Education Is Key To Gun Safety

I'm not a gun nut, but I'm also not an antigun nut. Strip away the emotions, passions and politics surrounding sporting handguns and long guns and you simply have a machine made for throwing round balls or pointy bullets.

A lot of folks are afraid of guns and won't even go near one, let alone handle a firearm. Undeniably, guns can be lethal when not treated in a safe and sane manner, but they are not a coiled rattlesnake ready to deal instant death the moment you open a gun box. On the flip side are the people who are comfortable around guns--35 million Americans own handguns, primarily for recreation and self-protection. About 700,000 citizens join the ranks of gun owners every year.

While guns obviously are formidable defensive weapons in the hands of folks who know how to handle them, they also are a great form of recreation--for folks who know how to handle them. Education is the key. The basic principles of firearms safety boil down to good common sense. Handle all firearms as if they were loaded. Keep them pointed in a safe direction. Keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you're ready to fire. Make certain that the target and surrounding area are safe.

The first thing to do when handling any firearm is to point it in a safe direction and open the action to verify that it isn't loaded--and that includes putting your finger into the chamber as a backup to visual inspection.

Recently, four PM staffers, including myself and editor-in-chief Joe Oldham, spent a day target shooting at a range under the supervision of NRA-certified instructors. Among them was Walt Rauch, who is a former Secret Service agent and is often called on as a firearms expert witness in court cases. He is also the author of Real-World Survival! What Has Worked For Me.