Not being fortunate enough to have land in the country, I had to find a public range when I started shooting. I shot at several until I found the right one for me in an Internet post.

The person complained that he "would never go back" to the range because the range safety officer (RSO) had shouted at him. This seemed to be the place, and it proved he was right. This range is still one of my favorites, and it features three types of shooters: those who have been corrected, those who will be corrected and the ones who learn.

I take range safety seriously. Guns are dangerous, and people can be dumb or careless. I am now an NRA-certified RSO. Whenever I shoot, I am always refreshing and practicing safety rules in addition to my drills. As I explain to my students, the quickest way to fail my course is to shoot the instructor.

Here are four simple, but important shooting rules to follow:

1. Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.

As a CHL holder, your everyday carry gun should be loaded unless you are cleaning it. Before handing a firearm to another person, always perform a safety check to insure you have not handed over a loaded gun. When receiving a gun from another person, even if you've seen him/her checking the gun, check it yourself.

2. Never point your gun at anything you are not comfortable destroying.

Infringements of this rule occur often. Do not point the muzzle of a gun at anyone ever (unless they are a threat). Pistols with short barrels are difficult for people to keep track of where the muzzle is pointing. Usually you may be muzzled when people are reloading. When on the range all of my guns are on the bench, unloaded and pointing down range.

3. Be aware of what is beyond your target.

Realize whether at the range or in a self-defense situation you are legally and financially responsible for every shot you fire. Always be aware of what is behind your target. Remember a bullet will travel through several normal walls before stopping. Who could be standing behind that wall?

4. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.

This one is the most important. People tend to copy what they see on TV and wrongly imitate. Keep your finger off the trigger. Bullets cannot be recalled. when discussing this issue in my CHL class, I show a video where the police have a man on the ground in the process of cuffing him. Another officer approaches with a gun drawn (with the finger on the trigger). The firearm goes off, hitting the cuffed man. Anyone seeing this video rapidly learns the lesson of keeping your finger off the trigger.

You cannot neglect rules or be careless in the presence of firearms. One moment of carelessness can change — or end a life.