We're shooting each other. Just this week on Officer.com police related headlines from across the country have reported that officers have: shot themselves, shot other officers and allowed a three year old son access to a live firearm which resulted in the boy shooting himself. Tragedy, stupidity and complacency are to blame. This must stop and here's how we’ll fix it.

Four Firearms Safety Rules

The universal four basic firearm safety rules have stood the test of time and bare repeating. They are:

1. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Don't point the muzzle at anything you don't wish to shoot, kill or destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you've made the conscious decision to shoot.
4. Be sure of your target and what's behind it.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

A fellow firearms instructor tells students, "I'm good with a gun. Matter-of-fact I'm so good I'm probably on the verge of having an accidental discharge." His point is that some of us deal with firearms on such a regular basis that when a gun (pistol, subgun, shotgun or carbine) is in our hands it is as if magic happens. So practiced are we that we are beginning to act without conscious thought in terms of safety and this is extremely bad.

To counter-act the possibility of experiencing an accidental discharge we should do things methodically. We should have a methodical system to both:

• load from the holster and make ready, and
• unload, clear and re-holster.

• Draw to full presentation;
• Bring the Weapon back into your "workspace";
• Remove the source of ammunition (magazine) and place it in your pocket;
• Lock the slide to the rear;
• Visually and manually check to make sure that the chamber and magazine well are empty;
• Look away and then visually/manually check the pistol again (ever look at your watch only not see what time it was only to have to repeat it? Same concept...).

To load, once again on the line or while pointed at a charging barrel, safe backstop or Safe Direction pad, you:

• Draw to full presentation;
• Bring the pistol back into the workspace;
• Lock the slide to the rear;
• Load a magazine from a magazine carrier;
• Manually operate the slide or use the slide stop to chamber a round while coming back on target with a good sight picture;
• Start breathing and expanding you vision;
• Return to high-ready and perform a press check;
• Return to the holster.