That's how I was taught to put a pistol away; remove the magazine, pull back the slide to eject any cartridge that was still in there, and check to make sure nothing was in the chamber. Finally and if possible, point it somewhere safe and pull the trigger.
When picking up a gun from storage that shouldn't be loaded, do all the steps except the last one.
I used to work a gun counter and our procedure was mag out, cycle slide, and lock it back every time it came out of the case or off the rack. Every single time. Doesn't matter that it's been in a locked case and I was probably the last person to touch it, and that is probably never been loaded since it left the factory (we didn't have an attached range or anything), we still did it every time. Also when we handed it to a customer so they could feel it, I'd usually point it down at the counter, spin it around and hand it to them where they can grab the grip but I control that it's still pointed at the counter or behind the counter until it's completely in their hand. We'd also clear it again once the customer handed it back before putting it away, even if I literally just watched them clear it. And of course make sure they don't point it at anyone either.
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u/USSMarauder 25d ago
I remember years ago talking to a former army MP who had to supervise troops and officers returning weapons to the armory
Every single weapon after being unloaded had to be dry fired into a 55 gallon barrel of sand before being handed over.
If it turned out it wasn't unloaded when you pulled the trigger, you owed the armory staff on duty a case of beer.