All glory and honor and praise be to Jesus

A SAFE Shooter is a Good Shooter!

COOPER'S RULES of safe gun handling:

1) All guns are always loaded. Even if they are not, treat them as if they are.

2) Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. (For those who insist that this particular gun is unloaded, see Rule 1.)

3) Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target. This is the Golden Rule. Its violation is directly responsible for about 60 percent of inadvertent discharges.

4) Identify your target, and what is behind it. Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Cooper#Firearms_safety

Jeff became a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marines after serving in the Pacific during World War II and having re-enlisted for Korea.

In the fifties Jeff was a guiding light in the Bear Valley Gunslingers in California, later to develop into the Southwest Combat Pistol League. Many techniques new to pistol shooting which revolutionised the use of the handgun in combat can be traced back to these beginnings and Jeff's subsequent work at the American Pistol Institute at Gunsite Ranch, Arizona (which Jeff founded and developed). Jeff was very influential in the development of the modern rifle, notably with the "Scout Rifle" concept.

Of special note are Jeff's writings on the combat mindset, particularly in Jeff's books "Fireworks" and the later "To Ride, to Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth." Jeff held an MA in History and Jeff's clear and precise writing style complements the intelligence of Jeff's writings.



Awareness: The Cooper Color Code/Combat Mindset:

4 Levels:

>White: Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to me."

>Yellow: Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself". You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that "I may have to shoot today". You don't have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to "Watch your six." (In aviation 12 o'clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft's nose. Six o'clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. As Cooper put it, "I might have to shoot."

>Orange: Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to "I may have to shoot that person today", focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that person does "X", I will need to stop them". Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.

>Red: Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. "If 'X' happens I will shoot that person."

LINK to above^