Gun Safety Rules: Beyond NRA and Cooper’s rules

If you have spent any time in firearms classes, chances are you have heard a set of gun safety rules.  You might even be able to recite these sets of rules from memory.  But where did these rules come from and ultimately what is the purpose of these rules?  Have you ever considered how they might be life rules and how they may apply to different situations? 

History of Firearm Rules

In 1976, Retired Marine Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper founded the American Pistol Institute (now known as Gunsite Academy) in Paulden, Arizona in effort to train not only military and law enforcement, but also private citizens to learn personal protection with a pistol.  As part of building the curriculum, Cooper recognized that safety rules needed to be created and covered to help people understand how to handle firearms safely.  The rules evolved over the years and the latest iteration of rules are listed below and you can listen to Cooper explain the rules himself in this video and click the header of the rules to see further explanation on the rules.

Jeff Cooper’s Four Rules of Gun Safety

1. All guns are always loaded.

2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

4. Be sure of your target.

The National Rifle Association was created in 1871 in an effort to make Union troops better marksmen, and has grown to be one of the largest training organizations, with over 125,000 instructors. Their safety rules are covered in every NRA firearms class taught.  

NRA's Three Fundamental Rules of Gun Safety

1. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.

2. Always keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

3. Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

They share the same core philosophy but differ slightly in wording and emphasis.  Does this really matter?  I believe it does, and that no matter which rules are used, it’s important to understand the philosophy and intention of the rules.

Safety Core Principles

Trigger Discipline

Both Cooper and NRA share similarities with some core principles.  First and foremost is trigger discipline.  What does this mean?  It means that we manage at all times where our trigger finger is located and what it should or should not be doing, depending on the situation.  I stress with my students that it ultimately comes down to connecting our brain to our trigger finger at all times and being aware of what our trigger finger is doing.  

Unfortunately, we have been indoctrinated through TV and movies that the finger goes on the trigger anytime a firearm is being held.  Also, understand that firearm manufacturers go to great lengths to build firearms with ergonomics that make the firearm most comfortable in the hand when the finger is on the trigger.  Trigger discipline is a behavior that has to be learned and applied at all times.  Cooper referred to trigger discipline in Rule #3 and NRA in Rule #2.

What is considered “off the trigger”?  Contrary to firearm manufacturers putting grooves on the front of the trigger guard, this is not for resting the trigger finger!  

There was a time in which a pistol grip included the support index finger grasping the front of the trigger guard and putting a great deal of force backwards to assist with managing recoil.  This method is not commonly taught or used anymore, as physics and angles of recoil force are more effective with all fingers below the trigger guard.

For the trigger finger to be considered off the trigger, the trigger finger should be at least resting on the frame or placed on the slide of the pistol (think of this location as “home”).  Why?  There are two reasons I explain to students.  First is our startle response, it’s common for us to clench our fingers when we are startled.  If the finger is located on the front of the trigger guard, that could easily relocate the finger to the trigger and cause an unwanted trigger press.  

If your finger is on the frame or slide, that clench most likely would not result in the finger dropping down to the trigger, especially if the finger has pressure on the slide or frame.

Secondly, as humans, we have sympathetic reflexes where one hand tends to do what the other hand is doing.  There is a risk that if you grasp something with your support hand, your primary hand may respond similarly.

How do we learn trigger discipline?  In dry fire, practice the act of picking the pistol up with your finger high on the frame or slide, present to the target, and once presenting to the target, place the finger on the trigger (think of this location as “work”) when you have made the decision to engage the target.  Then bring the pistol back, moving the finger home to the frame or slide, and set the pistol down.  Be very aware and visually confirm your finger while picking up and setting down the firearm.  You can also consider videoing your sessions and critique for safety (all rules), or have a trusted partner to call out when you have violated a rule.

Muzzle discipline

Just as Cooper and the NRA each have a rule specifically about trigger discipline, they both also include rules around muzzle discipline.  What is muzzle discipline?  It is the awareness and management of the direction of the barrel of the firearm while handling and firing it.  According to Oxford, the muzzle is the open end of the barrel of a firearm, or what I like to refer to as the “business end” of the barrel.  

