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Weapons safety: It's everyone's responsibility

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jason Seibel
  • 51st Security Forces Squadron
OSAN AIR FORCE BASE, Republic of Korea --  Guns don't kill people -- people with guns kill people. 

A firearm is defined by Webster's Dictionary as "a weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder -- usually used of small arms." These weapons are designed to do one thing and one thing only. They are not for digging snow away from a HMMWV tire and they are not for resting when you get tired. They are designed to fire a projectile at a high rate of speed through a person with the intent of killing them. 

It seems monthly there is a story in my hometown newspaper obituary section about some poor soul who has been around firearms his whole life and was killed while cleaning his rifle after a hunting trip. He's dead and everyone wonders why. I'll tell you why in one single word -- complacency. Complacency around firearms will get you hurt at best and killed at worst. 

With Reception Staging Onward Movement and Integration of Forces, another Operational Readiness Exercise and the impending Operational Readiness Inspection upon us, all within the next month and a half, just about every Airman here at Team Osan will be issued a firearm. As Brig. Gen. Joe Reynes has said many times in the past few months, "Every Airman is a sensor and every Airman is a shooter." He takes that very seriously, as do I. With that being said, let me refresh you all on a few safety rules concerning firearms. 

Treat every firearm as if it's loaded at all times. This is the No. 1 rule of weapon safety. If you follow this rule, all of the other rules should fall into line. We all know what these pieces of plastic and metal are capable of, so respect them. 

Identify your target and what is beyond your target. With the implementation of the Installation Arming & Response program, we have better equipped the members of Osan to defend the base against any possible attack. However, you cannot and must not fire blindly into the night at anything that moves in front of the facility you are defending. Ensure you positively identify a target before taking a shot. Friendly fire isn't friendly at all. Along with that, keep in mind that most projectiles (the bullet fired from your weapon) will not stop when striking a human body. It does no good to shoot the enemy standing in front of a multi-million dollar resource when your rounds will penetrate their body and strike the very resource you're charged with protecting. Additionally, if you miss, you need to know where every single round goes. 

Always keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction. At the firing range you will hear "Keep your muzzle pointed level and down range." In the field, this is not always practical. However, pointing your weapon at your fellow Airmen or yourself is definitely not a "safe direction." 

Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until you're ready to engage your target. Most accidental discharges occur when someone inadvertently places their finger on the trigger. A nervous reaction or jerk of the finger is all it takes to fire the weapon. Most firearms cannot fire unless the trigger is pulled. If you keep your finger away from the trigger until you're ready to fire, this will ensure the rounds are going to the right people: the enemy. 

Do not fire a blank round within 20 feet of an adversary. Blank rounds can still injure and, in some extreme circumstances, kill. Even with a blank firing adapter attached to your weapon, the blank round produces sufficient gas pressure from the muzzle of your weapon to injure someone close to you. Keep that in mind during the heat of the battle. 

Ensure you clean your weapon daily. A dirty weapon will not function properly. The buildup of carbon, dirt and grime can cause increasing problems with your weapon. This could in turn cost you your life if you are not able to return fire in an engagement. One of your "Routines in Defense" should always be weapons cleaning. Just remember that if your weapon is disassembled for cleaning, someone should be watching your "six." 

Obviously the above rules are not all encompassing. Weapons safety should always be incorporated anytime you are around firearms. The last thing anyone wants is a firearms mishap where someone gets injured or even worse. 

With the impending exercises upon us, let's think smart, stay aggressive, be safe and maintain our ability to be "Ready to Fight Tonight!"