1. All Guns are Considered Loaded
2. Always Point Firearms in a Safe Direction
3. Know Your target and What's Beyond
4. keep the Finger Straight Along the Frame
5. Maintain Control Of Your Firearm 24/7
Testimonial:
Matt,
I took your CCW renewal course in Prescott Valley a few weeks ago. One of the subjects that was a new idea to me was the concept of pointing the gun into a corner for loading or unloading.
I grew up around handguns, have owned one since I was about eleven, and have carried one in my car since I first got a driver's license. I have always understood the concept of pointing the gun away from anything I didn't want to kill, but the concept of pointing at an empty low corner of the room was new to me from your class.
Yesterday, for the first time in decades, I had an accidental discharge. My older son's Makarov was unexpectedly lying holstered on the kitchen counter. I picked it up to determine why it might be there and if it was loaded. It was loaded, and in lowering the hammer I somehow let the hammer slip and the Makarov fired.
Nothing will ever change the fact that my wife and my younger son watched Dad have an accidental discharge right there in our living room.... But because the gun was pointed into an empty corner not only did nobody get injured, but even the property damage was superficial.
I guess my embarrassment will fade, but the chip out of the Mexican tile in the corner will be there to remind me again and again. Thanks for that tip, Matt.
Dan