When you’re shooting under the control of a range master, this rule may pale a bit in importance, simply because he has checked the range and deemed it safe to commence the range work at hand. He has done all the work for you. His commands to you state that the range is clear and it is safe to commence with the firing exercise. Nobody is between you and your target or behind said target.
Out on the street, however, it is a totally different set of circumstances. You must make the determination that it is safe for you to present your weapon and possibly fire at your adversary. If you make the decision to exercise your constitutionally-guaranteed right to self-protection and fire two shots at your assailant and they either miss or overpenetrate and continue down range, the chance is great that one or both of these bullets could strike an innocent bystander. Now you have a Rule #4 violation, possibly a tragic one.
If you had practiced what we call situational awareness and looked beyond your suspected assailant and seen, for example, that a child was playing in her front yard before you presented your weapon, you might have decided that the shot was not safe and had adopted another strategy. If the worst had happened and a bystander were injured, you would now probably have a major legal battle on your hands, either criminal or civil — hence the expression that the only good gunfight is the one that you are able to avoid.
Chamber checking is often described as “two seconds of cheap insurance.” It is just that. Chamber checking is the inspection of the chamber of any weapon to determine the status or condition of the chamber or chambers, i.e., is the weapon empty or is it loaded? Unless stipulated in the description, all techniques are for a right-handed shooter.
Another method, “The Claw,” is is sometimes used on semiautos that do not have exposed hammers but do have slide-mounted decocking levers and no exposed hammer.
To chamber check using the Claw Method:
Chamber-checking is an excellent habit to build. Get into it!
Chapter 2
Mindset
Mindset matters. Maybe most.
In 1972, Col. Jeff Cooper wrote Principles of Personal Defense. Many consider it required reading for someone intent on taking responsibility for their personal safety. I agree, but think it should also be required reading in every high school across the country, a book that should be read by all at around the time they become an adult.
Those who did not grow up reading Cooper’s words in Guns & Ammo and those who have not been to Gunsite to learn and understand his legacy might not grasp the importance of his work or understand just who in the hell this Jeff Cooper guy was. John Dean Cooper was born on May 10, 1920. His friends called him “Jeff” or “Colonel.” Cooper was, in fact, a colonel in the Marine Corps, serving in WWII, Korea, and Southeast Asia. In the ’50s, Cooper was heavily involved in practical shooting competitions. What Cooper learned there, combined with his personal experiences, helped him recognize and codify useful ideas and techniques. These lessons and experiments led Cooper to develop a methodology of practical pistol shooting known as the Modern Technique of the Pistol.
In addition to laying the foundation on which almost all practical pistol training would be and continues to be built upon, Cooper was an outspoken advocate of the four basic rules of gun safety. He was also the founder of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC), a member of the NRA Board of Directors, and an editor-at-large for Guns & Ammo magazine. Cooper taught The Modern Technique of the Pistol in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Indonesia, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, South Africa, Southwest Africa, and Rhodesia. But Cooper’s teachings are best known at the school he founded in Paulden, Arizona, during America’s Bicentennial year, a school established for the purpose of teaching law-abiding citizens the Modern Technique of the Pistol.