In a bold move Curtis Hallstrom, of VSO Gun Channel, puts himself down range while pontificating on the 4 rules of Gun Safety.

1. Treat All Guns As If They Are Loaded
2. Never Let You Muzzle Cover Anything You Do Not Wish To Destroy
3. Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On Target And You Have Made The Decision To Shoot
4. Be Aware Of What is In Front And Behind Your Target

I can understand the point Curtis’ is trying to make. However I am ambivalent. At no point in time was there a gun actually pointed at him. Logically if you shoot the target and get bullets hitting the two no-shoot targets on either side, something is drastically wrong. How likely is it that an experienced shooter would miss their target by that much? So then the likely hood of Curtis getting hit is even more slim. And yet all my experience shooting, which has not been that long but frequent, tells me that this stunt is an unnecessary risk. Does he need to stand there and discuss the safety rules of firearms? No not really. It does jar something in the viewer though. A lot of it is head scratching or kneejerk reactions like “what an idiot”. And yet I further question this knee jerk reaction. Are we too safe?

He has a point about a self defense shooting not being ideal. There will probably be people down range along with the bad guy. Do we stop shooting? Of course it depends on the scenario and skill set of the shooter.

I do disagree with Curtis’ point that “you have no business carrying a handgun in public”. I think any person who carries for self defense should seek training but should it be mandatory? Some shooters might have a good understanding of their skill level and in fact that has happened on occasion. Some shooters decide not to take action due to circumstances at the moment of crisis.

Curtis’ point about the 180 degree rule is a bit odd. I do not agree that the 180 degree rule of a range is for the economy and efficiency of packing in customers. It is a safety issue. However there are some ranges with 270 degree ranges. One of the local ranges I shoot matches has used such a bay for some interesting stages.

What are your thoughts? I imagine this will be quite a hot topic of discussion.