Airgun Shooting Safety Rules
Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
There are several safe “carries” depending on the situation. NEVER ALLOW THE MUZZLE TO POINT IN THE DIRECTION OF A PERSON.
Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
You can never be positive that you were the last person to handle the gun. Never take anyone’s word about whether or not a gun is loaded. Always check a gun to see if it is loaded when removed from storage or received from another person. Even if you have fired an airgun one or more times and no pellet or BB was expelled from the barrel, it does not mean that the magazine of the gun is empty of ammunition. Any airgun can fail to feed for any number of reasons. Continue to treat the airgun as loaded and ready to fire. ALWAYS TREAT A GUN AS IF IT IS LOADED EVEN IF YOU KNOW IT ISN’T.
Only load or cock a gun when you are shooting.
A loaded gun has no place in your home or other place.
Check your target and beyond your target.
Be sure all persons are well clear of the target area before you shoot. Check behind and beyond your target to be certain you have a safe backstop and that no person or property could be endangered.
Anyone shooting or near a shooter should wear shooting glasses.
Also, all other persons should remain behind the shooter.
Never climb or jump with a gun.
You can’t control the direction of the muzzle if you stumble or fall. You should safely lay the gun down or hand it to a companion while you climb or jump over anything.
Avoid ricochet
Never shoot at a flat hard surface or at the surface of water. Ammunition can ricochet off of water just like a skipped rock.
Keep the muzzle clear.
Never let anything obstruct the muzzle of a gun. Don’t allow the muzzle to come in contact with the ground.
Guns not in use should always be unloaded.
Keeping guns unloaded when not in use is critical to the safety of you and others. When you are finished shooting, put the trigger safety in the “on” position and unload the gun. Store guns so that they are inaccessible to untrained shooters and store ammunition separately from the gun.
Respect other people’s property.
Whether you’re target shooting or hunting, if you’re a guest on others’ land, you should leave it exactly as you found it.
Archery Safety Rules
Do not dry-fire your bow or crossbow.
Do not draw back and release the bowstring without having an arrow nocked or bolt loaded.
Use only the proper arrow for your bow and only the proper bolt for your crossbow.
Before shooting, and regularly, inspect your arrows, bolts and nocks.
Damaged arrows, bolts or nocks may cause serious injury.
Discard and DO NOT USE any arrow or bolt that is damaged, dented, split, splintered or any arrows or bolts with cracked or broken nocks.
Before shooting, and regularly, inspect your limbs, riser, string, cams, cables, arrow rest and hardware.
DO NOT USE archery equipment if any parts are broken or not working properly.
Keep your bow and arrows and crossbow and bolts pointed in a safe direction.
Never aim at anything you don’t intend to shoot and never aim, point or draw a bow or crossbow toward another person.
Do not nock an arrow or load a bolt until you are ready to shoot.
Check your target and beyond your target.
Be sure all persons are well clear of the target area before you shoot. Check behind and beyond your target to be certain you have a safe backstop and that no person or property could be endangered.
Anyone shooting or near a shooter should wear shooting glasses.
Also, all other persons should remain behind the shooter. Never shoot when anyone is between you and your target.
Never climb or jump with your bow or crossbow if an arrow is nocked or a bolt is loaded.
When climbing or jumping you can’t control your bow or crossbow if you stumble or fall.
Respect other people’s property.
If you’re a guest on others’ land, you should leave it exactly as you found it.