LAST EDITED ON May-26-16 AT 06:04 PM (EDT)
 
>Firearms safety I think I DO know, despite not handling one before;
>
>* Safety on at all times unless actively shooting
>* keep it unloaded unless you intend to shoot
>* don't point a gun at, or in the vague direction of, anything you
>don't mind being shot including yourself
>* finger off the trigger unless you are shooting
>* SERIOUSLY, DON'T POINT THE GODDAMN THING AT ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT
>TO DIE
>* always treat the gun as if it's loaded, even if you know it's not
>
>....one or two of those may be firing range rules and not general
>firearms safety, but they all sound like a good idea to follow to me.

The standard formulations of these rules are the ones by Jeff Cooper:

Rule One: All guns are always loaded.
Rule Two: Never let the muzzle cover anything which you are not willing to destroy.
Rule Three: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
Rule Four: Always be sure of your target.

There is an additional rule I've heard expressed as "Place only limited trust in the safeties". You have to use them at times, but (as Gryphon's series has shown) you can't always trust them to work always.

-VR
However, there are other ways to express them. You can argue about anything
"They copied all they could follow, but they couldn't copy my mind,
And I left 'em sweating and stealing a year and a half behind."