NRA-Chuck

When using or storing a gun, always follow these NRA rules:

Know your target and what is beyond.
Be absolutely sure you have identified your target beyond any doubt. Equally important, be aware of the area beyond your target. This means observing your prospective area of fire before you shoot. Never fire in a direction in which there are people or any other potential for mishap. Think first. Shoot second.

Know how to use the gun safely.
Before handling a gun, learn how it operates. Know its basic parts, how to safely open and close the action and remove any ammunition from the gun or magazine. Remember, a gun's mechanical safety device is never foolproof. Nothing can ever replace safe gun handling.

Be sure the gun is safe to operate.
Just like other tools, guns need regular maintenance to remain operable. Regular cleaning and proper storage are a part of the gun's general upkeep. If there is any question concerning a gun's ability to function, a knowledgeable gunsmith should look at it.

Use only the correct ammunition for your gun.
Only BBs, pellets, cartridges or shells designed for a particular gun can be fired safely in that gun. Most guns have the ammunition type stamped on the barrel. Ammunition can be identified by information printed on the box and sometimes stamped on the cartridge. Do not shoot the gun unless you know you have the proper ammunition.

Wear eye and ear protection as appropriate.
Guns are loud and the noise can cause hearing damage. They can also emit debris and hot gas that could cause eye injury. For these reasons, shooting glasses and hearing protectors should be worn by s******* and spectators.

Never use alcohol or over-the-counter, prescription or other drugs before or while shooting.
Alcohol, as well as any other substance likely to impair normal mental or physical bodily functions, must not be used before or while handling or shooting guns.

Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons.
Many factors must be considered when deciding where and how to store guns. A person's particular situation will be a major part of the consideration. Dozens of gun storage devices, as well as locking devices that attach directly to the gun, are available. However, mechanical locking devices, like the mechanical safeties built into guns, can fail and should not be used as a substitute for safe gun handling and the observance of all gun safety rules.

Be aware that certain types of guns and many shooting activities require additional safety precautions.

Cleaning
Regular cleaning is important in order for your gun to operate correctly and safely. Taking proper care of it will also maintain its value and extend its life. Your gun should be cleaned every time that it is used.
A gun brought out of prolonged storage should also be cleaned before shooting. Accumulated moisture and dirt, or solidified grease and oil, can prevent the gun from operating properly.

Before cleaning your gun, make absolutely sure that it is unloaded. The gun's action should be open during the cleaning process. Also, be sure that no ammunition is present in the cleaning area.

Confed999

Those are Grandpa's rules, can't fool me.

__________________
No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

Terran empire

It's common sense If you ask me but you did not so

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"Finger never touches Trigger unless some one is going too need a grave digger" (Me)[

sniperdude411

"Know your target and what is beyond."
I don't need to know what is beyond my target (unless it's rock). If tehre is anyone behind my target, I don't care if they get shot; They're tresspassing!

highsea

One of my friends from high school was deer hunting with his dad one day about 25 years ago. Dave (my friend) was working one side of a draw and his dad was one the other side. Dave was driving the deer towards his dad. A deer came out in the open, and his dad took the shot with his .30-06. The bullet went through the deer and killed his son on the other side.

Yes, it was a freak accident, but you always need to know what is beyond your target.

__________________
My baby called me up. She said- Why don't you ever take me out? Pick me up in your brand new car....You shake the short change from the old fruit jar...

Anon

"Yes, it was a freak accident, but you always need to know what is beyond your target."

ALWAYS.

Franco Lolan

Yes sir.

Confed999

It's sad that common sence, really isn't all that common.

sniperdude411

"It's sad that common sence, really isn't all that common."
I agree. It's to bad that it's that way.
But when I hunt in my backyard (well, I don't really hunt, I shoot), there is no-one other than me hunting. And if I do hunt with another person, I'm the one that has the gun, and always am out front. So if there is someone behind my target, then it definitely is a tresspasser.
Not that I'm careless or anything, I always check if there are any cars around, and if there is anything within a 90-degree arc.

Tinkertoys

I think Jane's said the same thing with slightly different wording.

-Tink

sniperdude411

What I said, or what NRA Chuck said?