Foundation Blocks

1. Foundation Blocks FIREARMS SAFETY • An Essential Element to all Training • Gunhandling Skills Should be “2nd Nature” • Safety Habits should be 1st Nature!!!!! • Make them an integral part of your character.

2. Firearms Safety “Eees Gun…. Eees Supposed to be Dangerous!” - Former KGB Colonel. “Our Mission is to be Dangerous…but only to our ENEMIES”…JRH

3. Firearms Safety - Failures Safety Systems Fail for Various Reasons • Complexity – too many rules • Lack of Enforcement – no real “teeth” • Irrelevance – Treating a Weapon like a Sporting Implement fosters carelessness. • Lack of Attention on the part of both Instructor and Student.

4. The Universal Safety Rules • They are simple – don’t just memorize them…burn them into your psyche and your habits! • These Rules Apply to All Firearms Activity! Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere Any Weapon!

5. Rule #1 ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED! • Assume every firearm you come in contact with is loaded – just as you assume every vehicle has enough gas to start it – it only takes ONE bullet to Kill! • When You pick it up: CHECK IT (you may or may not want it loaded so clear it if necessary). If you don’t know how to clear it…don’t pick it up!!! • The only gun you may consider unloaded is one you yourself have checked/cleared in the last 10 seconds!

6. Rule #2 Never Let The Muzzle Cover Anything You Are Unwilling To DESTROY! • Develop CONSTANT Muzzle Awareness – even with your holstered pistol. • Do Not Allow Exceptions with any functional firearms – exemptions exist for disabled firearms (Simunitions, blank adapted, paintball etc). • Never Means Never! – If you develop a technique which allows the muzzle to cover everyone then you must be willing to shoot everyone! • You must be aware even when performing complex tasks – such as malfunction clearance or reloading. • If you labor under the delusion that your weapon is empty – SEE RULE #1

7. Rule #3 – The “Golden Rule” Keep your finger OFF the Trigger Until the Weapon Is Indexed On Target! • Not Beside the Trigger – Alongside the receiver where a convulsive reflex will not result in a “Negligent Discharge”. • This Applies to ALL weapons, including Double Actions • You do not have to wait until you have a perfect sight picture – once the muzzle covers any part of the target the finger may move – this takes less time than moving the weapon. • The safety is irrelevant to this topic and is supplemental (it will be addressed in individual weapons segments).

8. Rule #4 Know Your Target And What Is Beyond! • Bullets Go Through Things – be sure there is nothing you don’t want to shoot behind your target. • Under Stress we sometimes miss – Be sure the direction is safe! • Bullets Travel a long way – be sure of your backstop or danger zone. • Once You Pull the Trigger you Cannot Call the Bullet back – Be SURE!

9. Practical Application…NOT! • YOU are responsible! • Obey ALL the Rules

10. Segment Review • These Rules Suffice! All Unintentional Discharges (except for mechanical failure) involve a violation of one or more rules – unintentional injuries are the result of a violation of ALL FOUR! • Since they are so simple, there is no excuse for violation. Every Person on a Firing Range (or anywhere else weapons are handled) is a “Safety Officer”…do your job!!!! • Do Not become complacent about these. Respect your Firearm(s) as the deadly life-saving tools that they are! • There are corollaries, regulations and extensions which we will further discuss.

11. Safety Regulations & Guidelines Even though the Four Universal Firearms Safety Rules suffice, organizations have certain rules and regulations that are institutionalized and we also can use some guidelines which help prevent an inadvertent violation of the 4 Rules. These are Broken down Into; • Conditions of Carry • General Range Rules and Guidelines • Weapon Specific Guidelines

12. Note For Advanced Classes It has become common knowledge that constant loading and unloading is not only an accident prone activity, but that it also fosters the erroneous idea that we can make firearms “safe”. While the concept of the totally “Hot” Range is foreign to the Military Organization as a whole, this has proven to be the safest philosophy by far…it is much easier to get trainees to treat their weapons seriously if they are loaded! The true “Hot Range” expects students to show up and leave with loaded weapons. Obviously this is not acceptable within military regulations. What we can do is run a “Warm Range” in that once the trainees are loaded on the firing line they will remain loaded – unless a drill requires otherwise – until that training session is over. At which point they will be formally unloaded with all of the necessary checks, before they are allowed to stand down and police the range. Any time a trainee leaves the range firing area he must be unloaded and cleared!

