"A firearm is a tool of last resort. Respect it accordingly."
The Four Fundamental Rules of Firearms Safety
Instructor Sele: There are four rules. They are not guidelines. They are not best practices. They are absolute, non-negotiable laws of firearms handling. Violate one and someone could die. Violate two and someone will. Learn them until they are reflexes.
Section 1 — Rule 1: Treat Every Firearm as Loaded
Even if you personally unloaded the weapon five minutes ago — treat it as loaded. This rule exists because people are killed every year by guns that were "definitely unloaded." Verification is not the same as certainty. When you treat every firearm as loaded, safe handling becomes automatic, not conditional.
Every time you pick up a firearm: treat it as loaded.
Section 2 — Rule 2: Never Point the Firearm at Anything You Are Not Prepared to Shoot
The muzzle of your weapon must only ever be aimed at a target you have made a conscious decision to shoot. This is called muzzle discipline. Poor muzzle discipline during reholstering, vehicle entry/exit, and building clearing is responsible for the majority of accidental injuries and deaths in armed security.
Control your muzzle at all times. When not aimed at a target, the weapon points in a safe direction — typically downward at 45 degrees or at the ground.
Section 3 — Rule 3: Keep Your Finger Off the Trigger Until Ready to Shoot
Your trigger finger must rest straight along the frame, outside the trigger guard, at all times until you have made the decision to fire. This is called the register position. Even under stress, even when drawing rapidly — index finger straight, outside the guard.
Sympathetic muscle contractions under stress are real and documented. A tightening grip during a startle response can pull a trigger if the finger is inside the guard. The register position eliminates this risk.
Section 4 — Rule 4: Know Your Target and What Is Beyond It
Before you fire, you are responsible for what is in front of your muzzle — and what is behind it. Bullets penetrate. Bullets travel. A round that passes through a target continues until it hits something else. In a populated environment like Monrovia, every shot fired has the potential to injure a bystander beyond the target. Know your target. Know your backdrop. Be certain before you pull the trigger.
- •Rule 1: Treat every firearm as loaded — always
- •Rule 2: Never point the muzzle at anything you are not prepared to shoot
- •Rule 3: Finger off the trigger and outside the guard until the decision to fire is made
- •Rule 4: Know your target and what is beyond it before firing
- •Violating any combination of these rules is how negligent discharges happen
"On the range I watch new guards for one thing before I watch anything else: where is their finger? I have stopped training sessions and sent guards home for repeated trigger finger violations. You will not develop good habits under pressure that you don't have at rest. Your finger discipline right now, in this moment, is what saves a life later."
Which of the following is NOT one of the four fundamental rules of firearms safety?