In recent years I've started requiring (most of) my students to memorize, 'Cooper's Four Basic Rules Of Firearm Safety' BEFORE I let them begin to handle guns.
JEFF COOPER'S FOUR BASIC RULES OF FIREARM SAFETY
1. The gun is ALWAYS loaded!
2. Never allow the muzzle to point at - or, even, so much as sweep across - ANYTHING you are unwilling to see destroyed!
3. Never put your finger inside the trigger guard until AFTER you have made a conscious decision to fire!
4. CLEARLY identify your target, the target's backstop, and what is beyond!
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5. Finally, the frequently unstated fifth rule: NEVER play with a gun - Never!
Don't embellish these rules. They are what they are for good reasons! In order for any firearm safety rule to become truly effective it must stop being just a rule, and become a PROFOUND PERSONAL HABIT, instead.
For novices and young children I might add a few other precautions like:
6. Never point the muzzle anywhere except downrange at the targets.
7. Never turn around with a gun in your hands.
8. Never, for any reason, (like a jam or misfire) turn the muzzle to either side of the firing line.
9. When you're finished shooting, put the safety back on; and always return the gun to the shooting bench with the: magazine out, action open, and breech-side showing.
10. Never touch a gun, or handle ammunition while someone is downrange at the targets.
11. Always stand behind the shooter, and on his gun-hand side. No rapid, or prolonged continuous fire.
12. If you are an Instructor always make sure to stand on the student's strong hand or, 'gun' side. 'Why'? Because a novice shooter's muzzle tends to break, or climb towards his support hand or, 'weak' side. (Which is where you don't want to ever be while the gun is firing, OK!)
NOTES:
A novice right-handed shooter will, also, tend to break shots towards the weakest part of his grasping hand: i.e., To his lefthand side. (Fired bullets will tend to hit the target at between 9:00 and 6:00 o'clock.)
On a public firing line never stand on the lefthand side of the line. 'Why'? Because the first thing a right-handed jerk shooter will do when his gun jams is to turn the muzzle of his loaded weapon towards the lefthand side of the firing line. (Where the other idiots are already standing!)
About two years ago, now, I was standing behind a public firing line watching everyone shoot. A large family group was there; and grandpa had (very thoughtfully) supplied the entire group with: guns, ammo, safety glasses, and ear muffs. (Which told me that the old man was seriously into guns!)
A tall very pretty young lady walked up to the bench, was handed a 1911 pattern pistol by one of her male admirers, and promptly aimed at the targets. Her first shot hit dead center! Delighted she spun around with that 1911 still in a two-handed firing grip, and pointed the muzzle of that fully charged pistol exactly at the middle of my face while she jumped up and down screaming, 'I got it!' 'I got it!'
Man - not to exaggerate, but - I saw my whole life flash before my eyes! That was the first time in my entire long life that I felt like I wanted to kill a beautiful young woman! (Usually, I have something else in mind!)
Fortunately for me one of her boyfriends saw what she was doing; and, very quietly, told her, 'not to move a muscle' as he gently reached underneath her arms and lifted her hands and that C-0 pistol up into the air! Then he put his hands on her shoulders, applied a little pressure, turned her around, and pointed the muzzle back at the targets!
What, the hell, was grandpa thinking? He knew, 'guns'. He had given everybody: a gun, ammo, safety glasses, and ear muffs; but, at the same time, he completely ignored telling anyone in the group a single word about GUN SAFETY!
That was it for me; I was completely done for the day. I immediately picked up my range bag, put it back into the trunk, and went home to see another genuinely attractive (but older) woman I, also, know.