I like to have students visualize muzzle discipline using the illustration of an infinite lightsaber that emanates from the muzzle, and anywhere that lightsaber crosses or touches could be destroyed.  If we think about the rules, both Cooper’s #2 Rule and NRA’s #1 Rule covers the importance of muzzle discipline, but does it end at the target?  What about dry firing at home?  Any bullet that leaves the muzzle could penetrate a paper target, drywall, or even flesh and could do damage to things behind, so we must consider if there is truly ever a safe direction?  

This is where careful thought needs to be taken to define the best direction.  In training under Active Self Protection, I’ve learned and adopted a term that they use to replace the words “safe direction” with “the direction of least consequence”.  What direction would pose the least risk of consequences to me at this moment?  At a range that is generally pretty easy.  It’s the trap or the berm, but what if someone or something like an animal unexpectedly appears there?  The direction of least consequence can change and differ based on the situation.  

It’s also common in the firearm world to hear safety explained as just don’t point the gun at another person.  But what if that person is an imminent lethal threat to you?  It invalidates that explanation at that moment.  Most people who have done any training with a holster at some time have pointed a pistol at their own body unknowingly.  This typically happens when returning the pistol to the holster on the body.  It can also happen when the pistol is drawn and the support hand does not quickly engage the pistol, and it’s easy for the support hand to get in front of the muzzle.  This is why it’s so important to consider each unique situation and how the safety rules apply at that moment.

Condition of Firearm

Finally, a core concept addressed by both Cooper and the NRA is understanding the condition of the firearm.  Unfortunately, both of these rules are wrought with ambiguity, and this is where there’s a bit of deviation in their rules.  

Cooper’s rule #1 states that “all guns are always loaded”.  The struggle with this rule is that dry fire clearly breaks this rule if we adhere to the letter of exactly how it’s written.  Even Jeff Cooper himself did dry fire.  He discusses that this rule is about a mindset.  It requires the handler of any firearm to check the condition of the firearm, assuming it is loaded, until they confirm the condition of the firearm for themselves.  Never assume the condition of a firearm; you MUST confirm for yourself that the chamber and the magazine well are empty.

This is similar to a concealed carrier having a loaded pistol holstered on them in the realm of self-protection.  They may have a quick access safe at home in which they keep that loaded firearm in case of a need for self-protection in the home.  That firearm would still be considered “in use” in the safe.  

It’s important to understand that there needs to be a separation of firearm and ammunition whenever the firearm is not directly in use, and that firearms should be secure from unauthorized access.  Preventing unauthorized access is not mentioned in the main rules of either organization, but both do mention storage and access as other key points.

So what does this mean for you?

Quick Note for Instructors

Instructors, consider how you teach and police safety rules in your classes.  Do you use Cooper’s rules?  How do you explain rule #1 to your students?  If you use NRA’s rules, how do you explain rule #3?  Do you have your own set of rules?  Don’t just read the rules or make students memorize them, as that is not learning and applying!  Take time with your students to discuss the rules and the premise behind them.  Use inert training tools like a blue gun or laser pistol to demo expected safe handling of firearms with your students, and make it an exercise where they show understanding back.  

An example exercise is walking up the gun, based on Jeff Cooper’s rules.  

• Grip - All guns are always loaded.

• Muzzle- Don’t point at anything you are not willing to destroy.

• Trigger - Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

• Sights - Be sure of your target and what is around and behind it.

Have you made it clear at the beginning of class what the consequences are if safety rules are not followed?  What do you do when a student breaks a safety rule?  And you must be willing to adhere to those consequences to keep your students safe, as well as for your own safety.  It might be a hard pill to swallow to dismiss a student from class.  And for those non-instructors, ask if you have any confusion on safety rules or the consequences for unsafe behavior.

If you have created your own safety rules, use positive rules, not negative ones.  It is human nature to be curious and do the things we are told not to do.  Law enforcement officers are taught to speak positive or “what to do” commands to criminals.  We tend to only hear the last part after “Don’t…” and tend to do what we are told not to do.  Finally, make sure you vet your rules with other trusted instructors to ensure that they are clear, concise, and relays the safety message you are intending.

Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility

No matter if you choose to adhere to Cooper’s or the NRA’s rules, it’s about taking responsibility for your actions with firearms at all times.  Training to be safe, with good trigger and muzzle discipline, is just as important as training to make the shot.  Making sure firearms are not accessible to those who should not have them is just as important as ensuring your firearms are in good working order.  Breaking any of these rules of safety could have grave, life-long consequences for yourself and others.  Take safety seriously when handling all firearms and make safety rules, life rules.