FOUR UNIVERSAL FIREARMS SAFETY RULES. ( You should LIVE & BREATH these rules)
Rule # 1
Assume all firearms are loaded. No exceptions. Always assume that any and all firearms are loaded at all times. Perform a chamber check and a magazine check each and every time you pick up a weapon. When a weapon is handed to you or you hand off a weapon, perform a chamber check to assure the weapon is not loaded.
Rule # 2
Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to kill, damage, hurt or buy. This includes everything that you can think of: a person(s), yours or others feet, hands, a dog, cat, TV, car, couch, chair, or simply a spot on the wall.
Rule # 3
Keep your finger off the trigger (and off the trigger guard) until you have made the command decision to fire. This should be rule number one. Find and locate a reference point on the weapon and know it. This should be a location outside the trigger guard, not the magazine release, but simply a spot that your finger is on prior to trigger placement. Negligent discharges only happen when the trigger is pressed. A firearm is a mechanical device that requires a physical action to “fire”. You cannot tell it to fire. The trigger must be pressed. So keep the finger out of the trigger guard until you have made the decision. That is why there is a trigger guard in order to guard the trigger.
Rule # 4
Be sure of your target and what is behind it. You must be aware of the berm, barrier or back stop. Never shoot without assuring that the round you fire down range can be stopped by an intended body or a cover that is sufficient to the ballistic caliber and cartridge you are shooting. Know what is behind your target at all times. Equally important, you must guarantee your hits. If you miss the target you have missed your guarantee that the bullet will be stopped. Do not shoot at sounds or a target that you cannot positively identify. Know what is in line with the target and what is behind it (bullets are designed to go through things). Be aware of your surroundings at all times including range, desert, urban, interior and all environments which you may be confined to.
WARNING - CAUTION: Never depend on the mechanical device to confirm that the weapon is unloaded or cleared out. The only method of confirming that the weapon is “safe” is to have the bolt open, chamber empty, safety on, and no magazine in the weapon, with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.