POTD: Shooting For Firearm Safety
The hungriest beast on this blog is our Photo Of The Day. It consumes hundreds of images every month, and it has been doing so for over 8 years. Today we’re on the subject of firearm safety, a very important subject for anyone who owns or handles firearms.
Above you can see rifles stored in the security forces armory in Building 500 at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. Here all personally owned firearms brought onto the base or stored on base must be registered at the visitor control center.
Below we have one of the Security Forces Support Squadron armorers holding a handgun. Storage or introduction of firearms in dormitories and billeting is prohibited at the Air Base.
Below: Senior Airman Tyler Merrill, 341st Security Forces Support Squadron armorer, demonstrates pointing a weapon in a safe direction. A safe direction means the weapon is pointed so that even if an accidental discharge did occur, it would not result in injury.
Below: Demonstrating the proper way of holding a weapon. Fingers should be kept outside the trigger guard or along the side of the weapon until ready to shoot.
Showing an empty chamber. Firearms should be unloaded when not in use.
These pictures are from June 9, 2017, all taken at the Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.
Just to repeat we have included the NRA Gun Safety Rules ( Source):
ALWAYS Keep The Gun Pointed In A Safe Direction
This is the primary rule of gun safety. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances.
ALWAYS Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Ready To ShootWhen holding a gun, rest your finger alongside the frame and outside the trigger guard. Until you are actually ready to fire, do not touch the trigger.
ALWAYS Keep The Gun Unloaded Until Ready To Use
If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does.
Photo by Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam, 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.
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If it's a zombie, All rules are void
I’ve never had to check weapons at a place like this, but I have a (maybe completely irrational) fear of getting guns back with optics missing, high-end parts swapped out for janky BCA-tier parts, legit parts swapped for eBay/Amazon/Wish/alibaba knockoffs, accessories missing, etc. Like I know police do that sort of stuff to people’s guns, but does it also happen at places like this?