Remember the Safety Circle when muzzling your gun

[Bob Hubbard]

Remember the Safety Circle when muzzling your gun
A training concept taught for a decade is still unfamiliar to many officers and agencies

Bringing the Street to the Range
with Sgt. Bill Campbell

For the past 12 years, the NRA's Law Enforcement Activities Division has taught the concept of the Safety Circle in Firearms Instructor Development courses offered nationwide. Throughout the past decade, I’ve seen the concept renamed and re-taught at many training conferences and courses, but occasionally I still find that officers and agencies are unfamiliar with it.

What is the Safety Circle?
The Safety Circle was first introduced by my friend and mentor Clive Shepherd as he developed some of the NRA LEAD's training courses. Clive’s intent in teaching the concept was for officers to have a place to point the muzzle when a downrange direction did not necessarily exist, or when working in and around other people who did not need to be shot or muzzled.

On the range, we usually think that the targets or the berm are safe places to point the muzzle. Clive recognized that on the street, downrange may not be so easy to recognize and innocent citizens and other officers may well occupy that space. The Safety Circle reflects the idea that there may not be a recognizable “safe place” to point the muzzle. Therefore, Clive taught the concept of finding the safest place to point the muzzle when the firearm is drawn.

http://www.policeone.com/officer-sh...ber-the-Safety-Circle-when-muzzling-your-gun/

 

[seasoned]

Very informative Bob, thanks for sharing.

 

[jks9199]

I like this... Definitely a very useful concept for the real world.

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

I instinctively use this principle even though it was never taught to me using a particular name. However, my Safety Circle is more oblong, out to my right side, so I don't run the risk of shooting my own feet. My feet are innocent bystanders and should be protected at all costs.