Rubbing shoulders with gun safety instructors, looking over gun safety pamphlets, and hanging around the shooting range in Clackamas county, I couldn’t help but notice that when it comes to gun safety, everybody basically speaks the same language. Everyone may express it differently but on the overall, the concepts remain the same. As I pondered over and reminisced these rules so I can learn to be a safe and responsible gun handler, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between gun safety and what I would coin as ‘tongue safety’. The following gun safety tips are taken from a gun safety pamphlet I got from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s office. I added my comment by each tip.
Know your target and what’s beyond it: Be aware about underestimating the overreaching effects its effects of the words you say. Our words may have been intended for a certain ‘target’, but carelessly uttered our words may end up somewhere else. Never use drugs or alcohol before or during shooting: So many unintended hurtful things are said and done when under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Be sure your firearm is safe to shoot: Even in casual conversation, make sure to always use your tongue in a safe manner. It will contribute to its safety when in important conversation. Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction: Speak consciously and intentionally; do not aimlessly blabber, which goes along with the next one: Always keep the finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Use only the correct ammunition for your firearm: Don’t talk about things you know nothing about. Don’t try to impress your audience by trying to sound smarter than you are. Wear eye and ear protection when appropriate:... especially if the effects of your careless words are unpredictable. All firearms are always loaded: Whereas not everyone owns a gun, everyone owns a tongue, a tongue that should also be considered as ‘loaded’ with deadly venom that can do as much as kill when let out carelessly. Come to think of it, much more evil is created in the world by unruly tongues than by unruly guns. Depression, suicide, as well as anxiety and all sorts of other psychological issues often come from the words we hear. Demagogues also promote their evil ideology through wise use of their tongue. May we learn to control it by continually checking our hearts, the abundance from which our mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45.)
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