“Always be sure of your target and what is behind it.”
This rule is just as important as the first three. If you aren’t sure of your target, and what’s beyond it when you pull the trigger, you will most likely destroy something you didn’t intend to destroy, see Rule #2.
I add to my safety speech that you also need to be sure of what is between you and your target. I’ve been to ranges where the RSO (Range Safety Officer) called a cease-fire on the firing line because a dog was running around in a very haphazard way. He wanted to be sure no miss-timed shot or potential ricochet would harm the animal. That needs to happen for us bipedal beings as well.
Why is this rule as important as the first three? I’m sure you’ve all seen the shoot ‘em up shows on television where the good guy jumps behind a thin table or gypsum wall and the bullets don’t pass through and find their mark. That’s Hollywood or Century City television. Shooting a firearm in real life isn’t like that.
What are you doing when you’re practicing at an indoor range shooting at paper targets? You’re putting holes in that target to see how well you are executing your personal shooting skills. In order for that hole to appear, the bullet must pass through that target, but where does it go? On an outdoor range, you’ve gone downrange and set up a plastic bottle filled with water and shot at that. It’s fun to get the visual feedback when you hit the bottle and it explodes. Then you go up to inspect it, and you notice the bottle has an entry hole AND as an exit hole as well! Where did that bullet go? I hope in to a proper backstop.
Outside of the range in a defensive environment, you must be aware of where you are aiming and what is beyond it. Move if necessary, to ensure that a miss or a pass through will not do any more damage than intended, i.e. hitting the bad guy. In addition to what’s behind your target, be aware of what’s between you and your target so you don’t inadvertently destroy something or someone you didn’t intend.
I have a question that I ask my beginning students; “What goes with every bullet you fire? “ I let them come up with a few answers and then I give them my answer, a lawyer! They normally giggle at that, but then the reality sets in and they get it. If you’ve caused damage of any sort with your firearm, whether you’re in the right or not, every time you shoot that firearm, you are subject to speaking to someone in authority who wants to know why you pulled the trigger. Eventually that will be an attorney for the other side. This is true, even at the range.
I sincerely hope that you have not only learned something from reading these, but will remember them every time you pick up a firearm. The basic rules of firearm safety apply for any type of firearm: pistol, rifle, pellet, BB or Airsoft gun that you may eventually handle. Proper respect for these rules will ensure you utilize your firearm in a responsible manner to keep you and your family safe when they are at the range and beyond.