Let's Talk About Your Gun's Safety

I spent a good portion of time working in a gun store. Long enough to hear every argument on either side of the usefulness of manual safeties and which were best to have on your gun and which ones needed to be scrapped. I've heard them all.

So... what is my take on the manual safety? I don't have one. No, really! I think the best safety for you - or lack there of - is what ever makes you the most comfortable. If you prefer not having a manual safety, great! A manual safety is a must? Great! The important thing is that you are comfortable with your gun. I have guns with safeties and guns without. I don't see a plus or minus to either one for myself. Guns with safeties... I make sure to practice getting that safety off and making it second nature. But a safety or lack there of has never influenced a purchase for me.

If you have a strong preference either way, stick to it. Like I said, you must be comfortable with the gun regardless of what everyone else says.

Now. For those who prefer a safety, please keep reading.

The one thing I cannot stress enough about ANY safety on ANY gun is this... a safety is a mechanical device that CAN fail! Why am I saying this? Because safety or no, you MUST keep the basic rules of firearms safety in mind. Let's discuss...

1. All guns are always loaded. - This means... you assume the gun is loaded, all the time. If you always treat a gun as if it is ready to go off, you can help avoid "accidents" down the line.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. Basically... don't point the gun at anything you don't want to kill. This means... DON'T POINT THE GUN AT ANYONE, EVER, FOR ANY REASON! Unless they are doing you harm and deadly force is required, your muzzle should not be pointed at that person. Even if the gun is unloaded. Even if the safety is on. I hear this all the time as a sales person when someone corrects someone from pointing a gun at my chest. "But it isn't loaded." or "But the safety is on!" Get in the habit of never pointing the gun at anyone and the time the unloaded gun IS loaded, you won't put one in someone's chest by mistake.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. I correct people on this all the time. A lot of people will inspect a firearm they want to buy and keep their finger on the trigger the entire time. I watch them roll the gun around for inspection, work the slide, etc., all with their finger on the trigger. This is something else you need to correct and be aware of. Until you wish to fire a projectile, your finger should not be on the trigger guard. Train your finger to go up along the side of the frame. In a moment of need - like when you hear a noise in the middle of the night - it reminds you to assess the target and not make a mistake. Again... safety is on, gun is unloaded, I DON'T CARE! Keep your finger off the trigger. Every time. It eventually becomes second nature and helps "accidents" decline. My line to remind people of this? Keep your booger hook off the bang switch. Makes them laugh, but they never forget it, either.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. Don't shoot first and ask questions later. At 3:00 in the morning when you've been startled awake by a noise, you need to take a moment to breath and assess the situation. Is the dark silhouetted figure in the kitchen your spouse who got up to get a glass of water or an intruder? If it is an intruder, what's behind him? Is your child hiding behind the counter right behind him? Be aware, bullets can go through someone and into someone else. Many hunters have experienced shooting a deer and taking out the one behind it as well. One shot, two kills. This can happen with people, too, even if you carry the best hollow point ammo known to man. So be darn sure of what's behind your attacker and where your bullet may go. There is a lawyer attached to every bullet. One of my favorite quotes, and people laugh when I use it. But they remember it. If you shoot the bad guy and kill the old lady behind him, too, you are going to be charged with her death. Remember that.

So I bring this up for good reason. As I said in some of the descriptions above, I have people on a daily basis who point guns at my chest or put the safety on and point it at a friend and begin pulling the trigger. When I tell them to stop... they answer, "But the safety is on!"

Safeties fail. It does happen. You should never have that much faith in any object that is man made. It's like slamming into the back of a car and telling the cop, "But I hit the brakes!"

Safeties are great and for many people they are comfort. They do assist in stopping accidents. But the main safety on a gun is your own brain. Even with the safety on, imagine it is off and loaded. All the time. Using your head and treating a gun as what it is - a deadly weapon - can prevent tragedy.