How to Ensure a Gun Isn't Loaded

Many accidental shootings result from handling a gun that was thought to be unloaded. To avoid accidentally shooting someone else or being shot yourself, always check to make sure your gun is unloaded whenever you pick it up and before you put it away or hand it to someone else. These steps will help you do it safely.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Point the gun in a safe direction (away from any person) as you pick it up or take it from another person. Never point it in the direction of someone, even as a joke.
2. Remove the bullets or shells from the gun. This may mean removing the magazine, opening the cylinder and dropping the bullets into your hand or pumping out the shells by cycling the action.
3. Open the action and check the chamber. Ensure that you can look through the barrel and see what's beyond it.
4. Keep the action open if you are handing your gun to someone else, so that person can also check to make sure the gun in unloaded. If possible, keep the action open when storing your gun so you can check it the next time you pick it up.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't rely on the gun's safety to keep you from accidentally firing it. Safeties are mechanical devices and therefore subject to failure.
• A fully loaded gun consists of a full magazine and a bullet or shell in the chamber. Removing the magazine isn't enough to unload your gun--always check the chamber.
• The only exception to pointing a gun at someone is if your life or the life of someone else is being threatened by the person and you've decided to shoot him and accept the legal consequences.