I know this is off-topic, but if you don’t know about Jeff Cooper don’t bother reading this. If you do, go here for a memorial link.

My Dad taught me his version of Jeff Cooper’s four rules, my Dad called them Laws. Either way they form the foundation of firearm safety.

The Four Rules

• All firearms are loaded. There are no exceptions. Don't pretend that this is true. Know that it is and handle all firearms accordingly. Do not believe it when someone says: "It isn't loaded."
• Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy.  If you would not want to see a bullet hole in it do not allow a firearm's muzzle to point at it.
• Keep your finger off the trigger unless your sights are on the target. Danger abounds if you keep your finger on the trigger when you are not about to shoot. Speed is not gained by prematurely placing your finger on the trigger as bringing a firearm to bear on a target takes more time than it takes to move your finger to the trigger.
• Be sure of your target and what is behind it. Never shoot at sounds or a target you cannot positively identify. Know what is in line with the target and what is behind it (bullets are designed to go through things). Be aware of your surroundings whether on a range, in the woods, or in a potentially lethal conflict.

I never meet Jeff Cooper, but I read about him a lot, he was the founder of the American Pistol Institute in 1975, the name was later changed to Gunsite. Gunsite was sold in 1992 and became something quite different. Most people that attended the original under Cooper said that what followed was a mere shadow of what Cooper had created.

A quote from the memorial page does more justice to this thought than I can.

"Another analogy, if you will: In Winchester Cathedral in SE England rests the
Round Table. One can read the legends, one can follow the code of chivalry, one
can practice skill at arms. But one cannot sit at that table ever again."

May he rest in peace with all his fellow Marines that have gone before him.

Robert Porter