Only you make firearms safe — or unsafe

by BD Pisani - 2006 aug 08

The statistics are in. Hunting and sport shooting are among the safest of all sports. If this was not so, the anti-gun zealots and enemies of the second-most important right in the Bill of Rights would be trumpeting negative hunting and sport shooting propaganda incessantly throughout the land. Oh wait ... what was I thinking? They do anyway.

Hunting and sport shooting are safe recreational pastimes because law-abiding gun owners, hunting enthusiasts, conservationists, governmental entities, and every facet of the firearms industry endorse and/or require safe hunting and shooting education, hands-on training, and proficiency testing — for the youngest new shooter to the veteran marksman.

Many national and international organizations such as the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA), National Rifle Association (NRA), National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and Canada's National Firearms Association (NFA) earmark sizeable portions of their annual budgets for public awareness advertisement and youth programs across North America, as well as professional instruction in hunter safety and safe firearms handling.

Such training is routinely offered in almost every community across the United States and Canada, often for free or for a nominal fee. In addition, many local law enforcement agencies offer their own firearms safety training as a public service.

The only absolute safety device is you

But as with any of the tools we use with the capacity to harm if handled improperly, firearms safety always begins with the individual. From the time a person picks up a firearm, he or she becomes the integral part of a system over which they have complete control. The user is the only guaranteed control that can make a firearm safe — or unsafe.

Many experienced shooters have witnessed this on more than one occasion: People new to firearms or shooting are amazed when they discover that experienced gun owners and gun range operators simply do not allow improper firearms handling or use around them at any time. Period. Without exception.

Trust me when I state that by nature, experienced shooters are not a timid lot. If they observe anyone violating any safety rules, they will immediately demand compliance with safe handling practices, and have a universally-recognized obligation to do so.

At any reputable gun range, an offender who does not heed such warnings will be reported and banned from the range. When afield while hunting, at the very least the offender will never again shoot with the concerned party. This must be so because one instance of horseplay, one handling error, or one momentary lapse of judgment is all it takes for an accident to occur.

Think about the next paragraph a moment before developing a knee-jerk reaction:

All of the locking devices, double-action-only mechanisms, and intricate or multiple safeties in the world will not prevent the misuse of a firearm. These devices have been mandated into the manufacture of firearms by bureaucrats who do not shoot, pressured by special-interest groups who do not care, and by manufacturers who have been cowed by frivolous lawsuits. While such overblown contrivances still allow guns to function, they mainly serve to mar the aesthetics of a firearm, increase the degree of difficulty in smooth, effective operation, and add to consumer costs.

Do not confuse firearm usage with firearm storage. There is no doubt that a firearm without any safety or lockout devices at all, in the hands of a knowledgeable, responsible user, is every bit as safe as any with the many encumbrances mandated into the firearms of today. No, the best safety is you, and that is why initial and refresher safety training and a complete working knowledge of your firearm and its ammunition is critically important.

Shooting is safe, statistics tell the tale

The IHEA, with some data sharing courtesy of the U.S.-based National Safety Council (NSC), is currently the only organization in North America consolidating data on firearm and bow safety. According to an IHEA report published in 1996 (PDF document), there are few major outdoor activities with better safety records. Part of that study listed the results of a 1995 survey of outdoor deaths conducted by the NSC within the Chicago metropolitan area:

  • Swimming — 1,700
  • Boating — 836
  • Scuba Diving — 97
  • Hunting — 87
  • Personal Watercraft — 79
  • Hang Gliding — 28
  • Sky Diving — 28
  • Football — 4

Included in the study were IHEA hunting statistics for 1996 Hunting Accidents, for 49 U.S. States and eight Canadian Provinces:

  • All Accidents — 1048
  • Non-fatal Accidents — 957
  • Fatal Accidents — 91

This is an astounding safety record when you consider that both the United States and Canada are factored in, and that in the United States alone there are more than an estimated 14.6 million hunters. And according to IHEA annual follow-up reports, accident and death figures have declined in each subsequent year.

Safety first, last, always

Which brings us to safe firearms practices, the real reason why shooting accident rates are so low. All experience gun owners are familiar with the Ten Commandments of Firearm Safety and I will not list them here (I have linked to the Remington Arms Company's excellent website). Instead, here are four inviolate rules of firearms safety as defined by the renowned Colonel Jeff Cooper years ago at his famous Gunsite Academy (formerly the American Pistol Institute).

These rules apply to "real world" situations, such as public concealed carry or when hunting:

1. All guns are always loaded.

2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

4. Always be sure of your target.

Remember, you at all times are responsible for every round fired, so memorize these rules and live them whenever you carry a "hot" firearm. The NRA also offers general, no-nonsense information in its NRA Gun Safety Rules.

And perhaps the most important rule dealing with guns and human behavior is this: If you plan on going anywhere near a firearm, never drink alcohol, take medication, or use drugs. Never. You can have that cold beer only after the firearms and ammunition are stowed and locked safely away for the day.

Let me conclude by stating that today's exercise was not written to be a definitive treatise on firearms safety, but merely to provide some statistics that help illustrate just how safe hunting and sport shooting are when compared to many of the better-known outdoor recreational activities.

The knowledgeable folks at The Gun Zone believe that "There's No Such Thing As An Accidental Shooting, Only Criminal Negligence." Do you agree?