Huh, I’ve never heard that rule about keeping it on safe until ready to fire, and I learned it as the 4 rules of firearm safety, with that rule excluded. Could be because a large number of handguns don’t have an external safety whereas the other rules are all universal.
In case any gun newbies stumble across here, revolvers don’t have safeties because they have a heavy double action trigger that can’t really be pulled by accident. Polymer handguns like Glocks also frequently do not have an external safety and instead rely on the user to simply not pull the trigger when they don’t want to shoot.
To clarify on Glocks, they do have a little dingus built into the trigger. It acts as a safety in the sense that it makes it harder for the trigger to move if it’s not a finger pulling it (e.g. something gets caught in the trigger guard while reholstering). However, it doesn’t need a separate action to activate/deactivate it like a manual safety. When you put your finger on the trigger, you automatically deactivate it.
Safeties should also NEVER be relied upon because they can fail. That's likely why it's excluded. A safety doesn't really do anything in the context of gun safety, just an extra layer of protection.
Also, you will only ever have a big fuck up if you break at minimum 2 of 4 rules.
The on safe until its ready to fire is a very mixed bag on the topic of self defense.
If you carry a fire arm for self defense, there is a very valid argument that you should not have it on safe as the extra time to take it off safe or if you forget in the most pants shittingly terrifying quarter second of your life to take it off safe it could cost you your life.
As a rule in all other situations when it comes to guns the rule hard applies.
For whats its worth I dont carry and only shoot cans. So I have no horse in this race.
Most Handguns have a safety actually. The main body of the Trigger cannot be engaged unless the Tab/Secondary Trigger in the centre of it is Depressed first, which acts as the Safety and helps prevent accidental discharge from knocks.
The neat thing about these rules is that they provide multiple redundancies, so that when you forget one or two (and you occasionally will, to er is human) the others should still keep you safe. It takes missing all of them to have a negligent discharge harm or kill anyone.
Not all revolvers have a heavy double action trigger though. My dad has a Uberti Cattleman we got him for his birthday, and that thing has a hair trigger, but it’s also only single action so it’ll only fire once the hammer is manually cocked.
I have a Heritage Rough Rider .22. It has a manual safety, but it's a single action only and I don't really trust a trigger pull at full cock to not overwhelm the little hammer safety.
Some revolvers do have a manual safety. My single action .22 has a manual safety to the left of the hammer. I don't really trust it, though. Rather just carry on an empty chamber and the manual even says not to fully trust the safety on full cock. Looks like more of a measure to protect against dropping than anything.
You shouldn't be carrying a single action 22 in the first place. That's a range toy, or a small vermin hunting tool. You aren't gonna be able to stop any human reliably with that. That gun should never be loaded unless you're at the range shooting it. If you're going to carry, it needs to be a handgun made for concealed carry.
It does you absolutely no good to own a gun for self defense if you never shoot it. You should be able to load, unload, and handle it without having to look at it. You should also know how to shoot accurately. You don't have to go all John Wick style, but you should at least be competent out to about 10 yards with your pistol if you own it for protecting your home. If you cannot hit what you are aiming at reliably, you run a very serious risk of a shot causing some collateral damage, whether that be to property, or to another person or living creature.
For those that are on the fence many shooting ranges can have a gun store attached those generally have a bunch of firearms to rent to use at the range. Renting at a range is a great way to find what works best for you, what you are comfortable shooting etc..
On the second point. I was always taught it as, do not aim at anything you don't intend to destroy. Most of my guns are also from an era where there was no external safety. These are still the fundamental rules for firearm safety, and should be followed whenever possible.
Marine Corps? I learned it as the 4 firearm safety rules, and then they always tacked on the last one. I say its because they taught us to shoot, not how to count.
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u/Zjoee 25d ago
If anyone plans on getting a gun, it's very important to know the 5 weapon safety rules:
Treat every weapon as if it were loaded
Never point your weapon at anything you don't intend to shoot
Keep the weapon on safe until your ready to fire
Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you intend to fire
Know your target and what lies beyond