Safe Gun Ownership For Dummies Cheat Sheet

To help prevent tragedy with a firearm, you must follow and live by certain safety rules — and make sure everyone around you abides by them, too. The first four in this list are universally accepted throughout the gun world, but you’ll find several more here to cover other contexts and ensure that you’re always thinking about gun safety.

1. Treat all guns as if they are loaded.
2. Never let your muzzle cover anything you aren’t willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re on target and ready to shoot.
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
5. Keep your gun unloaded whenever you aren’t using it, including when you step off the firing line at your local range.
6. Secure your firearm in a safe at home to keep it away from unauthorized users, and store it separately from ammunition.
7. Never touch a firearm after you’ve had any drugs or alcohol.
8. Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting or around others using firearms.
9. Ensure that the gun is safe to operate, meaning it functions properly and that the barrel and action are clear of obstructions. If you have any doubts, unload the firearm completely and let a professional inspect it.
10. Avoid running, jumping, or climbing with a loaded firearm.
11. Always listen to and obey authorities when it comes to handling firearms, including police officers, game wardens, and range staff.
12. Operate firearms only in a well-ventilated area.

If you decide to keep a firearm in your home or vehicle, you must consider several important aspects to ensure that your gun doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Think of yourself as creating more barriers between your weapon and an unauthorized user.

Of course, no security measure is 100-percent foolproof forever, but if you can answer “yes” to every question below, you’re greatly reducing the odds of your gun being discovered and stolen.

• Have you purchased a steel safe for your firearm? The cable or trigger lock that came with your gun is too easy to defeat.
• Is the gun safe hidden?
• Have you positioned the safe in a room or closet that is difficult for others to access? Is it far away from your home’s entry points and, more important, your children’s rooms?
• Have you mounted the safe to a primary structure in your home, such as the floor or wall studs?
• Is your gun unloaded inside the safe?
• Have you stored your ammunition separately from the firearm? Have you considered locking up the ammunition as well?
• Does your home have security measures in place to thwart criminals from breaking in and stealing your weapons?
• Have you researched all the relevant laws when it comes to transporting firearms in a vehicle, including federal, state, and local regulations?
• Have you planned your trip in such a way that you won’t be leaving the gun unattended in your vehicle for hours on end?
• If you decide to transport a firearm in your vehicle, have you purchased a safe specifically for that purpose?
  • Have you mounted the gun safe to the structure of the vehicle.
  • Is your gun safe hidden and difficult to reach from the driver’s seat?
  • Have you considered keeping it under the passenger or back seat, or in the trunk?

The gun world has its own language, which creates a barrier to entry to many novices. The following list should make your life easier, however, because it is includes some of the most common words you’re likely to encounter.

• Action: The firearm’s operating system or internal mechanism for loading, locking, feeding, firing, and ejecting ammunition.
• Ammunition: Cartridges or shotgun shells loaded into a firearm. Each casing contains a primer, gunpowder, and projectile(s).
• Barrel: The tube that the projectile(s) travels through when a gun is fired.
• Bore: The interior of the barrel.
• Bullet: A metal, conical-shaped projectile used in handguns and rifles.
• Caliber: The diameter of the bore, or interior of the barrel.
• Chamber: The rear portion of the barrel where a cartridge or shell is seated before the gun is fired. On revolvers, the cylinder contains multiple chambers.
• Clip: A metal device for quickly loading several cartridges into a weapon’s internal magazine.
• Cylinder: The rotating portion of a revolver that holds ammunition in multiple chambers.
• Gauge: Another measure of a barrel’s bore diameter, but for shotguns.
• Gunpowder: The explosive compound packed within a cartridge or shell that combusts to launch projectiles.
• Magazine: An ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm. Magazines can be either internal (built into the gun) or detachable.
• Muzzle: The front end, or mouth, of the barrel from which a shot is discharged.
• Recoil: The rearward motion or “kick” of a firearm after it is fired.
•  Rifling: Spiral grooves formed into a handgun or rifle barrel that impart spin on a projectile, allowing it to travel faster and farther.
• Safety: A mechanism designed to prevent the gun from firing.
• Sights: Appendages or accessories that allow shooters to aim their firearms.
• Stock: The component that holds a rifle or shotgun’s barrel and action, and that interfaces with the shooter’s shoulder.
• Trigger: The component that the shooter contacts that initiates the gun’s firing sequence.