Basic Firearms Safety
Everywhere
- Treat all guns as loaded. Do NOT point the muzzle to anything you do not want to destroy. Even as a joke! Especially as a joke.
- Treat all guns as loaded. Never have your finger on a trigger unless you are ready to fire, and the firearm is pointed in the
direction of a target. When you carry a firearm by the grip, the trigger finger should be indexed (extended in the direction of the muzzle)
like this:
- Do not keep the gun loaded when not ready to fire. Load it at the range when it is pointing towards a target, shoot it, and unload
it before leaving the range. On a hunting trip, unload it whenever you are crossing a ditch or a fence. Never keep a gun loaded in the car
(by the way, it is illegal to do so unless you have a CPL).
- Safety is a mechanical device and WILL fail. Never rely on safety! Instead, see above.
At home
Seattle is a very safe place, and it is even more true for suburbs. While there is some amount of theft, violent crime
is extremely rare. If you keep a gun loaded by the bedside, you are probably more likely to shoot someone by accident
(or in the heat of passion) rather than use the gun to defend yourself. According to the Center for Disease Control,
the most likely firearm-related threat to a white make comes from his spouse
(http://wisqars.cdc.gov:8080/nvdrs/nvdrsDisplay.jsp)...
If police ever storms your house (by mistake, due to a false report of drug-related activity) and sees a gun in your hands,
you WILL be killed.
Fear interferes with ability to think rationally. When you are afraid you may be more of a threat to yourself and to the members
of your household than to the criminal. Police and military spend a lot of time learning to function in dangerous situations.
You don't.
If you still think that it is a good idea to keep a loaded gun at home, at least get a shotgun. They are more effective, easier
to operate, and generate just a small fraction of accidents caused by handguns.
Most importantly, take a course in safe gun handling and spend a lot of time learning how to shoot it at the range.
In public
The safest way to carry a firearm in public is unloaded and cased. While technically open carry is allowed, brandishing a firearm is not.
This, by the way, is not restricted to guns alone.
RCW 9.41.270 "It shall be unlawful for any person to carry, exhibit, display or draw any firearm, dagger, sword, knife or other cutting or
stabbing instrument, club, or any other weapon apparently capable of producing bodily harm, in a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and
place that either manifests an intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons."
What manifests an intent to intimidate is in the eyes of the beholder. You may be acquitted in the end, but it will cost a lot
of time and money.
If police sees you pointing a gun at people - even by mistake - they WILL shoot you. If you choose to carry a gun in public, be very, very
careful.