Tragedy is a sad reality of life, but it is infinitely more frustrating when events that transpire could have easily been avoided. The unfortunate death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” illustrates the need for people to learn the basic principles of firearm safety. Gun culture is extremely prevalent in the United States, with civilians owning approximately 120 guns per 100 people. Regardless of one’s personal stance on gun control, firearms play an active role in our everyday lives. It is absolutely crucial that people learn how to behave safely around firearms so that they don’t accidentally harm someone else and so that we avoid becoming a victim of another person’s failure to act in a safe manner.
Every year about 500 Americans die from accidental firearm shootings, this is four times more per capita than other high-income countries like Japan or the United Kingdom. One of the primary factors in accidental gun deaths and injuries is the belief that the weapon is unloaded, as in the case of the “Rust” shooting. This displays a lack of knowledge of the first basic principle of firearm safety: that all firearms should be treated as if they are loaded at all times.
The second principle is don’t point a gun at anything you don’t intend to destroy. As a member of the military, I have to train with firearms periodically, and I have witnessed safety officials violently disarm soldiers that pointed their weapon at someone else even if the weapon itself was unloaded. The military takes firearm safety incredibly seriously, but the military only makes up for 23% of existing firearms; 75% are owned by regular people. Considering that there are more firearms in the society surrounding us than the controlled environment of the military, safe handling of firearms is something that is essential for us to learn.
Even if you don’t ever lay your hands on a gun, you almost certainly know someone that does, and you should be able to correct them if they are mishandling a firearm. One common mistake people make, even in law enforcement, is placing their finger on the trigger before they are ready to fire. It is entirely normal to make mistakes and forget standard procedures, but it is far less likely to happen if there is a peer nearby to remind them to take necessary safety precautions. These are just a brief summary of some of the principles for handling guns. Further information for firearm safety can be easily learned through readily available sources online without ever having to come in contact with a weapon–and though we can hope circumstances never arise in which this knowledge is necessary, it is still prudent to be prepared in case the need ever arises.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.