Gun Safety for Hunters
Hunting Safety and GunsThere are a lot of reasons that a hunter would get seriously injured, but the major cause is improper gun handling. Too many hunters ignore safety precautions when hunting and don't take good care of their weapon.Hunting injuries and fatalities are becoming all too common in the sport of hunting and many people don't seem concerned about the realities of these incidents. The logical hunter, however, takes careful note of all of the safety precautions involving his or her weapon and learns the basics of gun safety. It's also why many states started gun training for kids. One of the first fundamental laws of hunting safety is to always treat the gun as if it is loaded. This is a universal guideline for gun safety as it does not refer to any actual type of gun. In terms of having a gun in general, one should never assume that it is unloaded. One should never be fooling around with a gun or wave it around, point it at others or work carelessly with it. There is always the possibility something could occur giving the odds of a dangerous incident more chance to happen than necessary. Instead, simply treat the gun as if it is always loaded. In regards to gun safety, it is important to be responsible and keep the gun unloaded until it is ready for use on the hunting grounds. This avoids any injury or death due to the gun accidentally going off due to careless use or due to improper storage. Many a story has been told about gun injuries relating to guns going off in cars and trucks and shooting through the seats or sides. The gun was not only improperly stored but was loaded, too. For reasons such as these, always store the gun as unloaded. When on the hunting field, it is important to remember hunting safety techniques. Always keep the fingers ioff the trigger until ready to fire. This avoids any accidental firing which can result in serious injury. Instead, the fingers should be kept away from the trigger until ready to fire. If the fingers are more apt to be near the gun's trigger, keep them folded and away from any notches until the prey is well within scope range. One false move with a finger too close to the trigger could result in accidental injury or death. I actually managed to shoot my own hat off once. I wasn't a newbir to hunting either. I just got very carelss one day and stumbled, with my finger on the trigger of a shotgun with a hair trigger. Keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. This, of course, means that the gun should never be pointed at another person. Lots of stories been told of guns pointed at hunting companions in fun, only for the gun to accidentally go off and injure or kill the unfortunate companion. For this reason and for reasons involving common sense, keep the gun pointed somewhere safe and away from yourself and people at all times. This rule applies whether the gun is loaded or not. If you happen to hunt with anyone who doesn't follow these safety procedures, STOP hunting wiht them before they acidentally shoot you or someone else. Never look down the barrel of the gun to see if it is loaded. This is simply something that should not be done under any circumstances. One of the fundamental rules of gun safety is expecting the unexpected. If one is looking down the gun barrel, there is no predictable way to ensure that the gun will not accidentally fire. Keep your face away from the gun barrel at all times. Make sure that the gun is never dropped. This can result in accidental firing, which can send a bullet or powder in an unpredictable direction. Instead, always hold the gun with both hands and treat it as carefully as possible. Never let a person who is intoxicated in any way handle a gun. Alcohol and drugs slow the reasoning ability in people and cause very poor judgement. An intoxicated person may improperly operate a firearm, leading to injury or possible death. These fundamental hunting safety rules should be followed if one wants to ensure a safe and happy hunting trip. When not paying attention to safety the risk factor of the average hunting trip more than doubles and injury is almost inevitable. Be safe when hunting or handling a gun of any kind. How to go hunting safely > > < < Hunting tips |
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