Rule 3

I once took a random sample of my DVD collection, and divided the DVDs into two stacks if the cover featured a gun. It went on the “bad” stack if one or more of the four rules of gun safety were broken. It went on the “good” stack if all of the four rules were obeyed. When I was done, the “bad” stack held 14 DVDs. The “good” stack only held one DVD.

Is it any wonder that by the time people who have received their firearm education from Hollywood sometimes have a hard time obeying rule 3 (Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until the weapon is pointed at the target and you have made the decision to fire) when they make it to their first firearm class?

This Youtube clip, however, illustrates one of the reasons why trigger finger discipline is vital for your safety and the safety of those around you: the flinch reflex causes involuntary tightening of the finger’s muscles. If the user’s trigger finger is not where it’s supposed to be, pressure will be exerted on the trigger, and the gun will function as it was designed to.