Hey folks, have a seat while Brownells Gun Techs Caleb and Steve talk about gun etiquette. No, not the "lift your pinky finger while you sip tea," Miss Manners, Emily Post kind of etiquette, but rather the proper way to handle a gun . Recent events have brought a lot of firsttime gun buyers into gun stores, who may not be savvy to the do's and don'ts of safe gun handling. Even experienced gun owners can benefit from a refresher. The rules are simple. Observe them at all times, and you'll never experience the heartstopping sound of a gun going off in a place where it shouldn't.

(1) Treat every gun as if it's loaded. When you pick up a gun make sure it's unloaded first thing! Keep the muzzle pointing in a safe direction, remove the mag, lock the slide or bolt back, and check the chamber both visually AND the "pinky" check to made sure it's empty. If don't know how that particular gun works, hand it back and say, "Please clear the gun."

(2) Don't "sweep" the muzzle across the path of somebody else OR yourself.

(3) Keep your finger OFF the trigger.

(4) If you want to dry fire the gun, ask permission first. If it's OK, make sure the gun is totally unloaded and the muzzle is pointing in a safe direction when you dry fire.

(5) Read the manual that comes with your gun. It'll tell you about any unique aspects of the gun's operation you need to know about.

"Safe direction" is one where there's no risk of hitting a person IF the gun did accidentally go off. Since you've already made sure it's unloaded (right? RIGHT?), this is an extra layer of safety. Accidental discharges happen when folks fail to observe one or more of these rules. Remember: redundancy = safety. Got questions? Ask an experienced shooter or call the Brownells Tech Line. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask!

Plenty more Brownells videos to learn from: http://www.brownellsvideos.com