Stone Hart’s Gun Range Safety and Etiquette

Whether you are a first time shooter or a seasoned pro, it doesn’t hurt to revisit the basics of safety and etiquette for shooting ranges. The below above from the National Shooting Sports Foundation covers many good points and is worth a few minutes of your time.

Watch this informative video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation for the basics you need to know about shooting range etiquette and safety. If you’re a new to shooting, you need to see this video. If you are an experienced shooter, you should also watch this from time to time as a reminder of all of the best practices when it comes to gun safety at a shooting range.

The video starts with the basics, such as always keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction, keeping your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, and always keeping the gun unloaded until ready to shoot. If you are not familiar with the gun, ask for help from the range officer. Always use eye and ear protection. In indoor ranges it is advisable to use both ear plugs and ear muffs for maximum ear protection. When taking your firearm out of its bag or case at the range, always be sure that the gun is pointed downrange. If it is pointed the wrong way, turn around the bag or case before removing the firearm. Always check your magazine well and chamber to be sure it’s empty, and then check again. When leaving a pistol or rifle on the bench in front of you, keep the slide back with the ejection port facing upward, laying the gun on its side so that anyone can easily see that the chamber is empty. For revolvers, release the cylinder, open the cylinder facing upward, and lay the revolver on its side pointed downrange. Never leave a firearm loaded on the bench, resting by itself. Be sure to watch the entire video for illustrations of these firearm safety tips and more.