13. Conditions of Carry Description Full Mag, Chamber Loaded, Safety On Full Mag, Chamber Empty, Safety On No Mag, Chamber Empty, Safety Optional # 1 2 3 NEW

14. Range Rules • When on the firing line Obey INSTANTLY all commands of the Range Officer or Coach. Obey a “cease fire” order from anyone! • Do Not “Fidget” on the Firing line – unless involved in a movement drill, plant your feet and stay put. • Unless Commanded Always Face DOWNRANGE when on the Firing Line. • Never Turn with your weapon (certain exceptions for drills in certain “safety” positions. • Never Fire Intentionally Over the Berm or into any unsafe area. • Cease Fire Immediately if you notice an aircraft over the range impact zone – notify all RO s if they have not yet noticed. • Ear & Eye Protection Should be Worn While Firing or Coaching!

15. Range Guidelines • Long Guns should be equipped with a sling which assures the weapon will “dangle” with the muzzle in a safe direction if dropped…this need not be an expensive device. It should be used at all times on the firing line unless there is a special reason. • Pistols Should be holstered at all times when not engaged in an exercise on the Firing line – you can extract magazines without un-holstering to load them. • On the firing line Rifles should be On Target, At the Ready, At a Safety Position (such as “CQ/Indoor Ready”) or dangling. Pistols should be the same except holstered instead of dangling. • If the weapon has a safety, generally it will be applied after the drill is over (covered more under specific weapons – obey the range commands).

16. Weapon Specifics M16/M4 – The safety is on until the decision to shoot has been made and the weapon is on its way to index. After the string the safety remains off while the trainee executes a quick scan of his forward sector and then he re-applies the safety. Most Other Long Guns are the same M11 – This Weapon has no external mechanical safety. The Finger stays off the trigger until the weapon is indexed and comes off as soon as the weapon is lowered to the Ready (as are all other weapons) – then after the Scan the pistol is decocked…the finger always remains outside the trigger well until the decision has been made to shoot and the weapon indexed. M9 – With exceptions for the discretion of unit commanders it is recommended that advanced students be encouraged to treat the “Safety/Decocker as a Decocker only…it is difficult to manage the safety with the firing hand without losing one’s firing grip…The pistol being reactive in nature it is pointless to have one you cannot use quickly and reflexively. Use same as M11. Do not allow the trainee to operate this lever with the Non-Firing hand!

17. Clearing – M16/M4 • Remember Rules 1, 2 & 3 – No Exceptions! • Pick up the Weapon with your firing hand in a firing grip with the finger well away from the trigger guard. • Check to be Sure the Safety is On Safe. • Remove the Magazine (if there is one) and stow it. • Keep The Weapon Pointed in a Safe Direction (often this will only be the ground – BULLETS GO THROUG WALLS) With your NON-FIRING Hand, Retract the Bolt While Looking into the chamber. If there is a Round to be Ejected then let it Fall. Allow the Bolt to go all the way forward and Retract it Again. • Now You will have to take your Firing Hand from the pistol grip and Retract the Bolt While Holding Pressure on the Bolt Catch to Lock the Bolt to the Rear…Inspect the Chamber Again. • From this point, ONLY WHILE THE WEAPON IS IN YOUR HANDS, you may Consider it Cleared.

18. Clearing – M9 • Remember Safety Rules 1, 2 & 3 – No Exceptions! • Pick up the Weapon with your firing hand in a firing grip with the finger well away from the trigger guard. • Check to be Sure the Safety is in the proper position (depends on Unit Cmdr). • Remove the Magazine (if there is one) and stow it. • Keep The Weapon Pointed in a Safe Direction (often this will only be the ground – BULLETS GO THROUGH WALLS) With your NON-FIRING Hand Retract the Slide* While Looking into the chamber. If there is a Round to be Ejected then let it Fall. Allow the Slide to go all the way forward and Retract it Again. *NOTE – A Special Procedure is recommended for the M9 – see next. • Retract the Slide While Holding Pressure Upward on the Slide Stop to Lock the Slide to the Rear…Inspect the Chamber Again. • From this point, ONLY WHILE THE WEAPON IS IN YOUR HANDS, you may Consider it Cleared.

19. Summary The Importance of Firearms/Range Safety cannot be overstated. Inattention can easily result in Death or Injury. The Good News is that Safety with Firearms is much simpler than safety with vehicles for instance – There are more firearms than cars yet the accidental deaths from automobiles is nearly 40 times that of firearms – we must be doing something right!