Alec Baldwin Should Have Practiced Jeff Cooper's "Rules of Gun Safety"

Above, John Dean "Jeff" Cooper was a United States Marine, the creator of
 the "modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and
 history of small arms.

More reports are coming out involving Alec Baldwin's shooting incident that killed a cinematographer and wounded a director.

He was told that the gun was "cold", yet that "prop" gun was used earlier for some plinking. Once someone hands over a gun to another, the recipient has the responsibility to check it before anything is done with it.

The late Jeff Cooper, who founded Gunsite Academy in Arizona, had "Rules of Gun Safety". Baldwin would never be in his current predicament had he studied and lived by Cooper's Rule 1.

RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED

There are no exceptions. Do not pretend that this is true. Some people and organizations take this rule and weaken it; e.g. "Treat all guns as if they were loaded." Unfortunately, the "as if" compromises the directness of the statement by implying that they are unloaded, but we will treat them as though they are loaded. No good! Safety rules must be worded forcefully so that they are never treated lightly or reduced to partial compliance.

All guns are always loaded - period!

This must be your mind-set. If someone hands you a firearm and says, "Don't worry, it's not loaded," you do not dare believe him. You need not be impolite, but check it yourself. Remember, there are no accidents, only negligent acts. Check it. Do not let yourself fall prey to a situation where you might feel compelled to squeal, "I didn't know it was loaded!"

This is a good opportunity for everyone, gun enthusiasts/owners or not, to review and save.

To read all of Jeff Cooper's "Rules of Gun Safety", go here.