Firearm Safety
Firearms are inherently dangerous. If they are used incorrectly, you ar someone else can be killed or maimed. Gun accidents are rarely the fault of the firearm. A gun is a machine with no judgment of its own. Like any other piece of machinery it responds to your actions. Choose to store and use your firearm safely. A momentary unsafe act can produce a permanent tragedy.
ALWAYS keep the muzzle of the firearm pointed in a safe direction. Never point any gun, loaded or unloaded, at anything you are not willing to destroy of kill.
ALWAYS assume every firearm is loaded until you prove otherwise. Don't take anyone's word for it. Open the bolt and look in the chamber, Lock the bolt open. Open the cylinder and look into the cylinder. Visually check the feed area of tube fed firearms. Make this a permanent habit every time you pick up a firearm.
ALWAYS know what you are shooting at and be sure you know what is behind it. Bullets travel an incredible distance and can kill far past their manufactured "effective" range.
NEVER shoot while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, legal or otherwise. You need a clear head with sound judgment to use a firearm responsibly.
ALWAYS keep the mechanical safety "ON" and your finger off the trigger until the muzzle is pointed at the target and you are ready to fire. After you have fired get in the habit of putting the safety back on. This may save your or someone else's life.
Never totally trust a mechanical safety. Like anything mechanical it can and probably will break.
Mechanical safeties are not perfect. They will not provide protection if a child or an idiot adult plays with them. Although you should always use the mechanical safety, treat the firearm like the safety is not working.
ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until you are ready to shoot at your target. Never store your firearm loaded.
ALWAYS insure the barrel is clear before you shoot. Foreign objects as minor as spider webs have been know to cause the barrel to crack or explode while firing. If you fire your gun and it just didn't sound quite right or have the same feel stop firing immediately. Unload the firearm, place all mechanical safeties to "on" and carefully check the bore for obstructions. If a bullet is lodged in the bore and it is fired the gun will explode violently. Don't take the risk.
ALWAYS use high quality ammunition made to American industry standards.
Use the correct caliber factory ammunition or insure the ammunition you are using has been correctly hand loaded using quality components at the recommended safe amounts. If you are buying "hand loaded" ammunition from a private individual you are trusting your equipment and quite possibly your life to this individual. One mistake in the hand loading process can cause your gun to blow up, possibly injuring or killing you or the people around you. Is that "good deal" worth it? Be confident the ammunition was correctly made before you use it.
ALWAYS be aware of the situation you are in and the terrain you are on. Do not allow the muzzle to point in the wrong direction if you fall or stumble.
NEVER load a firearm in a vehicle.
NEVER shoot at a hard object or at water. This practice will generally cause the bullet to travel in directions in which you did not intend.
ALWAYS properly clear a "hang fire." A hang fire occurs when you pull the trigger and nothing happens. There are many causes for this but you have to be sure the primer is not slowly burning which may cause the firearm to shoot when you do not expect it to. Continue to hold the firearm on target. Hold the firearm on target until you feel the round will not detonate. It will seem like forever and you will feel foolish standing there but it is better to be safe than sorry. Quickly and safely place the mechanical safety to "on" and unload the defective bullet. Treat the bullet like it may explode at any moment because it might. Properly discard the bullet safely.
ALWAYS insure your firearm is unloaded before you start to clean it. Check it every time.