Firearms For Actors: Basic Firearms Safety

And Action! Acting is one of the hardest professions to get into I'm sure. But like any other professional, you need training. Voice, stage and screen skills are all a part of the effort but so is developing other skills, skills that you need to cause your audience to believe in your character.

We've all seen a character we just didn't believe in, that wasn't capable of doing what they'd like us to believe they could do.

Thats where very specialized training comes into play. You don't need to become a "gun pro" to learn to act like one. Taking the time to learn a few basic skills around the use and deployment of firearms will go miles at that next audition or better yet on set!

Not many people in society have had any kind of exposure to handling a firearm, and you certainly don't want to be handed a firearm for the very first time when it really counts.

Handling a gun can be intimidating, even dangerous, if you don't know what you're doing.

The first thing you need to learn is basic firearms safety, the 4 Universal Firearms Safety Rules:

1. Treat EVERY firearms as if it is loaded

2. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at ALL times

3. Keep your finger OFF the trigger and OUTSIDE the trigger guard until you've made a conscious decision shoot

4. Know your target and its surroundings

Memorizing these rules is a great start but NOTHING beats hands on experience. Learn how to employ these rules in real life, how to safely handle a firearm is the most important firearms skill you can learn. The rest will follow, but only after this crucial fundamental skill is learned.

For more information check out our Firearms For Actors and drop us note. We're happy to answer any questions you might have.

Good luck and stay safe!