İFirearms do not discharge on their own!
Here are the four moments where extra caution is necessary due to common negligence and mistakes!
Three Rules of Firearm Safety
Always point your firearm in a safe direction.
Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
Always keep the firearm unloaded until ready to use.
Negligence, distraction, overconfidence, haste, and showboating can all lead to unintentional/negligent discharges. Additionally, incidents involving a curious adult or child handling a firearm in an unsafe environment are beyond the scope of this article. Such an incident is a clear indicator that the shooter or firearm owner should urgently review fundamental safety knowledge.
This article highlights four common and critical firearm safety concerns related to portable firearms (shotguns and pistols), based on real experiences.
1. Loading a Shell into a Semi-Automatic Shotgun
Semi-automatic shotguns have some of the most complex feeding mechanisms among all firearm types. As a result, shortcuts and extended shell loading ports for quick loading are often appealing but can pose serious risks.
Many shooters pull back the charging handle and drop the first shell directly into the chamber through the ejection port before pressing the bolt release and sending the bolt forward. They then proceed to load additional shells into the magazine tube using fast techniques like the "3-gun, 2-gun" method. While this process seems straightforward, an unintended consequence can occur: as the pinky finger withdraws, it may accidentally contact the trigger guard, leading to an unintended discharge. If the firearm is not pointed in a safe direction, the results can be catastrophic.
Solution: The shooter should keep the chamber empty while loading the magazine tube and only chamber a round after securely shouldering the shotgun. This ensures full control of the process.
2. Racking the Slide on a Semi-Automatic Pistol
When unloading a semi-automatic pistol, the first step should always be to remove the magazine before racking the slide to eject the chambered round.
Despite its apparent simplicity, many shooters either forget to remove the magazine or inadvertently discharge a round while attempting to clear the chamber.
Disciplined shooters ensure their trigger finger remains outside the trigger guard and along the frame except when firing. However, those who have not yet developed this muscle memory often have their fingers inside the trigger guard. If a shooter inadvertently pulls the slide back while applying inward force, their fingers may slip and strike the trigger, resulting in an unintended discharge.
Solution:
Always remove the magazine before starting the unloading process.
Always keep the trigger finger off the trigger guard except when firing.
• • The unloading process should never be rushed. After visually confirming the chamber is empty, take a second look in a different direction to verify before performing the final step of dry-firing in a safe direction.
3. Falling While Carrying a Shotgun
Gone are the days when shotguns had heavy trigger pulls. Modern shooters prefer lighter trigger assemblies for better accuracy. However, this increased ease of use also comes with a higher risk of unintended discharge, especially when moving through uneven terrain such as forests or hunting grounds.
There are two types of hunters: those who have fallen and those who have not yet fallen. If you trip while carrying a shotgun with a chambered round, your finger may instinctively contract, leading to an unintended discharge in an unpredictable direction.
Solution: The safest way to carry a shotgun is with an empty chamber. A skilled shotgun shooter can quickly chamber a round and engage the target when necessary.
4. Slipping While Cocking a Hammer-Fired Revolver
Revolvers have some of the best trigger pulls in firearm history, but this remarkable mechanism can also become a safety hazard. The issue largely depends on whether the system is single-action or double-action. To achieve the crisp trigger pull of a single-action revolver, the hammer must be manually cocked. However, if the shooter’s thumb slips off the hammer while also applying pressure to the trigger, an unintended discharge occurs.
Although most revolver manufacturers incorporate transfer bar safeties to prevent such mishaps, even a slight trigger pull and a hammer release under tension can bypass this safety mechanism.
Solution:
Always keep your finger off the trigger while cocking the hammer.
If lowering the hammer is necessary (as in some competition scenarios), use the support hand’s fingers to maintain better control.
Some firearms include a decocking lever to safely lower the hammer—use it when available.
Conclusion
These four scenarios all share a common factor: unintentional interaction with the trigger.
Always keep your finger off the trigger unless you are deliberately firing.
While this sounds simple, remember that the natural tendency is to place your finger near the trigger. (Manufacturers design firearms so that the trigger area is not always visible to the shooter in a firing stance.)
Even someone who has never fired a gun before will instinctively place their finger near the trigger.
Your primary safety mechanism is your trigger finger—keep it under conscious control.
The best built-in safety mechanism lies between your ears—stay focused, avoid complacency, and practice disciplined trigger control.
Safe shooting!
Dr. Selçuk Aksak
Shooting Sports Instructor & CoachIDPA CSO,Gunsmith
Burkut Academy
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