NRA THREE Rules of Gun Safety...WTF...?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Some say it’s easier to learn what to do, rather than what not to do. Especially children.

But outrage at change is fun too.

But it isn’t an improvement, and it’s not safer, or easier to remember. It also doesn’t solve the biggest safety problem- I didn’t think it was loaded....

[okie]

But it isn’t an improvement, and it’s not safer, or easier to remember. It also doesn’t solve the biggest safety problem- I didn’t think it was loaded....

Absolutely. Seems more political than about safety.

Guns are for olympic target shooting, mkay? Not for self defense mkay? So we don't ever load them except at the range mkay? (read in voice of mr mackey)

[SteyrAUG]

This one has always been optional. Near as I can tell, Jeff Cooper added it. It's a big feature of hunter safety courses.

Hardly, it goes back to the NRA before they ever heard of Cooper.

[moonshot]

I have always said we could go down to muzzle discipline and trigger discipline and it would be impossible to accidentally shoot anything. But that would require a level of personal responsibility that not everyone is capable of understanding.

So there is a percentage of shooters (who we mostly call "hunters") who have to be told to THINK ABOUT what is beyond the thing they want to shoot. Because I swear to god I've seen with my own eyes people shoot shit with actual houses in the background that are definitely inside the effective range of the round they are firing. Wish I could say I've only seen that once, but I've actually seen it 3 or 4 times. Also seen people take a shot with a hunting buddy downrange and things like that. And when I say something to them they are ALWAYS offended and like "What?!? It's not like I was gonna shoot him...the whatever was twice as far away."

Then there are the other complete idiots (usually the people who have guns but don't shoot them a lot) who think unloaded means you can play dry fire laser tag with your buddies in the house. There are too many incredibly stupid people who NEED that first rule of gun safety and need to be constantly reminded "ALL guns are ALWAYS loaded."

And god help us, we really don't need a "keep them unloaded" rule. For transport, sure under some circumstances it can be a practice" but you still treat them as IF they were loaded so no muzzle sweeping your buddy as you put your unloaded rifle in the back seat. Any "keep them unloaded" rule is just going to reinforce "unloaded means I'm safe" when it is the person and not the firearm who needs to be safe.

Shit drives me crazy.

This is so well stated, and so ****ing true it should get its own sticky.

[P2Vaircrewman]

Speaking of the NRA.

https://thehill.com/homenews/534500-...-york-to-texas

[SteyrAUG]

Speaking of the NRA.

https://thehill.com/homenews/534500-...-york-to-texas

The needed to get the hell out of NY anyway. Ironically enough, leaders had planned to move NRA HQ to Colorado in 1977 but the Cincinnati revolt prevented that from happening.

[Ruark]

Speaking of the NRA.

https://thehill.com/homenews/534500-...-york-to-texas

Thanks for hijacking the thread.

[Ruark]

There seems to be this perception by some that if people just "had these rules," they would be safe. The sad truth is, countless numbers of people have heard these rules a million times, but simply disregard them. For example:

- the 75 year old hunter, been hunting and shooting all his life, who was putting his rifle into the truck at deer camp, and shot his 12 year old grandson in the head. Range was a few inches. Gun was a .270.

- the young teenage girl standing at a country road intersection waiting for a school bus, when a hunter blew her into hamburger with a 7mm magnum. He thought she was a deer.

Like my late mother used to say, "some people are just plain stupid."

[SteyrAUG]

There seems to be this perception by some that if people just "had these rules," they would be safe. The sad truth is, countless numbers of people have heard these rules a million times, but simply disregard them. For example:

- the 75 year old hunter, been hunting and shooting all his life, who was putting his rifle into the truck at deer camp, and shot his 12 year old grandson in the head. Range was a few inches. Gun was a .270.

- the young teenage girl standing at a country road intersection waiting for a school bus, when a hunter blew her into hamburger with a 7mm magnum. He thought she was a deer.

Like my late mother used to say, "some people are just plain stupid."

Yeah, it isn't a matter of simply being told. But we need community enforcement / harassment of these people until we finally drive it home. I have a long, long, long list of people I won't shoot with, hunt with or even willing to be in the same house with because they are so blatantly unsafe in their handling of firearms.

Don't have the answer really. Very few people are unsafe on purpose, they simply believe they were born with an inherent knowledge of firearms and their usage and those safety rules are like training wheels for inexperienced shooters. Every time I hear somebody say "I've been shooting since I was 4 years old or I've been hunting since I was 6 years old" I tend to try and stand behind them until I see evidence of competent gun handling.

[Todd.K]

But it isn’t an improvement, and it’s not safer, or easier to remember. It also doesn’t solve the biggest safety problem- I didn’t think it was loaded....

Do you disagree with the theory or do you not understand it?

I said “learn” but perhaps “fully comprehend" would have been better. There is a difference between remembering the words and fully comprehending the meaning. The theory is to use positive/do rather than negative/don’t for better comprehension, and I noticed the new rules do as well.