There was a time when hearing protection was not deemed necessary when firing a rimfire. True, the report is low compared to that from firearms of higher power, but it is sufficient to cause hearing loss, especially over an extended period of time. The author competed as a member of a small-bore rifle team for two years with firing conducted on an indoor range. He also has little hearing in his left ear (the one toward the muzzle), which is partially attributable to a lack of hearing protectors at that time. Rimfire firearms make a loud crack that is certainly capable of causing hearing loss. We know a lot more about these things now that we did 40 or 50 years ago, and hearing protectors are commonly used in occupations from airport workers to highway construction.
Although hearing protectors are available which cost as much as $200, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money to get adequate protection, especially when shooting rimfire firearms. My wife and I use Beretta Range Muffs that fold up to make a compact unit. These muffs are available from Cabela’s for $24.99 with your choice of blue or black color. There are many other brands and styles available in the over the ear type of protector. The in the ear plug styles are also available and most are inexpensive.
Trigger locks are one way to keep a handgun secure. This lock requires a special key that has a most unusual shape to open it.
4. Do not shoot at a hard surface or water.
Almost anyone who has fired a rimfire firearm in the outdoors has heard the whine of a bullet that has been deformed but not stopped. It can happen when shooting at a pine cone and the bullet hits the target or a branch and goes off into space. It can happen when a bullet fired at a pop can makes contact with the ground and whines on its way. It will almost certainly happen if the bullet is fired at a target on the surface of water. The shooter of a rimfire firearm must anticipate that a ricochet is likely under these conditions. Most states prohibit shooting at targets on the surface of water. A bullet that is deflected during a ricochet may be capable of traveling a long distance because the velocity may not be reduced a great deal. Always be sure of your backstop or shoot in an area where there is nothing that can be damaged for a long distance if the bullet continues past the target.
5. Do not cross a fence or stream with a loaded gun.
Sometimes, it may not always be possible to pass an obstacle while constantly keeping the muzzle of a firearm pointing a safe direction. There is always the chance for a foot or hand to slip causing the shooter to assume some unsafe position while trying to regain control. It may also happen that the safety or hammer of the piece may contact the fence or some part of the anatomy and be moved. Any of these events can result in an unsafe situation. If it is necessary to pass some obstacle such as a fence, unload the firearm, leave the action open, and hand it to someone on the other side of the fence. If you are alone, place the empty firearm with the action open on the other side of the fence before you cross it. When crossing a stream, unload the firearm, open the action, and cross the stream safely before reloading. Having seen the foot of a hunter slip off a wet stone in the middle of a stream and the hunter go one way and the his rifle another, it can not be overemphasized that it is unsafe to cross a stream with a loaded firearm.
6. Keep every firearm unloaded until you are ready to shoot.
Some of the most unsafe situations involving firearms result from improperly storing and transporting them. Firearm safety requires that an encounter of a person with the firearm begins with an unloaded piece. Someone else in your home or vehicle may have access to the piece in your absence. That person may not know the characteristics of your particular firearm which could lead to accidental discharge if the piece is loaded. Some firearms have actions that can not be opened unless the safety is in the “off” position. If the firearm is loaded, taking the safety off prior to opening the action places it in the ready mode. Therefore, it is imperative that the firearm be unloaded so that the person handling it is not manipulating a firearm that can be discharged immediately and accidentally. An exception to this can be made if the firearm is being used for self defense, but it should be stored so that only the person to whom the firearm belongs has immediate access to it.
7. Transport only unloaded, cased firearms.
In almost every situation, it is unlawful to discharge a firearm from a vehicle on a highway. In the confines of a vehicle, handling a rifle or handgun can cause the muzzle to point at someone else or at your own body parts. It is difficult to keep the muzzle from pointing in a direction that violates rule No. 2 given above. Even if the firearm is cased, removing a loaded firearm from a gun case can be an unsafe practice. It is possible that while transporting the piece the safety may have become disengaged. For firearms having external hammers, the hammer may have become partially or fully cocked. It is all too easy under these conditions to accidentally discharge the firearm. In the state of Wyoming there were four gun related accidents during the 2003 hunting season. Two of them involved loaded firearms in vehicles.
State laws regarding transportation of firearms vary enormously. Some states allow firearms to be transported uncased and loaded while in other states transported firearms must be unloaded and cased. Even within certain states there are great difference. For example, some municipalities forbid the ownership of handguns. Travelers who are transporting a handgun in such areas even when it cased and unloaded may be considered to be in possession of an illegal firearm. In some states, firearms and ammunition cannot be transported in the same case. The point is that there are literally thousands of laws on the books that relate to firearms, their transportation, and their uses. It is your responsibility to know and obey the rules that apply in your locality.
8. Keep all guns stored unloaded and away from unauthorized persons.
We are at a point in time where certain jurisdictions require that all firearms in homes be stored in locked containers or with a trigger lock of some sort in place. The idea behind this is to prevent someone who does not know safe gun handling procedures from picking up a loaded gun and accidentally firing it. Firearms vary enormously in design. The author once handed his single-action revolver to a police officer who was fully qualified for duty with a semiautomatic pistol. The officer had no idea how a single-action revolver worked and thought it was some type of top-break model that had to be opened at the top for loading. Of course there was no lack of concern for keeping the muzzle pointed correctly or other safe handling rules. It was simply a matter of not knowing how the mechanism of a single-action revolver worked. Someone who is unfamiliar with firearms, especially children, may find it all too easy to move some button or knob and place the firearm in a “ready” mode. The tragedy of a child finding a loaded gun, pointing it in the wrong direction, and accidentally discharging the weapon is a scenario that can and does happen. It should not.
Numerous attempts are being made to make it more difficult for anyone other than the primary user of a firearm to operate it. Built in smart locks that use code or a small key that must be inserted are currently being utilized or developed. By incorporating such devices, the chance of someone other than the owner firing the piece when the owner is not around is reduced. Some of the rimfire models with built in locks include the Ruger Mark III and the Walther P22. Regardless of what safety devices are developed, the most effective safety device is a careful, well-trained person who exercises appropriate caution while handling a firearm.
9. Obey all range commands instantly.
Shooters of rimfire rifles and pistols often engage in formal or informal target shooting which may involve training sessions. This may occur at a range or in some other safe area with a suitable backstop. When firing is conducted on a range, it may be under the supervision of a range officer