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A Community Firearms Safety
and Produced as a public education project of the Second Amendment Foundation, a tax-exempt not-for-profit foundation |
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The key to understanding the various types of firearms is an understanding of the Action of a particular firearm and how it works. The Action includes the mechanism, or moving parts, which load and fire the cartridges. Firearms are defined by Action-type, which is the principal way in which one gun differs from another. Knowing how the Action works is essential to rendering any firearm safe. If the Action of a firearm is open, it cannot shoot. Therefore, the first thing to do when picking up a firearm is to open the Action. (If a firearm is passed from one person to another, it should be done so with the muzzle pointing in a safe direction, and with the action already opened if a person knows how to open it. In all cases the finger should never be placed on the trigger or inside the trigger guard until one is ready to actually discharge the firearm.) Opening the Action doesn't mean that further safe handling rules should be ignored. It simply makes it possible to know whether the gun is loaded. The Action should remain open until the gun is put away, or properly loaded and responsibly used. Every Action is opened by some kind of handle, or release lever, that will be different with each type of firearm. |
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The magazine is a device which holds extra cartridges in a firearm. There are internal and external detachable magazines and tubular magazines. If the magazine is not removable, as is the case with most tubular magazines and some box magazines, operate the action until all cartridges are extracted. Be sure to keep your fingers away from the trigger while this is being done. If the action does not lock open when the magazine is empty, insert a block of rubber, hard plastic or wood into the action to keep the bolt carrier away from the breech face |
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GUNSAFE
