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 Dangerousbut only to our
  ENEMIESJRH

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 dont just memorize themburn
  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
  dont know how to clear itdont pick it up!!!
• The only gun you may consider unloaded is one you
  yourself have checked/cleared in the last 10
  seconds!

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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

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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).

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Rule 4

• Know Your Target And What Is Beyond!
• Bullets Go Through Things be sure there is
  nothing you dont 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!

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Practical ApplicationNOT!

• YOU are responsible!
• Obey ALL the Rules

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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
  Officerdo 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.

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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
  farit 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!

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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
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Range Rules

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

15
Range Guidelines

1. Long Guns should be equipped with a sling which
   assures the weapon will dangle with the muzzle
   in a safe direction if droppedthis need not be
   an expensive device. It should be used at all
   times on the firing line unless there is a
   special reason.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 decockedthe 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 onlyit is
  difficult to manage the safety with the firing
  hand without losing ones firing gripThe 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 RearInspect 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
  RearInspect the Chamber Again.
• From this point, ONLY WHILE THE WEAPON IS IN YOUR
  HANDS, you may Consider it Cleared.

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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!