Fourth Rule of Firearms Safety

Be aware of your target and what is beyond it.

Under no circumstances should you discharge your firearm at any target unless you are absolutely certain of your target and you have determined beyond any doubt that the target deserves to be shot. You must also be absolutely certain that your bullet will find a safe resting place if the shot misses or completely penetrates the target. You are responsible for the final resting place of every bullet that leaves the muzzle of your gun. There is a significant potential for criminal and civil liability if you do not obey this rule.

The first issue associated with this rule is being able to clearly and unequivocally state that the target you are aiming at deserves to be shot. You need to be able to clearly see the target and identify the validity of the threat by seeing that there is a weapon or other potentially lethal instrument about to be used against you or someone else. IF YOU CANNOT IDENTIFY THE TARGET OR A VALID LETHAL THREAT YOU SHOULD NOT SHOOT.

If you intend to carry a firearm at night, you should carry a flashlight in addition to your firearm. There is a very high statistical likelihood that any confrontation you might be involved in will occur at night. You cannot count on the fact that there will be enough ambient light to let you to clearly identify a potential threat. Having a flashlight could make the difference between a justified shooting and horrible accident.

In a future post, I will have a more detailed discussion on flashlights and what kind of lights are out there...

The second issue is being aware of the final resting place of any bullet that you fire in the direction of the target. This means that you should know what is behind the target in case your bullet fully penetrates the target, emerging on the other side.

You also need to take into consideration the possibility that you might (heaven forbid) miss the target. If you do…where will your bullet end up? If you shoot at the target and miss, but hit an unintentional target, your justification for shooting at the original target will not protect you from significant criminal or civil liability.

If you shoot an innocent person accidentally and kill them while engaged in an otherwise justified shooting, you will probably be charged with manslaughter under the very best of circumstances. You will also very likely be sued for “wrongful death” by the family of the person you shot. The financial liability could easily run into millions and you could end up spending as much as 10 years in prison.

If you plan to carry a firearm for personal defense, you really need to think long and hard about this last rule.