Gun safety
Gun safety is the study and practice of managing risk when using, transporting, storing and disposing of firearms, airguns and ammunition in order to avoid injury, illness or death.
[3] Early handheld muskets using matchlock or wheel lock mechanisms were limited by poor reliability and the risk of accidental discharge, which was improved somewhat by the introduction of the flintlock, though unintentional firing continued to be a serious drawback.
This includes training to mitigate unsafe handling, as well as restricting physical access to firearms by untrained or unfit persons (such as unsupervised children).
Handling practices and doctrines necessarily vary between use cases with additional mechanical and procedural mitigations implemented as required.
Environmental hazards such as lead exposure and noise pollution are managed via shooting range design, maintenance procedures, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Emphasis is often placed on loading and unloading practices as well as mechanical considerations such as holster design, and integrated trigger safety catches.
Many small safes sold as suitable for handguns have been found not to meet standards by independent researchers and professional hackers.
As long as the rod and safety cartridge are engaged, the dummy round cannot eject nor can live ammunition be loaded into the firearm.
[25] Smart guns featuring "authorised user" technology, are intended to prevent unauthorized use with built-in locks that are released by fingerprint recognition, RFID chips, magnetic rings, a microchip implant or other proximity devices.
[36] Safety lines typically consist of a nylon cord which shows the action is open and that no pellet is present in the breech or barrel.
In clay pigeon shooting, break-barrel shotguns are typically carried in a "broken" state to show that they cannot be fired.
[39] Safety areas are used in dynamic shooting sport disciplines such as IPSC,[40] PPC 1500 and Steel Challenge,[41][42] where the lack of a fixed firing point (where firearms would be unboxed in most target disciplines), necessitates provision of a safe location for firearms to be unboxed and holstered before a competitor starts a stage.
They may be used to pack, unpack or holster a gun,[43] cleaning or repair,[44] dry firing and training with empty magazines.
[49] Many jurisdictions prohibit the possession of firearms by people deemed generally incapable of using them safely, such as the mentally ill or convicted felons.
Conditions for supervised training and usage, and penalties for allowing a child to access firearms vary with jurisdiction.
[50] In the United States, the NRA's Eddie Eagle program is intended to teach children to avoid firearm accidents when they encounter guns that have not been securely stored.
[56] Eddie Eagle has been described as a "Trojan Horse" programme, designed as a way to deter lawmakers from passing CAP laws or mandating secure storage.
[57] The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises that keeping a gun in the home, especially a handgun, increases the risk of injury and death for young people.
[59][16] Some earmuffs or headphones made for shooting and similar loud situations use active noise control.
[60] Pre-charged pneumatic airguns use air cylinders with operating pressures in excess of 200 bars (2,900 psi).
[59] Indoor ranges require good ventilation to remove pollutants such as powder, smoke, and lead dust from the air around the shooters, and regular cleaning and maintenance to prevent buildup of contaminants.
[59][64] Indoor and outdoor ranges typically require extensive decontamination when they are decommissioned to remove all traces of lead, copper, and powder residues from the area.
Highly aggressive solvents and other agents used to remove lead and powder fouling may also present a hazard to health.
