun sale form with information on it that will help me to identify the buyer or seller and to protect me and them. I make it clear before the sale (or purchase) that I require some personal information for the transaction. I make sure it is both ways. They receive my information also. The safety comes with some type of documentation of the transfer of the gun.
Being safety and security minded is always a good policy. Take Clint Smith’s challenge and know the gun safety rules and review them often.

Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn