• Over-zealous cleaning can wear your firearm out much faster than not cleaning it enough
• Let the solvents do the work for you
• Be very careful around the muzzle area
• Your gun will accumulate both powder and metal deposits (each requires different solvents and timelines for cleaning)
• The main evil is rust, not deposits–though rust is attracted to dirty surfaces
• Salts are the main culprits of rust, both chemical salts in some types of ammo as well as salts from sweaty hands on the outside of the gun

Firearms are durable and will tolerate some abuse; they are designed to handle many rounds without cleaning. However, certain surplus “corrosive” ammo contains salts which react with humidity and can pit metal. The only time cleaning is required is after you are using corrosive ammo. Using recently manufactured ammo, you can go several range visits between cleanings as long as you aren’t storing your guns someplace damp (such as a basement, or in a humid climate). A dirty barrel encourages rust if humidity is high.

First, MAKE SURE your weapon is unloaded and then field strip it. You will typically be concerned with removing powder residue–use a powder solvent for this. Solvents are pretty toxic, as are the powder residues on the gun itself. Use disposable gloves in a well-ventilated area when you are cleaning. Put a wet patch soaked with solvent on your cleaning rod and run it through the barrel breech first. Some people like to run it through once and remove the patch once it comes out of the muzzle; I just pull it back through. Also apply solvent on the bolt/extractor face, and anywhere else you see residue. Let it sit a few minutes, then clean everything with a dry patch. Repeat with a wet patch, wait, and then a dry one… until the dry patch finally comes out clean. Or at least mostly clean. 3-4 wet patches is usually adequate, depending on how many rounds you have shot. You won’t need to use a nylon brush inside the barrel for regular maintenance, unless it stays visibly dirty after repeated cleaning with patches. Make sure you pay special attention to the nooks and crannies on the extractor/bolt face–I find an old toothbrush and some Q-tips to be good for this. Build-up around the extractor will cause failures to eject after a while. Parts of the firearm that aren’t exposed to powder residue won’t need cleaning: the slide, spring, and other parts can usually just be wiped down. The trigger and hammer mechanisms can be cleaned with a dry toothbrush every once in a while, and only very rarely need lubrication. Certain models of guns accumulate a lot more internal buildup than others and will require more cleaning time.

That’s it! The only thing left to do is apply some gun-grade oil to any of the metal parts that rub together when operating; the rails and bolt primarily. You won’t need a lot of oil, though AR-15′s do prefer a “wet bolt” to function well. I like to use hi-temp grease on pistol and AK rails, as it stays put better. This is all the maintenance your weapon will usually require. Be sure to look down the barrel (putting a piece of white paper at the opposite end helps) and inspect other parts for any unusual wear before oiling and reassembly.

Every few thousand rounds or so, metals deposited from the bullet itself will accumulate in the rifling of the barrel and require removal. To clean these, you’ll need special metal solvents and possibly a jag tipped with a patch, or a brass brush. Let the solvent do the work, using patches to apply and remove it just like for powder residue. Jags and wire brushes are a last resort, as these are more likely to damage the barrel. Use them gently, and only if there is obvious buildup that can’t be removed any other way.

Be very careful around the muzzle; don’t ever insert a cleaning rod muzzle-first, or pull any cleaning tool besides a patch back through. Even a seemingly small nick on the crown of the muzzle can cause extra gas to expand out one side, and throw off accuracy.

Corrosive ammo contains salts that degrade the metal fairly aggressively. These are water-soluble, and won’t be completely removed by normal powder solvents. If you are shooting corrosive ammo simply pour a cup of water through the barrel to wash it out out, followed by few dry patches, and then proceed to clean as usual. I’ve heard people recommend hot water, ammonia (Windex), and other compounds for this. But as long as water is part of the equation, you are fine.

Also pay attention to the outside of the gun; some finishes are more rust-prone than others, and the salts from your hand or aquatic environments also need to be wiped off. After cleaning, it helps to wipe down the outside with a silicone-impregnated cloth to discourage this. CLP is also good for wipe-downs; it both cleans and leaves a thin protective film on the parts.

DC’s existing laws had virtually banned handguns, and dictated that all other arms be kept disassembled or otherwise secured in form which would render them useless for self defense. Heller had applied for a permit to have a handgun in his home and was denied by DC. He was a security guard during the day, and carried a firearm as part of his job, but was required to leave it in a locker at work. His complaint was that he clearly was responsible enough to handle a firearm, and there was no reason DC should be able to deny the right to defend himself in his home.

The Supreme Court reached a 5-4 decision that DC’s law was unconstitutional, based on a consensus that the 2nd amendment does indeed address an individual’s right to own firearms for self-defense. It was a decisive victory for gun owners everywhere. Historical materials discussing the amendment, and consistent use of the phrase “the people” in other areas to refer to an individual, clearly support the majority’s interpretation of its wording.

Since then, there has been a flurry of local legal action which has resulted in several other cities rescinding previous gun bans. Next year, the Supreme court has agreed to hear another landmark case from Chicago–their final decision will determine how much power local jurisdictions have over interpreting an individual’s rights guaranteed in the 2nd amendment. It is worth noting that the dissenting opinions on the Heller case were not over its interpretation of the 2nd amendment, but whether the federal court was justified in overturning the precedent of “state’s rights”. Chicago has retained all of their extremely prohibitive gun laws post-Heller, on the grounds that they aren’t violating the ruling or the rights secured by the 2nd amendment. Whether they are excessively limiting these rights, however, is a different story. So it will be an important case to watch.

EDUCATION

http://www.gunfacts.info It skews heavily pro-gun, but this site has a ton of good statistics from both the US and abroad.

http://www.theboxotruth.com This site is great for real-world ballistics information, plus a mix of other articles.

http://www.best9mm.com A review of the top 25 9mm handguns for under $550.

http://www.mdshooters.com A forum local to Maryland. Most areas in the US have active local boards where you can exchange advice and make new friends.

SHOPPING

You can often buy a firearm online and have it transferred through an FFL cheaper than you can find it in stores. Ammo is usually less expensive too.

http://www.gunbroker.com
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com
http://www.sportsmansguide.com
http://www.centerfiresystems.com
http://www.ammoman.com

Because almost all gun-related crime centers around handguns, any further regulation should be focused there. Most criminals don’t buy guns legally so this won’t directly affect them. However, many of the guns on the black market come from straw purchases–someone who buys a gun legally and then immediately sells it (at a profit) to someone who can’t. Added regulations should be focused on making it harder for a single individual to supply multiple handguns to the black market, and make it easier to identify and hold them accountable for their actions. I think it is reasonable to discuss imposing a limit on how many handguns an individual can purchase per year, without affecting collectors. It should also be a requirement to transfer all non-antique handguns through an FFL so there is a paper trail pointing to their last owner. This means more background checks, and more personal responsibility on the part of the seller. Straw sales are already illegal under federal law, but there is a general lack of prosecution. There should be a special place in prison for anyone who thinks it is OK to sell a firearm to a felon. Handgun regulation is something that needs to be implemented at the federal level, because if a nearby state does not follow the same rules it ceases to be effective; most of New York’s illegal handguns come from out-of-state.

The other major source of guns on the black market are those that are stolen during burglaries. Too many firearms owners simply do not store and secure their weapons properly. This is irresponsible–not only does it lead to more guns on the street but it also puts your family members at a greater risk of negligent injury. Safe storage should be required by law, with a minimum baseline set for what constitutes acceptably secure. Wall safes are not that expensive, and even reinforced construction “site safes” will keep firearms out of unwanted hands. If you can afford to own a gun you can afford to store it properly.

Finally, I think each state should mandate a safety/education program for gun owners, particularly of handguns, and paid for by the shooter themselves. If you need to pass tests to drive a car, you should also be required to show you can safely handle a gun before you can own one. This shouldn’t be a license that needs to be renewed, but a certification that never expires. Some states, like Maryland, do require you take a course or watch a safety video before being approved. However the video is a complete joke; I opted to take the NRA-sponsored course which did a decent job of teaching safe handling and basic skills. But neither required me to prove that I could responsibly handle a gun, and I see far too many people at the range who don’t. A little education goes a long way to reducing accidental discharges and deaths that could otherwise have been avoided.

The majority of gun deaths are from suicide, and an alarming amount from domestic violence. These are the deaths we should be most focused on preventing, and where proper storage and education should help. The remainder of shootings are caused by criminals for criminal causes–efforts should be made to reduce the supply of handguns to the streets, but heavier punishments for illegal possession are needed for this to be truly effective.

The US needs to embrace stricter sentencing for gun crime. Anyone caught with illegal firearms should do some serious time, especially if used in conjunction with a crime. Anyone using a gun in an act of aggression should also face stiff penalties. The current mindset of “all criminals have guns” is simply unacceptable and a major cause, not a symptom of, our gun problem. As long as a criminal knows carrying an illegal gun doesn’t also carry hefty jail time, he’ll do so.

The focus on control and regulation moving forward should be on safety and responsibility, and in rigorously enforcing the laws already in place. As a gun owner, I would also be willing to concede some additional restrictions placed on handguns… because these are the biggest source of urban problems. What I would ask of the anti-gun lobby in return is to take the time to better understand guns and the issues surrounding ownership, and to craft more reasonable legislation targeted towards solving real-world issues. We all want the world to be safer; but to be effective at reducing gun crime and deaths, the anti-gunners need to refocus their efforts. Otherwise I’m one more liberal with my trigger finger on the “right” side of the fence.

There are no right answers, as the choice really comes down to personal preference. If any of these options were sub-standard they wouldn’t be so common. But because I’ve got an opinion (just like everyone else) I may as well speak it here for posterity. Especially since these days I usually just grab my popcorn and watch the fireworks rather than joining in the discussion.

First, the AR vs AK debate. Both common military rifles in service today have been used extensively for decades, and would have been replaced by something better a long time ago if they weren’t well suited for their tasks. The AR-15 (civilian version of the M-16) is known for its accuracy and low recoil, but detractors point to reliability issues. The AK-47 gets a bad rep for being wildly inaccurate, but has an almost legendary reputation for being reliable even when filled with mud. Like most rumors, there is a grain to truth in both of these assessments but they are equally over-exaggerated. I own styles of both rifles and have shot examples of others. ARs are generally very accurate, and once you learn to shoot with a wet (well-oiled) bolt the cycling issues tend to disappear. Troops in the desert have experienced some reliability issues if they get grit in the action–but generally speaking, ARs are 99.9% reliable if kept well lubed.

AKs are generally less accurate but still effective at hitting targets up to 150 yards–which is more than enough for most applications. Their reliability is hard to beat, I have only very rarely had one fail to cycle. Loose tolerances are their secret to reliability, and their downfall when it comes to pinpoint accuracy.

The main difference between the two platforms is that most AKs are crudely crafted compared to ARs. AKs are easier to take apart, maintain, and use for untrained personnel. They are also much easier and cheaper to manufacture, which is a undeniable part of their widespread success. Note that I am making a comparison between the platforms, not the cartridges they shoot. But whether one is better than another is always up for debate.

The handgun cartridge argument is even more heated as it is fueled by actual ballistics data and real-world studies. However, what this data generally proves is that the differences between 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP are fairly minor. A handgun’s effectiveness rests on the three P’s:

• Placement
• Penetration
• Profile (of the wound)

The first, placement, is by far the most important. People have died from a single .22 bullet (a small caliber) and also failed to succumb to multiple wounds from a .45. Your ability to hit a vital area is paramount to your ability to stop a threat.

Penetration is also very important: a bullet aimed to center body mass must have enough energy to reach the organs and incapacitate. There are are two camps of thought about how to best accomplish this–either small and fast (like 9mm) or big and slow (.45). The .40 falls somewhere in between as a compromise. The rest of the world has come to the conclusion that small and fast is more effective, and better against light body armor. The love of .45 is almost entirely a US phenomena, and partly based on our appreciation for the classic 1911 handgun which established it.

Wound profile is the last “p” and the least important, though not insignificant. This is primarily a bullet’s ability to “mushroom” and enlarge on penetration, thus causing a larger wound. There are also some very technical arguments regarding temporary vs permanent cavitation. Here .45 has a slight advantage, as it starts with a larger diameter and has more mass behind it to fully expand.

If  I carried a gun as part of my job, and my life was in the balance, I would probably want the fairly small edge that a .45 brings. However, it’s a more difficult round to shoot effectively (more recoil to manage) which can greatly affect placement and speed. This is part of the argument for the widespread adoption of 9mm. .45 is also more expensive to practice with. Nearly all of my pistols are 9mm, and I would feel confident using any of them to defend myself. But as with most other things in life, your own mileage will vary.

Federal laws are enforced even in the most gun-friendly areas of the nation, requiring a buyer to fill out a form with personal information for every purchase from a dealer (including the serial number of the firearm). This info is used to run a NICS criminal background check. If the purchaser has any felonies or are otherwise flagged as high-risk, they will be denied the right to buy. All new sales, and most used sales, follow federal law and involve transferring the gun through a federally licensed third party (FFL) with a background check. The “gun show loophole” refers to private sales, where an individual sells a gun from his collection to another individual without any federal regulation. This is currently legal, and while it sounds risky I haven’t seen much data that supports this claim. Many individuals selling one of their guns will still voluntarily opt to use an FFL to ensure they are no longer listed as the gun’s current owner. Involving an FFL means additional fees, so the main motivation behind a private sale is to save money… not to circumvent a background check.

Federal law also tightly regulates ownership of fully-automatic weapons, suppressors, and other “special” firearms. As of 1986 it has been illegal to manufacture or import fully automatic machine guns for private ownership. You can still buy and own machine guns made before 1986 (in some states)–but you have to pay a special one-time federal tax for every firearm, plus fill out additional forms and pay a filing fee every two years. You also must agree to allow the ATF to inspect your firearms at will. Because availability of machine guns is quite limited, the cost to own is very prohibitive and few individuals can afford them. We’re talking several thousand dollars to own an “inexpensive” one. It is worth noting that the overwhelming majority of assault weapons are not machine guns–they they are not capable of fully automatic fire and have more in common with hunting rifles, even if they look more dangerous.

The scope of various state and local laws is impossible to cover in here, so I will focus on Maryland which falls towards the restrictive end of the regulation spectrum. In Maryland, the state police require a second set of forms which largely duplicate the federal ones, plus a separate background check. In my mind the second background check is a good idea, since local data is often more up-to-date than federal data. For example, a local check is more likely to catch people who have recently had a restraining order placed on them. However the second set of records kept in the hands of the state police seems unnecessary.

Maryland also restricts buyers to one firearm purchase a month, and requires a seven-day waiting period. This covers all pistols and most military-style rifles, but not shotguns or other long guns. Since pistols are the most common guns used in street crime, it seems acceptable to regulate them differently than other firearms. However, restricting “assault rifles” seems pointless as these are very rarely used to commit crimes, and you can buy a far more powerful weapon with no special restrictions (a shotgun). This doesn’t make sense.

Additionally, the Maryland police require a fired shell casing from any new handgun purchase (used handguns are an exception to the rule and don’t require it). The logic behind this is that each individual gun leaves microscopic marks on the cartridge casings which can be used to match up a gun to a crime. However, creating this database of ballistic fingerprints has cost state taxpayers millions of dollars over the years and has only helped to solve a handful of crimes since being established. It’s also fairly easy to change a gun’s unique profile if a savvy criminal really wanted to avoid prosecution. Microstamping and other methods of ballistic fingerprinting being currently discussed are equally easy to defeat, and likely to be equally as ineffective as they are expensive to implement.

MD also requires all handguns manufactured after a certain date to be purchased with a bore or integral gun lock. While I strongly support keeping guns locked away safely at home, it’s a “hassle” regulation since there is no requirement to use the lock once you walk out of the store. There is a provision in place to require you to secure guns if there is a minor at home, however.

Finally, Maryland has a ban on purchasing “high capactity” magazines, limiting them to 20 rounds or below. However nearly all shootings involve just a few shots fired, so it’s dubious what effect this law has on crime. It mostly affects purchase of surplus military magazines, and further targets owners of these styles of rifles. It should be noted that an individual can still legally own hi-cap magazines in Maryland, just not buy or take possession of them in the state. Many shooters own them, but have bought them out of state and brought them back legally.

Because Maryland already implements many of the regulations which anti-gun lobbies are pushing to make federally mandated–and because these regulations have failed to curb firearm-related crime–I feel strongly that those focused on passing new laws should learn from what works (and what doesn’t). Baltimore is one of the most violent cities in the union and our criminals still have easy access to illegal handguns in spite of Brady-style laws. Clearly what we’re doing in MD is not working. As a gun owner, I want to see responsible ownership AND keep guns out of criminal’s hands–but what is currently being touted as solutions largely fail at both.

There are several basics you must learn: grip, stance, aim, trigger pull, and follow-up.

PROPER GRIP begins by putting the web of your dominant hand (the area between thumb and forefinger) as high on the grip as possible, without getting in the way of the slide’s operation. Your index finger should be pointing straight, in the same direction as the barrel, with the remaining fingers wrapped tightly underneath the trigger guard. Your thumb should also be pointing in the same direction as the barrel. Next, place the thumb of the support (non-dominant) hand slightly in front of and below the dominant thumb. Wrap the fingers of the support hand around the remaining area of the pistol’s grip; your pinky and/or ring finger may fall underneath the grip if you have large hands. You should be holding the gun very firmly–as tight as possible without trembling or causing fatigue.

The secret of a proper grip is control: maximize the amount of skin in contact with the gun, and to hold onto it tightly. A high grip will result in less “muzzle flip” and better follow-up shots. If you can still see parts of the grip, you probably need to adjust your hands. If you have small or large hands, adjust until comfortable. Your thumbs may not look exactly like those in the picture but avoid crossing them over each other.

GOOD STANCE is simply one that allows you to stabilitize the rest of your body, and therefore your ability to hold the handgun steady. A good stance could be leaning against a tree or wall to steady your entire upper body. But at the range, it usually means putting your strong foot forward and the weaker leg behind, with feet about shoulder width apart. You should be “nose over toes”, in other words leaning forwards slightly over your leading foot but still centering your weight comfortably. Your shooting arm should be straight out, locked at the elbow and wrist. This slightly forward cant plus a rigid shooting arm allows for better control of recoil. Both feet and your outstretched hands should form a triangle, viewed from above.

AIM is obvious; as long as the sights are lined up on the target the instant the hammer drops, the bullet will go exactly where you want it. However, in practice this is harder than it sounds. All of your focus should stay on the front sight, not the target behind it. The target should be a blur, and the rear sights (closest to you) a little fuzzy. The front site should dominate your vision. Refer to this sight picture. Practice getting the rear sights lined up with the front sight–they should fall on either side of it, with their tops perfectly level (your gun’s sights may vary but the principle is the same). Once you can do this consistently, practice putting the front sight directly over the center of the target while keeping the rear sights lined up with it.

Bring the pistol up then out to your line of vision, don’t bend your head down. Practice holding the handgun close to your chest, elbows bent outwards, and extending your arms directly towards the target. With enough practice you will be able to line the sites up intuitively by feel, so the gun is already on target by the time you finish pointing it.

TRIGGER PULL can change the point of aim at the last second, even if you are doing everything else properly. It helps to think of it as a “squeeze” rather than a pull. Put the tip of your index finger (not the first knuckle) on the trigger when you are ready to fire. Then squeeze slowly and smoothly rearwards until the hammer falls; it should suprise you when the gun finally goes off. If your sights are wobbling excessively, you may need to adjust your grip slightly. Concentrate on keeping your sights (particularly the front sight) on the target the whole time. Repeat, going slowly, until you are consistent. Then begin to speed up, but resist the urge to jerk the trigger backwards quickly. Shots that hit below the target are generally due to a rushed trigger pull.

FOLLOW-THROUGH seems counter-intuitive, since the point of aim when the pistol goes off is the only thing that really matters. However, new shooters will often anticipate the shot and flinch, tighten grip reflexively as they pull the trigger, or compensate for recoil and “push” the gun forward at the last second. These errors will all cause loss of accuracy. Good follow-through means consistency all the way up to the point where the hammer falls. The gun should always surprise you when it goes off.

The second half of follow-through is being able to align the sites again quickly after each shot. Managing recoil and muzzle flip requires a solid grip plus muscle memory–after a while you will be able to “feel” the correct position the gun should fall back to. This is one of the last skills you will acquire but critical to being fast rather than just accurate.

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You can practice ALL of these skills at home, safely and for free, and should do so frequently until you are proficient at the range. It’s called dry firing, or simply shooting the pistol without it being loaded; use snap caps if you are worried about protecting the firing pin. As long as you are conscious of developing good habits you will continue to get better. In fact dry firing greatly helps overcome flinching, which often plagues new shooters.

Once you begin to notice shot patterns on the target, use this chart to help understand what errors you may be making. Shots landing repeatedly off-center, in a particular quadrant could mean your sights need to be adjusted–but most likely you need to improve your consistency during follow-through. This is a right-handed chart; if you are a southpaw, simply reverse it left-to-right.

Don’t be discouraged, keep practicing and remember everyone misses a lot in the beginning. Even trained police officers miss over 2/3 of the time, under stressful real-world conditions. Unfortunately, you can’t miss fast enough to win in a self-defense situation; practice is key to being able to rely on a hangun to protect your life.

You might discover, as I did, that regular target practice will evolve into a challenging and enjoyable sport.

Just turn on any American media. Violence is an obsession here in the US–from gangsta rap to Hollywood blockbusters, crime shows to the evening news, it permeates our culture. In fact, American entertainment is most often censored in foreign countries for its excessive violence. Guns are a willing accomplice to our cultural tendency to aggression. And they are so central to our county’s history of revolution, expansion and Wild West culture, that firearms are almost as American as apple pie.

Guns are more of a problem in the US because we don’t find it unacceptable for someone to use them in an act of aggression. Our cultural tolerance of this has filtered down into criminal law; while it’s a felony to use a gun in conjuction with a crime, the punishment for it is rarely more than a few more years added to a sentence–often waived for parole. This isn’t much of a deterrent to criminals, who prefer to get what they want without a struggle and carry a gun to “persuade” their victims. The first step towards reducing gun crime is making gun crime more punishable, and less socially acceptable. It’s illogical that we’ve packed our prisons with non-aggressive offenders (mostly drug users) and can’t “afford” to put violent criminals away for longer–especially if they have used a firearm against an innocent person. We need to determine what is most dangerous to us as a society, and clearly our tolerance of gun crime is coloring our judgment.

That is our primary gun problem.

You should already be storing your firearm unloaded and locked someplace safe, with the ammo/magazines stored elsewhere. Anything less is NOT an option if you have children. But you will also need to do something more.

A little gun safety education goes a long way toward helping your child understand what is considered dangerous behavior. Just like sex education, they need to be aware of the rules and risks to avoid unwanted accidents. Familiarity with your gun will also remove most of the mystery and allure around it. Saying “don’t touch my guns” is not enough–kids are curious, and this hunger to learn will eventually get the best of them. It’s a personal decision as to what age this education is appropriate; but if they are old enough to get into trouble, they should know the first few firearm safety rules (see the post on “Gun Safety”).

If you have both a child and a gun, like I do, then you MUST educate them on safe handling and allow them to exhaust their curiosity under under your supervision. Even if you normally keep it locked away from unauthorized hands, both large and small.

• Always assume the gun is loaded
• Keep the gun pointed in a safe direction at all times
• Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
• Know your target and what is beyond it
• Store guns unloaded, and secure from unauthorized persons

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ALWAYS ASSUME THE GUN IS LOADED. Always handle a firearm as if it were loaded, even if you have reason to believe it is not. “I didn’t think it was loaded” is the main cause of most accidents. If someone hands you a gun, or you are disassembling it for cleaning, always confirm its state yourself. Guns without safeties, and those that require you to pull the trigger to disassemble (Glock owners, I’m looking at you) aren’t necessarily any more dangerous–it’s lack of following this one cardinal rule that always gets people in trouble.

A revolver is fairly easy to check; semi-autos require a little extra diligence. Remove the magazine first, then work the slide/action/bolt and make sure there is also no bullet in the chamber. Inspect it visually and also use your finger to probe it, just in case the extractor is not working.

If you always handle a gun as if it was loaded, you are also more likely to follow the remaining rules consistently.

KEEP THE GUN POINTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION AT ALL TIMES. Never point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy. While modern guns incorporate plenty of safeguards to keep them from going off accidently, should a discharge happen for any reason you are still responsible for where that bullet goes. If the gun is always pointed somewhere safe, then your liability is kept to a minimum.

A safe direction could be at the ground, or downrange, or even at an angle into the air depending on the situation. But remember that bullets can travel up to a mile, and will come down somewhere. Ricochets are also a possibility.

The biggest mistake new shooters make, especially with pistols, is called “muzzle sweep”. Don’t sweep the point of aim in a dangerous path (like across fellow shooters) in the process of pointing the gun somewhere safe. ALWAYS make sure any transfer from one position to another is done with gun constantly aimed in the safest direction possible.

KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO FIRE. It’s called trigger discipline. It means you keep your index finger well away from the trigger, until you have the gun pointed at an object you wish to shoot and are ready to do so.  Your finger is the single greatest safety on any firearm. All of the other mechanical safeties are there to prevent freak accidents; almost all negligent discharges are cause by bad trigger control.

The accepted method is to keep your index finger straight, pointed in the same direction as the muzzle and pressed against the frame of the gun. This not only keeps you from accidently flinching and pulling the trigger, but it makes it easy to know without looking in what direction the gun is pointed.

It only takes a fraction of a second to move your finger from safe to ready to fire. Having your finger on or near the trigger at any point before you are ready to shoot is very dangerous.

KNOW YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEYOND IT. This should be obvious, but make sure you have positively identified what you are shooting at. And if you miss your target (or the bullet isn’t otherwise stopped) be aware of what else you might hit behind it. Most self-defense rounds have the potential to travel through one or more interior walls. Shooting at an intruder may also be putting someone in the next room in the line of fire.

More importantly, if you wake up in the middle of the night to a strange sound, you had better be sure it’s an intruder and not a family member going for a midnight snack. For this reason, it’s imperitive to also keep a flashlight next to your bed if you plan on using the gun for self-defense.

STORE THE GUN UNLOADED, AND INACCESSIBLE TO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS. This is one of the rules people commonly ignore. While it may seem counterintuitive to store a gun used for self defense unloaded, it can still be ready as soon as you need it. A loaded magazine/speedloader kept nearby (but not stored with the gun itself) means your gun can be loaded in only a few seconds. Yes, it’s an extra step and under stress you COULD fumble or forget a detail… however, the extra risk you invite by keeping a loaded gun around far outweighs this possibility.

Consider this: it is more statistically likely for a family member to be injured because of your stored, loaded gun than for it to be used to defend yourself against an intruder. Making sure it is unloaded will significantly reduce the risk of having someone injured by their own curiousity or negligence. Always keep the magazine/speedloader and ammunition in a separate place from the firearm.

Storing a gun unloaded is not enough, however. It must also be stored securely. It’s twice as likely for an intruder to steal your gun while you are not home than it is to be used to defend yourself against them. An inexpensive wall safe, secured to the joists with carriage bolts, is generally adequate to deter most smash-and-grab thieves. A dedicated gun safe is an even better investment. No matter how clever you think your “secret spot” is, burglars will probably know to look there. Gun locks and other safety devices are good for keeping curious kids from harming themselves, but will not keep your gun safe from theft. If you own a gun, invest in a safe as soon as you can afford to do so.

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I want to stress that owning a gun does not have to invite additional liability into your life. While there are some scary statistics out there, it’s negligence in following the safety rules above that create risk. If you are going to keep a gun in your house, you HAVE to know how to safely handle and store it. It is your responsibility to protect those around you… and that’s probably why you bought a gun to begin with, right?