 On the firing line, safety is the most important concern. As a firearms instructor, you're responsible for the personal safety of your students, bystanders, and yourself. By recognizing common safety violations, you can correct potentially dangerous mistakes, or better yet, prevent them from happening in the first place. Range safety begins the moment a student picks up a weapon. The cardinal rule is this. Always assume a weapon is loaded until you find out otherwise, and never point a weapon at someone or something you don't intend to shoot. Once students are on the firing line, communications becomes important. Each individual needs to hear and comply with basic tower commands. Your job as an instructor is to make sure students follow those commands. You must watch closely for potential safety hazards, and be ready to step in quickly to prevent a violation. For this reason, it's important to know the basic hand signals used to communicate with the tower. A thumbs up sign means yes. To indicate no, raise your open hand above your head. Making a T with both hands means time out. A hand held stiffly over the head and turned one way than the other means edge or face the targets. And a single finger moved in a circular motion means we're ready to go. At the indoor range, communication with the control booth is done by microphone. While interfacing with the control booth is important, it's just as necessary to maintain good instructor-student communications. When talking to a student, keep your instructions brief and to the point. Remember, the rest of the class is waiting to continue their exercise. Reload two and fire those. Never talk to a student while the tower is speaking. This way, you won't miss a command and neither will the student. The student needing assistance should raise his free hand to get the instructor's attention. But don't count on it. If it won't load, just push it up there. Put your thumb right there. Some students will attempt to turn around on the firing line with their weapon in hand. Keep that weapon pointed down range, all right? Always approach the student from the gun side. That way, you can catch his hand before he points the firearm at you. Keep that safety on while you're loading. The key is in being alert. Watch your students carefully. I see where your hand's right here and the hand, put it right here. And if another line instructor is working with an individual, be prepared to watch his or her students as well. One final word. When working as a line instructor, stand far enough behind the students to get the big picture. From this spot, you can move up and down the line, watching your students closely. Now let's focus on specific safety concerns. First and foremost is safety equipment. Notice the problem here. The student remembered his ear protection, but while attempting to get them on, began pointing his firearm in an unsafe direction. Everyone at the range, including instructors, should wear adequate safety gear for eyes and ears. Be alert, however. Trying to replace them in the middle of an exercise could prove hazardous. Another common problem is unsafe movement on the firing line. A student should never turn or step off the firing line with a gun in hand. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's go ahead and get you turned around here and get you back up to the line. All right. Notice the unsafe direction in which this student is pointing her gun. Many students fail to realize these walls are not bulletproof. Oh, that weapon pointed down range. Be alert to the dangers of this situation. It's a common error and a potentially serious one. Another common violation on the firing line is bending over. This commonly occurs while loading. Students will drop their ammunition and bend over to pick it up. The problem, of course, is that in the process of bending over, they might be placing themselves in the path of someone else's loaded gun. As a firearms instructor, you can't overemphasize the importance of this lesson. The partitions don't stop bullets. And while you're bending over, one of these weapons could be pointed right at your head. Just as you can't overemphasize the importance of always pointing your weapon in a safe, down range direction. Notice how this student pulls his revolver back toward his chin after shooting. At this point, you can clearly see the weapon is pointed in an unsafe upward position. Let's see how the instructor corrects this student. Keep that weapon pointed down range all the time. When you're drawing, you come straight out to the target. When you finish, you come straight back in. As we see again in slow motion, the correct procedure is to keep the muzzle of the weapon always pointed down range until it's ready to be holstered. Any accidental discharge will then do minimal damage. And keep this in mind when working in an indoor range. Here the concrete floor and steel ceiling may cause bullets to ricochet dangerously. Be especially alert at the outdoor range where the danger of bullets exiting the confines is very real. And let's face it, accidents do happen. Especially when a student draws a weapon with his finger on the trigger. It can happen as quickly as this. Here a line instructor shows the correct way to draw the weapon. Using holsters that cover the trigger guard is one way to prevent these accidents. On this command, check your students to make sure no one is holding a weapon. Only then can the line be declared safe. An unloaded weapon should be carried with the cylinder open or in the holster. But perhaps the most important safety rule is the most obvious. Treat every weapon as if it were loaded. Enforcing just this one rule can make every instructor's job a lot easier. That was good that you double checked. Never trust your memory. We've already looked at a number of safety rules which apply to all firearms. At this point, let's review specific safety concerns associated with various types of weapons used at the center. Here are some things to look for when working with semi-automatic handguns. Students loading semi-automatics should be watched carefully, making sure they keep their fingers off the trigger. As always, make certain their weapons are pointed in a safe direction. Pay close attention while students charge their semi-automatics. Here you can see a student retracting the slide in such a way that the pistol is pointed sideways. An accidental discharge now could shatter her elbow or even injure a fellow student. I'm going to keep the muzzle pointed downrange. Now let's review the proper technique. Notice the instructor is pulling the slide straight back. This keeps the muzzle pointed downrange and her elbow out of harm's way. Here's a common safety precaution. Discourage