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Show InJaniniQijimg YnipQ j ; The proper handling of a gun is the key to hunting safety. Hunters could substantially sub-stantially reduce the number of hunting accidents merely by employing the principles of sensible and safe gun handling. "; MOST MISHAPS could be avoided if hunters knew and Observed the simple safety rules of holding and pointing a gun. : Here are a few rules which "can help eliminate most hunting tragedies: : 1. TREAT EVERY gun as iif it were loaded, at all times, r A safe gun-handler will always al-ways check every firearm by opening the action and feeling inside the breech or chamber to make sure it's unloaded. Never take another person's word for safety. Assume the responsibility yourself. i 2. ALWAYS KEEP the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Never forget the possibility of an accidental discharge. A careless move, a sudden fall, and then the gun could go off. ; BUT IF THE gun isn't pointed at anyone, no one will be injured. A safe hunter will never allow the muzzle to point at, himself or members of his party and is constantly aware ' of muzzle direction. 3. BE SURE OF your target and what's beyond. Before you aim and fire a gun, you must have identified your target absolutely. Make sure that you have a full view of the target, if necessary, and never shoot at a sound, movement, or patch of color. A SAFE hunter is willing to pass up a shot rather than take the slightest chance of being wrong. You should also be certain of what lies beyond the target. If you miss, will the bullet land safely? Be familiar with your surroundings and know general locations of houses, livestock and roads. 4. UNLOAD ALL firearms when not in use. Consideration must also be given to unloading the firearm in situations where it seems more "convenient" to keep it loaded and "ready." Careless hunters have been known to put a loaded gun in the back seat or trunk of their car. SINCE A SHOT is not pos-: pos-: sible under those circum-stances, circum-stances, it is only asking for , trouble to keep the gun load-' ed. When in doubt, always take the safe, conservative action. When you wonder whether you should unload-unload! When you wonder whether you should shoot or not-don't! not-don't! 5. QUIT WHEN you get tired. The safe hunter is alert at all times. He knows that fatigue fa-tigue creates accidents through clumsiness and carelessness. IT CAN MAKE you see things which are not there or which are not what they seem to be. When you are tired and realize that your reflexes may not be all they should be-quit. 6. STORE ALL firearms and ammunition safely. When not in use, firearms should be stored in a locked compartment. Ammunition should also be locked away, but stored separately from the guns. When different types of ammunition are stored together, each kind should be kept in a separate container to avoid the danger of mixing. NO GUN should be brought into the house unless it is unloaded, and it should be stored that way. The principle of safe storage is simply that it should never be possible for the gun to be fired accidentally acciden-tally or for the wrong person to get the gun and ammunition ammuni-tion at the same time. 7. ALWAYS CARRY a first aid kit. There should be no question as to whether a hunter going into the field should carry a small first aid kit. Anyone with experience in the outdoors out-doors knows the value of this precaution. The kit should be basic, effective and the contents con-tents completely familiar to the hunter. It is also a good idea to carry along a pocket-sized pocket-sized first aid manual. 8. KNOW HOW to handle your gun. No accident was ever prevented by a rule of firearms safety. Firearms accidents are averted when the people who handle guns care enough to behave in a safe, cautious manner. This assumes that the hunter knows what the safe thing to do is under the circumstances and has the physical skill to do it. |