Gun Safety

As one who never shot at anything bigger than a squirrel, which fell out of the tree, popped up and ran away laughing at me, I admit that I know nothing of gun safety. So I will take Mary Matalin at her word when she says in regard to Dick Cheney's unfortunate gunning down of a friend:

'He felt badly, obviously. On the other hand he was not careless or incautious ... He didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to do.'

Since I am an admitted klutz when it comes to hunting, though, I think we should also consult the people who literally wrote the book: The NRA in its gun safety rules:

'Always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction... Know your target and what is beyond. Be absolutely sure you have identified your target beyond any doubt. Equally important, be aware of the area beyond your target. This means observing your prospective area of fire before you shoot. Never fire in a direction in which there are people or any other potential for mishap.

Mull on that for a bit.