Is Your Muzzle Disciplined?

Muzzle discipline is very important for the safety of everyone.  It doesn’t matter if the firearm is loaded or not, you must ALWAYS maintain muzzle discipline.  So what is muzzle discipline?  This is basically having control over where the front end of the barrel (where your firearm’s projectile comes out after the trigger is pulled) and knowing where your muzzle is pointing at all times.

So wherever your firearm is pointing, always remember the four universal firearm safety rules.  As I would like to give it an acronym of TANK.

Treat all guns as if they are always loaded and when you pick one up, always do a physical and visual clearance check for ammo.

Always be sure of your target and what’s behind it.

Never point your gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy and always maintain muzzle discipline.

Keep your finger and objects off the trigger and outside of the trigger guard until you have acquired your target and have made the decision to shoot.

Always follow these rules, they’ll keep you out of trouble.  As I take out my firearm in the morning after I get up, I always keep an eye on where the muzzle is pointing.  If I lay it on the bed (even in its holster), I want to make sure it is pointed away from people or pets.    Or if you have neighbors (apartment, town homes, twin homes, etc.) that are connected to your home, keep it pointing in a direction where it is the most safest if the trigger is accidentally pulled.  Sounds a little extreme, but you are programming your mindset to follow the rules, even if the firearm is unloaded.

From taking it out of the safe, to walking around in your home, traveling outside, visiting places, to going back home and putting it back in the safe again, maintain that muzzle discipline.

So when you’re in a situation where you’re working with live rounds you will already be in this safety mindset.  It’ll become automatic after a while, while still checking yourself by following the universal firearm safety rules (TANK).  You must practice this daily.  Training is perishable along with not doing something frequently, like not practicing the four universal safety rules daily.  I say daily because you should be carrying daily, as the law permits.  If you don’t do it all the time, you’ll end up forgetting and this is when mistakes can be made.

There have been some very experienced people who have worked with firearms for years, but that one time they decided not to follow the basic safety rules and someone’s life was lost, or someone was seriously injured.  There are plenty of news reports out there on situations where people just forgot to follow one simple rule and it changed their lives forever.  Just that one split second of not following your own discipline can cost you dearly.  So always maintain your discipline around firearms and maintain that muzzle discipline.

Always follow the safety rules, those around you will TANK You.

Be safe out there, be the responsible firearm owner and always follow the “Concealed Carry Creed“!!!