Trigger Discipline

We all know to keep our finger off the trigger. You never put your finger on the trigger until you’re ready to send lead downrange. You know it, I know it’s engraved into our soul. When Saint Peter asks us at the Pearly Gates, what commandment number one is? Trigger discipline will run through your mind.

I’m a 32-year-old father of 3 girls and 1 boy. I’ve hunted with my father since I was 5 years old. In the old days we learned this as it was going to affect our everyday lives. With many things, I teach the girls differently than my son. Not because they’re less capable, but because their lives are different from his. He will grow up strong-willed and determined. They may not be able to react or push themselves away from a situation the way he will. Girls are a different breed! They’re stronger than men. They’re more independent than men. They have hellfire in their eyes and God’s Spirit in their hearts. 

Back to trigger discipline. Sorry, I want to be a preacher and have developed the lungs to go 5 miles out of the way to tell a 30-foot story. There was a story, not long ago, of a father of a young lady who took his daughter to the range. His daughter killed him this day. She was handed a gun at the range to practice her accuracy and ended the life of her dad. Her lifeblood, the man that would comfort her in times of trials, the man that would have one day walked his daughter down the aisle to give to the man of her dreams. He’s gone now. Simple troubleshooting and lessons could have prevented this tragedy. It starts when they are young and when they can respect a gun and know the 3rd rule of gun safety - Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to shoot. In fruition, the best policy is to err on the side of caution. Treat every gun as if it’s loaded…and never anything less.

Keep your finger off the trigger
until your sights are on target and
​you have made the decision to shoot.

Start small. BB guns get them familiar with loading, unloading, cleaning, safety, fire, and what will happen if they pull the trigger on something they don’t intend on killing. Education is the best policy of safety. It starts when they are young and will continue into their adult life. Be responsible and be smart.

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By Bob Harless
Fellow Hunter Enthusiast