Gun Safety for Hunters

There are many reasons that a zombie hunter would get seriously injured beyond bites leading to becoming zombified, but the leading cause is improper gun handling. Unfortunately, the very nature of zombie pursuit causes many hunters to ignore vital safety precautions when hunting and some do not take good care of their weapon. Non-zombie hunting injuries or fatalities are becoming all too common in the world of hunting and many last man on earthers do not seem too concerned about the fatal realities of these incidents. The logical hunter, however, automatically runs down a mental checklist of all of the safety precautions involving his or her weapon and has learned the basics of gun safety for hunters.

“Don’t point the boom stick at humans.” – Rage of the Yeti 2011

One of the first fundamental laws of zombie hunting safety is to always treat the gun as if it were loaded, round in the chamber (safety on or off your choice) because that’s how it must be when hunting creatures that can reach out for you without warning from a car window to a pile of moldering leaves. Once you step out of the gates of Fort Zombie there can be a zombie attack at any moment, anything can happen. The gun is loaded, is a universal guideline for gun safety as it does not refer to any actual type of gun. In terms of having a gun in general, one should never assume that it is unloaded. One should never be flippant with a gun or wave it around, gesture with it, point it at others or work carelessly with it. There is always the off chance that something could occur as a result of any gun powder residue or other possibilities, giving the odds of a dangerous incident more oppertunity than necessary. Instead, simply keep the gun loaded and err on the side of caution.

In relationship to the aforementioned law of gun safety, it is important to be responsible and keep the gun unloaded in the safe zones until it is ready for use on the hunting grounds. This avoids any injury or death due to the gun accidentally going off due to careless use or due to improper storage. Many a story has been told about gun injuries relating to guns going off in truck compartments and shooting through truck seating, relating to the notion that the gun was not only improperly stored but that the improperly stored gun was loaded. For reasons such as these, always store the gun as unloaded.

When on the hunt in the land of the dead, it is important to remember hunting safety techniques. Always keep the fingers in indexed positions until ready to fire. This avoids any accidental firing which can obviously result in serious injury besides attracting a zombie horde to you instead of you finding them. Instead, the fingers should be somewhat folded and away from the trigger if possible. If the fingers are more apt to be near the gun’s trigger, keep them folded and away from any notches until the prey is well within scope range. One false move with a finger too close to the trigger could result in accidental firing resulting in injury or death.

Keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. This, of course, means that the gun should never be pointed at yourself or at another person. Many a story has been told of guns pointed at hunting companions in jest, only for the gun to accidentally go off and injure or kill the unfortunate companion. For this reason and for reasons involving common sense, keep the gun pointed somewhere safe and away from yourself and people at all times. This rule applies whether you think the gun is loaded or not.

Never look down the barrel of the gun, or drop a lit match in, to see if it is loaded. This is simply something that should not be done under any circumstances. As a reference to the aforementioned rules, one of the fundamental foundations of gun safety is expecting the unexpected. If one is looking down the gun barrel, there is no predictable way to ensure that the gun will not accidentally fire from powder residue or any other elements that could be lodged in the gun. Keep the face away from the gun barrel at all times.

Your gun is your life, make sure that the gun is never dropped. This can result in accidental firing, which can send a bullet or powder in a very chaotic and unpredictable direction. Instead, always hold the gun with both hands and treat it as the most valuable life saving possession it is.

Never hand a gun to a zombie to see what it will do, you may be in for a surprise when it still has active muscle memory of firearm handling.

Try not to be shocked when a zombie tries to take your gun. It’s not the gun it wants, it’s trying to grab any part of you it can, to pull you in close enough to bite.

Never let a person who becomes intoxicated in any way continue the hunt or handle a gun. Alcohol and drugs slow the reason reaction factor of people, causing in a lapse of reason and better judgment resulting in a fatal bite. An intoxicated person may improperly operate a firearm, leading to injury or possible death, becoming a zombie that’s hard to explain back at the safe zone.

All in all, these fundamental rules should be followed if one wants to ensure a safe and sane as possible hunting trip. Without paying attention to safety regulations, the risk factor of the average zombie hunting trip more than doubles and injury is almost inevitable. Be safe when hunting or handling a gun of any kind.