I regard them as mnemonics to a possible set of problems as compared to absolutes. Thus, they are short hand to pay attention to the negative effects of various actions such as having a loaded gun when you shouldn't have. If folks are sufficiently trained, they would understand this.
Today, we can have a discussion: Treat all cars as if they have running motors.
The average gun store customer has never heard of the 4 rules.Originally Posted by GardoneVT
The 4 rules make perfect sense to me, and I really can't see any good reason to change them.
The core of the concept is Rule 1 "treat the gun as loaded"- the other three are mostly just specific commentary on that first rule.
Even the yeahbuts above such as "yeahbut whatabout breaking the gun down for cleaning" or "yeahbut whatabout dry fire", and so on do keep Rule 1 in mind.
To use an extreme case, if one is about to clean their Glock, does one point it at their own head when they pull the trigger? Why not?
Another extreme- if one wants to work on dryfire, should one just use the kids as a moving target right off? Why not? The gun is unloaded, right?
In both cases, even though one may have taken steps to see that the gun is unloaded, accidents happen, and people only thought they had the thing unloaded. Which is why the safe thing is to have a safe backstop before yanking the trigger on your unloaded gat.
"You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
"I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
As I've noted in writing over & over, the "Four Rules" are a pithy mnemonic list for reminding us about safe active gun handling;
They're not the Ten Commandments, after all.
I very much respect Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper's writing & teaching, but there's no reason to treat his pronouncements as religious observances.
They're not to be superstitiously observed under all possible conditions and circumstances.
They're essentially pertinent for active gun handling, NOT for administrative (e.g., storing, cleaning, assembly, disassembly, gunsmithing) gun handling.
Internet doofuses are always seen appealing to the "Four Rules" in regard to those rules' supposed "violation", as per the gun's location during CCW (e.g., in a shoulder rig) or during storage (in a lock box or safe), as though one could NEVER handle or store any sidearm or its parts without slavishly obeying a sort of "Jeff Cooper Gun Koran".
Duh.
Apologies for stating the obvious.
"Therefore, since the world has still... Much good, but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure, Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good." -- A.E. Housman
Jeff Cooper's Rules Should Never Be Infringed. From a Doofus?
Does that help?
Good post, Sawbones!
I'm guessing there's a lot more safe, alive people because the four rules were around and it gave a safety based foundation to noobs with their head on straight. I may be one of them. Thinking they're firearm industry Satan due to semantics is just posting an inflammatory thread because it's a slow Monday.
They need to invent plasma rifles, we've been out of shit to talk about too long.
Last edited by Peally; 05-14-2018 at 06:53 PM.
Semper Gumby, Always Flexible
I was astonished when a newbie I was taking to the range asked me that exact question about rule 1.
“So, what does ‘all guns are always loaded’ mean, exactly?”
I spluttered something, then came back here to the forum the next day and asked, and got this very reply from my PF gurus.
This^^^.
Perhaps it means more, and has more impact, to relative newcomers like myself.
I understand BBI’s point about literal minded people. Whatever reaches them is fine, but if someone is so aspie that they throw up their hands at the four rules and say they’re all bullshit, then bless their hearts.
Ignore Alien Orders
I have a friend who claimed to be an experienced hunter. She was at my house one day and I showed her my "collection". The first handgun I took out of the safe I showed her it was clear then I handed it to her. She immediately covered the muzzle with her hand and pulled the trigger.
She is EXACTLY who Cooper had in mind when he wrote the four rules
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