Montana Hunting and Fishing Journal

Clarke's Firearm's Safety Tips

by John R. Clarke, Shooting & Firearms Editor ©

The "Number One" ground rule for all firearms is: firearms should always be considered loaded, even when you know they are "not."

When handling any firearm, always open the breech, bolt, or cylinder to make sure it is not loaded. If loaded, always remove all cartridges and store them in a secure location, preferably in their original container.

Do not store ammunition and firearms in the same physical location. This makes it too easy for someone, other than yourself, to load and fire your firearm in a method you may not have intended.

When shooting or hunting, always wear some kind of eye protection. Since I wear eye glasses, I always ask my optometrist to make any new prescription out of plastic, "UV coated," lenses. Plastic lenses will not shatter, have sufficient strength to protect your eyes from most types of injury, and the "UV coating" will protect them from the effects of sunlight. If you do not wear glasses, many companies make excellent shooting glasses that not only protect your eyes from injury, but also, by offering colored lenses, may increase your ability to see and discern game in low light conditions. I have never found "sun glasses" to be a benefit in the field, because hunting may span several or more lighting conditions. While polarized lenses will reduce glare (refracted light), their darker color will reduce your ability to see during the most critical hunting times of the day - just before dawn or dusk.

When shooting from the bench, always wear hearing protection. Many companies make excellent "muffs" that will protect your hearing from the damage to your ears, which can result from the noise generated by firearm's cartridges. This is especially imperative if shooting from underneath a covered shooting bench or at an indoor range. I do not advise wearing hearing protection when afield for safety reasons, because their use may decrease your ability to discern between the sounds of an approaching hunter and a game animal.

Always make sure of your target. Do not shoot at targets that "appear to be safe," because many times a slight movement may be another hunter, a protected game animal, or another person "out for a day in the woods." If you cannot positively identify the target - do not shoot until you can positively identify the target.

Never use your rifle's scope as a pair of binoculars. If you want to "scope out the place," use the appropriate equipment - binoculars or a spotting scope.

Do not shoot over water or other hard, flat surfaces, because the projectile may ricochet from these surfaces and strike something downrange.

Do not fire a rifle at targets above your "line of sight," because projectiles may travel distances greater than three miles and arrive with sufficient energy to kill or cause significant damage to property.

When hunting with a shotgun, make sure all of your shots are at targets above you, if possible.

Never fire at low flying birds when others are located across the field from you, because your shot may hit them with sufficient force to cause injury.

When hunting with others, always know their specific locations and never fire at any target that comes between you and their location. To do so may endanger others in your hunting party.

Always set "ground rules" with hunters in your party, beforehand. One of the major ones should be - stay put on your stand until "such and such a time."

When returning from a stand at dark, it is advisable to talk, sing, smoke a cigarette, use a flashlight, or, if riding a ATV, have the headlights on. This will ensure others see you and do not mistake you for moving game, because hunters have been accidentally shot by others as they quietly walked back to their vehicles after a long day's hunt.

Always determine, beforehand, the locations of any buildings, roadways, power lines, and livestock in the area you will be hunting. Do not fire in these directions unless you are absolutely sure our projectiles will not reach these areas.

If required by game regulations, always wear approved "blaze orange" colored clothing. This helps "others see you." While blaze orange clothing is highly visible in most lighting conditions, just before or after dusk or dawn, under certain lighting conditions, blaze orange may appear to the eye to be "silver" in color. While many species of big game often appear this same color at other times of the day, at dawn or dusk they usually appear as either "dark shapes, blobs, or shadows." So, be extremely diligent during these times for something that appears to be "silver" - it may well be one of your hunting companions.

When hunting or shooting with young or inexperienced hunters, it is imperative to be extremely diligent for the "unexpected" and always make sure these person understand, completely, the rules governing the handling of firearms, hunter safety, personal conduct, and, most of all, "what is expected of them." You should also make it "perfectly clear" what the consequences are of their violation of any of these rules. This should be done, beforehand, and not "after the fact" because then it may be too late. I personally refer to this as "reading them the Riot Act" and it should be delivered in a similar manner, because a mistake with a loaded firearm can cause serious problems for them, as well as you.

While always a safety concern, it is never wise to leave cartridges in a firearm's chamber for long periods of time, if their cases are made from brass. Over time, brass cases will corrode the chamber due to galvanic action between the steel chamber and the brass cartridge case.

When transporting firearms in your vehicle, always carry them unloaded and either in a holster or case. Certain states also require they be stored in certain part of your vehicle so check with your local officials for regulations governing the transportation of firearms.

When transporting firearms on commercial aircraft, federal law requires you to declare them to the carrier when you check your baggage. Upon declaration to the carrier, their personnel may ask to personally inspect your firearm or its container. They will also ask you to sign a certificate that states that your firearms are unloaded and there is no ammunition stored in the same container. If you fail to declare any firearm and they are later discovered in your baggage by the carrier, you more than likely will be prosecuted under Federal statue for this violation. You should check with your commercial carrier for any other regulations they have governing carrying firearms on their aircraft.

If transporting firearms to another country on a commercial carrier, you must abide by all local, state, federal, as well as the firearm's, regulations of the country you will be visiting. Many countries will not even let you bring your personal firearms into their country and without the proper documentation you may not even be able to get them back into this country.

The "Number Two" ground rule for the use of firearms is: firearms and alcohol do not mix. If someone "pops a cool one" before all firearms are unloaded and stored away, politely ask all in your party to unload and case their firearms if "the bar is open." If they refuse, politely exit the location, because "alcohol and firearms" is like pouring gasoline on a roaring fire - things can get out of hand, quickly.