students from placing the thumb of their weak hand behind the rear of the slide. This could cause the thumb to be cut when the slide cycles. Here's a more preferred method. Let me show you something here. Let me take control of the weapon. On your grip, you have your thumb right over here. If that slide works back, it's going to eat right into that thumb. So try to put your thumb right down along the side. Thumb over thumbnail, good tight grip this way. Let's take a look and see how you do it. Take control of the gun and get your two-handed grip. Thumb right over thumbnail, just like that. Good tight grip. Got that? Many students unload a semi-automatic by working the action first to clear the chamber. Only then do they remove the magazine. This can cause an accidental discharge. Here's why. Working the slide with the magazine still in the gun, the student may have inadvertently loaded another round. This pistol was charged and is ready to fire. As a firearms instructor, it's vital that you watch your students unload their weapons. Let me have your magazine. It's also critical that you make sure all weapons have been uncocked before being holstered. On the firing range, never take anything for granted. And as an instructor, don't assume anything until you're certain all the weapons are empty and the line is safe. Lock it to the rear. So you look inside and you take your little finger. Okay, go ahead and holster it. That's good, holster. Now let's review some safety rules involving long-arm weapons. One cannot overstate the danger of a shotgun blast, particularly when multiple shot is used. For this reason, it's crucial that the student and instructor know where the muzzle of the weapon is pointed at all times. It's easy to see how an accident can happen. Notice when the student turned toward the instructor how her shotgun muzzle swept the line. Keep that gun pointed downrange now. Don't let it swing side to side. It can happen just as easily with a rifle. Remember, it's up to you to ensure that all weapons remain pointed in a safe downrange direction. It's also vital to make sure the muzzle of any long-arm weapon is kept level with the ground. Not pointing up, where a round could clear the protected berm and possibly injure someone who may be passing by. Now let's consider loading technique. Special attention must be given when a student is working with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. See what happens when this T-shaped charging handle is not secured before releasing the bolt? If a student's cheek were placed here, as it would be for firing, a serious laceration could occur. Stop. Let me have the weapon. Now let's watch how a round is properly chambered. The T-shaped handle is pulled back and the bottom of this bolt latch is pushed in to lock the bolt in position. The charging handle is then pushed forward into a secure position. Only at this point is the top of the bolt latch pressed, releasing the spring-pressured bolt thereby chambering a round. Pay special attention when students are clearing a long-arm weapon. Here, a student is clearing the AR-15. Notice how he first moves the selector switch into the S position for safety. He then removes the magazine. The bolt is locked to the rear and the chamber is inspected. This weapon may now be transported in the port arms position. Check the chamber. Go ahead and bring it to a port arms position. There are other concerns for long arms, particularly with respect to the shotgun. Here, the student is committing several errors which could jeopardize her safety. Consider her stance. Notice how the student's body is bladed to her target. This kind of stance will allow the shotgun to slip during recoil. Here, you see that her middle finger is placed right next to the trigger guard. That finger could be seriously injured when the weapon recoils. Finally, note the position of her head and cheek. If she fires in this position, the stock will slap her in the face. Now let's see how the instructor corrects these errors. I'll show you a better way to do that. Why don't you come around on my left side? The instructor's stance is squared to the target. Her cheek is pressed firmly against the shotgun stock to prevent injury during recoil. Also, notice the position of the butt of the gun, securely held in the pocket and away from the shooter's bicep. See how the instructor keeps the thumb of her shooting hand away from her nose. All these precautions will help prevent injury due to recoil. Moving forward, you can see the proper positioning of the middle finger. As instructor, it's your job to reinforce correct firing technique. Doing so will result in more than just high student scores. It will create a safe and injury-free learning environment. At the end of the exercise, inspect all shotguns visually and physically to make sure they're empty. Okay, let me look inside here, just bring it out here. Check to make sure that students have the slide to the rear, action open and safety on. Again, emphasize the importance of transporting any long-arm weapon, rifle or shotgun in the proper position. Now let's move into the area of special weapons, in this case, the Uzi. The important thing to watch out for when students handle an Uzi is malfunctions, which can cause potential problems while making the weapon safe. Let's review how it's done. Okay, take your finger off the trigger. Here's an Uzi with a malfunction. Notice the instructor first re-cocks the weapon by pulling back the cocking knob. She then removes the magazine, inspects the chamber and reinserts the magazine, then returns the weapon to the student. To clear the weapon after firing has been completed, follow this procedure. First, re-cock the weapon, locking the bolt to the rear. Next, inspect the chamber, remove the magazine, then visually and physically check the chamber area. The bolt is then released by pulling the trigger. You then reset the safety switch to S. This is the procedure that must be used to ensure an Uzi is safe. There can be no shortcuts. For confirmation, inspect the weapon completely. By now you should realize the firing range is no place for carelessness. The briefest lapse of attention could result in a dangerous, even deadly mistake. It's not easy. As a firearms instructor, you must be alert at all times. You must be quick to spot a violation and even quicker to step in and correct it. It's a mentally exhausting job, but it's a crucial one. Knowing what to look for helps. So does knowing how to prevent or correct safety violations. In the end, however, it's on your shoulders. Range safety is ultimately the responsibility of each and every firearms instructor. It's a commitment to your students, your colleagues and to yourself.