No mechanical device has a will of its own. A gun never "goes off" unless something causes it to do so. The aspect of safety is central to gunhandling. Memorize the four principles of firearm safety. Treat them with absolute seriousness. Burn them into your consciousness.
Rule One
All guns are always loaded.
Rule Two
Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
Rule Three
Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target.
Rule Four
Be sure of your target. (Know what it is, what is in line with it, and what is behind it. Never shoot anything you have not positively identified.)
I assert that these rules constitute common sense, but post them here in the sure knowledge that someone will object, and an interesting discussion will quickly erupt.
Follow those four rules, and you CANNOT have a "gun accident."
Although I would add a #5: Teach your munchkins the first four rules. Even if you don't even own a gun.
And possibly a #6: Don't allow your munchkins to enter any room where you keep a gun. I don't know about you, but when _I_ was a munchkin, my parents' bedroom and my did's den were VERBOTEN in all caps, and usually locked anyway. I didn't even know what the den LOOKED LIKE until I was 14.
------------------ "When we turn our back on our principles, we stop being human." -- Janeway, "Equinox"
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Here's some more rules I found at a professional site. These are good, too.
Five Rules for Concealed Carry:
Your concealed handgun is for protection of life only.
Draw it solely in preparation to protect yourself or an innocent third party from the wrongful and life-threatening criminal actions of another.
Know exactly when you can use your gun.
A criminal adversary must have, or reasonably appear to have:
the ability to inflict serious bodily injury (he is armed or reasonably appears to be armed with a deadly weapon),
the opportunity to inflict serious bodily harm (he is physically positioned to harm you with his weapon), and
his intent (hostile actions or words) indicates that he means to place you in jeopardy -- to do you serious or fatal physical harm.
When all three of these "attack potential" elements are in place simultaneously, then you are facing a reasonably perceived deadly threat that justifies an emergency deadly force response.
If you can run away -- RUN!
Just because you�re armed doesn�t necessarily mean you must confront a bad guy at gunpoint. Develop your "situation awareness" skills so you can be alert to detect and avoid trouble altogether. Keep in mind that if you successfully evade a potential confrontation, the single negative consequence involved might be your bruised ego, which should heal with mature rationalization. But if you force a confrontation you risk the possibility of you or a family member being killed or suffering lifelong crippling/disfiguring physical injury, criminal liability and/or financial ruin from civil lawsuit. Flee if you can, fight only as a last resort.
Display your gun, go to jail.
Expect to be arrested by police at gunpoint, and be charged with a crime anytime your concealed handgun is seen by another citizen in public, regardless of how unintentional or innocent or justified the situation might seem. Choose a method of carry that reliably keeps your gun hidden from public view at all times.
You have no control over how a stranger will react to seeing (or learning about) your concealed handgun. He or she might become alarmed and report you to police as a "man or woman with a gun." Depending on his or her feelings about firearms, this person might be willing to maliciously embellish his or her story in attempt to have your gun seized by police or get you arrested. An alarmed citizen who reports a "man with a gun" is going to be more credible to police than you when you're stopped because you match the suspect's description, and you are found to have a concealed handgun in your possession.
Before you expose your gun in public, ask yourself: "Is this worth going to jail for?" The only time this question should warrant a "yes" response is when an adversary has at least, both ability and intent, and is actively seeking the opportunity to do you great harm.
Don't let your emotions get the best of you.
If, despite your best efforts to the contrary, you do get into some kind of heated dispute with another person while you�re armed, never mention, imply or exhibit your gun for the purpose of intimidation or one-upmanship. You�ll simply make a bad situation worse -- for yourself (see rule #4).
------------------ Diamonds are a girl's best friends. Dogs are man's best friend. So which is the dumber sex? www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8641/
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There are only two things that are better than a gun: a Swiss watch and a woman from anywhere. Ever had a good... Swiss watch?
~John Ireland in "Red River"
------------------ You can't go wrong with cocktail weenies! They taste as good as they look, and they come with this delicious red sauce. It looks like ketchup. It tastes like ketchup. But brother, it ain't ketchup! ~Homer Simpson
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Of course, these rules of thumb are as useless as gun laws, for the same reason. The people who are going to listen to them aren't the people committing the crimes.
------------------ "We took a small flight, in the middle of the night, from one tiny place to another." -- Ben Folds Five
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