The FIRST Steps Pistol Orientation

 This is the primary rule of gun safety. A safe direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if it were to go off it would not cause injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle or front end of the barrel is pointed at all times. Common sense dictates the safest direction, depending on different circumstances.

  Trigger discipline is where your finger

 stays outside the trigger guard area, 

pressing it against the frame above the 

trigger area and parallel with the barrel, 

until ready to fire the gun. 

 Until you are prepared to fire,

 do not touch the trigger. 

 Whenever you pick up a gun, immediately engage the safety device if possible, and, if the gun has a magazine, remove it before opening the action and looking into the chamber(s) which should be clear of ammunition. If you do not know how to open the action or inspect the chamber(s), leave the gun alone and get help from someone who does.

 Before handling a gun, learn how it operates. Know its basic parts, how to safely open and close the action and remove any ammunition from the gun or magazine. Remember, a gun's mechanical safety device is never foolproof. Nothing can ever replace safe gun handling. 

  While target ammunition may be less expensive, it is also less effective because of its design. Target ammunition will not expand or fragment when it hits a target simply because that is not what it is designed to do.