The Four Commandments of Firearm Safety

1. Treat all firearms as those they are always loaded.
2. Never allow the muzzle to cover (point at) anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until your sights are on target and you are ready to fire.
4. Be sure to have an acceptable target, know its surroundings, and what lies beyond.

 These aren't "the four suggestions," nor are they "the four really good ideas." They're known as the Four Commandments of Firearm Safety to drive home the extreme nature of their importance. Most "accidental discharges"...aren't. They do exist, to be sure. Parts break. Designs can have flaws. But usually unplanned discharges are negligence, particularly in the age of the modern striker-fired handgun.

These Four Commandments reinforce each other, acting as redundant backups for when we make mistakes. All it takes is one moment, one distraction, one second of losing focus or thinking about something, and—BANG!

They say the two loudest sounds in the world are 'click' when you're expecting bang, and 'bang' when you're expecting click. Stay safe, seek quality training, and "keep the itch-scratcher off the bang switch!"