SAFETY WITH FIREARMS”

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29363, 16 November 1960, Page 12

SAFETY WITH FIREARMS”

Booklet Issued By Police

Fifty-nine persons have died from accidents with firearms in

the last five years and more than 'l5O have been injured—many maimed and disfigured for life, according to a booklet entitled

“Safety With Firearms” published by the Police Department. A copy of the booklet will be given to every person who registers a firearm.

The booklet contains simple and commonsense rules for the safe handling of firearms which include the following:— Never shoot at a target which cannot be readily identified. Never carry a loaded firearm in a motor-vehicle.

Do not shoot from a roadway, or from anywhere adjacent to a roadway, or in any place where the shooting may endanger, annoy or frighten any person. Never point a firearm—loaded or unloaded—at anything you do not wish to shoot. Always carry your rifle or shotgun in such a way that you can control the direction of the .muzzle should you stumble or fall. Never climb through a fence or up a tree with a loaded firearm. Never load your firearm unless you are going to use it immediately.- , Remember that a loaded firearm that has been uncocked is still not safe. With the majority of rifles this allows the firing pin to come into contact with the sensitive base of the round and a fall or knock can cause it to discharge. Never shoot on to a flat, hard surface or .water. Bullets can ricochet from the most unlikely surfaces and angles. Firearms and drink can be a fatal mixture. Home-made weapons are illustrated with a caption saying that they are “almost certain passports to eternity.”