You must apply these rules whenever you use a firearm to ensure no one is hurt. In the handle and use of a firearm there are five golden rules that, if applied effectively, will prevent accidents and prevent you from becoming another statistic.
- Always point a firearm in a safe direction until you are ready to shoot:
Now this is not as easy as you think. Remaining muzzle conscious takes a quite bit of training. In the firearm law, if you muzzle sweep anyone, that person may lay a charge of attempted murder against you. Coincidently, this rule applies to any object that resembles a firearm, including Co2 power BB guns or a pellet gun. If you point one of these at someone, you could find yourself in some deep hot water, so be aware.
- Always keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to shoot:
This is extremely important, because 90 percent of accidental shootings accrue because the carrier of the firearm stumbled with his or her finger on the trigger, and fired off a shot striking them or an innocent bystander.
- Always treat a firearm as loaded:
Whenever you handle a firearm you need to confirm with your own eyes that the firearm is unloaded and in a safe condition. When you receive a firearm from a person, or when you pick a firearm up off a table or out of a safe, even when you want to clean it, you must look to be sure it is safe.
- Always know your target:
This rule means you must know what you are shooting at. You may simply not shoot through a door or around a corner at an unknown target as you are likely endangering innocent people who might also be behind the door or around that corner.
This rule is also why in South Africa you may simply not fire a warning shot as you could very likely shoot a homeless person sleeping in the bushes by mistake.
- Always know what is behind your target.
Now the door aside, if you are engaging an attacker in a crowded place like a Spar, you need to ensure you don’t hit people behind and around the attacker, as most standard copper-jacketed ammunition tends to over-penetrate with enough force to injure or kill the next person in the queue.
When it comes to safety, all of us are concerned for the children who will be around the firearm on a daily basis.
Now I speak out of experience, as I grew up in a house where we had regular access to a 7.65 Berretta pistol because my father was a gun owner all his life.
Neither my brother nor I ever played around with the gun because my father took the time to take us to the shooting range and teach us about guns, so we never had that curiosity about guns.
We knew what it did and I was personally more scared of the gun and its power than I was of my father being angry.
It is vital for all gun owners to take the time and go to a properly accredited training centre to find out what a day at the range with qualified instructors may cost. Take your loved ones out and teach them about guns. Not how to shoot per se, but more importantly how to safely handle a firearm if the need should arise.
For example: How to make a firearm safe when there are children around and the old man left the gun on the coffee table out of habit, because criminals are everywhere and it is better to be safe than sorry.
You cannot threaten someone into acting safely, you can only educate him/her about why they must be safe.
How to identify a proper, accredited training provider:
A proper training centre must be registered by P.S.I.R.A, SASSETA, the PFTC and have a valid and current memorandum of understanding with an SAPS accredited firearm range to do the practical examinations.
The centre must have an SAPS accreditation number, have an accredited office and training facility (tables/chairs, etc) and have qualified and registered instructors, assessors and moderators in their employ. Proof of this must be readily available for inspection.
The training centre must have the necessary, correctly licensed firearms available to be utilised for training in all the different categories they advertise, i.e. handguns/rifles/shotguns/semi auto and automatic rifles.
