IMPORTANT! Before handling or practicing with ANY firearm, read all of the following carefully and perform every step EACH AND EVERY TIME you handle a firearm.
Before handling your firearm for any reason other than firing it, such as cleaning it, dry practicing proper technique, etc. Make sure you keep ammunition separate from the firearm. Keep ammunition in a separate room if possible.
Read the user manual for your firearm to learn of its safety features and proper functioning and maintenance of your firearm.
Treat EVERY firearm as if it were loaded, even if you just checked it or you think you didn't load it.
DO NOT point your firearm at anything you do not intend to destroy. Always keep your weapon pointed in a safe direction, even if you think it is unloaded. Keep in mind that bullets can penetrate walls, so do not point it toward any occupied rooms.
Keep your index finger (or any finger) or any object away from your trigger until you are ready to fire.
Clear your weapon IN THIS ORDER:
Drop the magazine from the magazine well if there is a magazine in it (even if it is empty).
Run your finger inside the magazine well to ensure that it is empty and that there are no loose rounds lodged inside of it.
Open the slide or bolt and lock it to the rear position.
Look straight down into the opening to once again ensure that there is no magazine inserted and that there are no loose objects inside of the magazine well.
Look into the chamber where the round would go in and ensure that you do not see a round loaded in the chamber. If you have a friend or someone else with you, have him/her perform steps 4 and 5 as well.
Your weapon is now clear, let the slide or bolt go back forward, but still treat the weapon as if it were loaded by continuing to follow steps 3-5.
Store any loose ammunition or magazines with ammunition in a separate room if you encountered any while clearing the weapon.
If for any reason you lose line of sight with your weapon, even for a moment, repeat the steps necessary to clear your weapon, even if you think you're alone in the house.
Firearm safety is a serious issue. Owning a firearm is your right, but it also comes with a responsibility. It is normal to enjoy having your firearm, but enjoy it safely. It is literally a matter of life and death!
IMPORTANT! It is against the law to keep any firearm, loaded or unloaded, within easy access of any minor under the age of 18. It is also common sense, please keep your firearms safe from the curious hands of our young ones, the accidental shooting death of a minor is a tragedy that we can all help to prevent.
This is a very good example of how NOT to check your firearm. I chose this one almost specifically because this guy was a DEA agent. It shows that even if you think you have the routine down, don't ever start slacking and skipping steps. You never know when you might get complacent and make a mistake such as this one. He unholstered his Glock which he apparently cleared before entering the school. But somewhere between the time he cleared the weapon and the time he entered the classroom, he inserted a full magazine back into the weapon. That was mistake number one, a "clear" weapon will NEVER have a magazine inserted, even an empty one. It's not considered clear unless it has no magazine inserted.
Mistake number 2 came when he "checked" the weapon in the class room. He opened and locked open the slide, which was correct, but he did not visually look straight down into the magazine well, he simply showed the other person the weapon at an angle in which all he could really see was the inside of the chamber. He skipped the steps where you look STRAIGHT down to make sure you can see completely through the ejection port and the magazine well. He should have been able to see the floor through the weapon as there should not have been a magazine or any object in the magazine well area. So when he released the slide, he stripped and chambered a round from the full magazine. He then pointed it down to his leg and pulled the trigger, for whatever reason.
I'm not sure if he was pulling the trigger because he was getting ready to disassemble the weapon or what, since with these newer polymer weapons with a quick disassemble lever, you have to disengage the sear by pressing on the trigger.
Now, I don't know what he wished to accomplished by taking apart the weapon, but the moral of the story is, complacency kills. Follow these safety steps EACH AND EVERY time you handle a weapon, no exceptions, no matter how much of an "expert" you think you are.
Safety Rules