Firearm safety is the operational baseline that precedes any tactical training. The four universal rules (formalised by Jeff Cooper and adopted in IST-C form by the French Army, and in analogous forms by every NATO school) are not bureaucratic rules: they are the difference between a functional operator and an accident. This chapter also covers postures and shooting positions at the conceptual level, and includes a reference to the French legal framework — useful for francophone volunteers operating abroad and returning to national territory.
The four cardinal rules
Each rule compensates for the failure of the others. They are redundant by design: an unloaded weapon, pointed wrong, with finger on trigger, in an unidentified environment — is still an accident. Three rules must fail simultaneously to produce a casualty.
- Every weapon is considered loaded. Always. Most accidents happen with "unloaded" weapons. Visual check does not replace the rule: the weapon remains conceptually loaded even after seeing an empty chamber.
- Never point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy. Holds in range, in armoury, during cleaning, in barracks, at rest. There is no "safe moment".
- Finger off the trigger until the sights are aligned on the target and the decision to fire is made. The startle reflex involuntarily discharges weapons ready to fire — documented in hundreds of operational incidents.
- Identify the target, what is in front of it and what is behind it. The round penetrates walls, passes through light cover, ricochets. Responsibility for every shot rests with the shooter — not the target.
The rules are not memorised: they are internalised. The objective is not to recite them, it is to be unable to violate them while distracted, exhausted, under stress, in darkness.
Postures (conceptual level)
Postures define how the weapon is carried relative to ambient threat level. These are doctrinal concepts, not execution procedures. Each unit adapts postures to its operational context.
| Posture | Description |
|---|---|
| Security — slung back | Sling diagonally across the weak shoulder, weapon on back. Used in safe areas or on the move outside threat zones. |
| Security — slung front | Sling around neck, weapon hanging at chest. Quick to access; common in mounted patrols and vehicle interiors. |
| Patrol — low ready | Strong hand on grip, weak hand on handguard, muzzle 30°–45° below horizontal. Default outside contact. |
| Patrol — high ready | Muzzle 30°–45° above horizontal, sights below line of sight. Used in close terrain where low ready obscures observation. |
| Contact — engagement | Feet shoulder-width, weak foot slightly forward, knees unlocked, slight forward lean, weapon shouldered. Stable platform for live engagement. |
Shooting positions
Positions are a compromise between mobility, stability and exposed silhouette. Taught in order of increasing stability, but each has its domain of use. The functional shooter transitions between positions in response to terrain, distance and available cover.
| Position | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| Standing | Highest mobility, lowest stability and concealment |
| One knee | Compromise between mobility and stability; common transitional position |
| Two knees | More stable than one knee; slower to move |
| Crouching | Reduces silhouette; bridge between standing and ground positions |
| Sitting | Stable platform for medium ranges; slow to leave |
| Prone ventral | Most stable, smallest silhouette; very slow to manoeuvre from |
| Prone lateral | Used when terrain forces it (low cover, ditches); compromises sight alignment |
French legal framework (national reference)
French law classifies firearms into four categories. Knowledge of this framework is a prerequisite for any francophone volunteer returning to national territory or moving material across EU borders. Summary is not a substitute for legal consultation.
| Category | Acquisition | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| A — Prohibée | Civils exclus | Détention réservée à l'État, professionnels habilités, certaines collections |
| B — Soumise à autorisation | Préfecture, validité 5 ans | Visite médicale, motif sportif/professionnel, casier judiciaire vierge |
| C — Soumise à déclaration | Préfecture via SIA | Permis de chasse validé ou licence de tir en cours |
| D — Vente libre | Achat direct | Majorité, justificatif d'identité |
- Storage A/B: safe or reinforced cabinet mandatory
- Storage C: safe, neutralised weapon or securely fixed; ammunition separate
- Ammunition B/C: up to 1 000 cartridges per authorised weapon
- Carrying: prohibited except for exceptions (historical re-enactment, professional reasons)
- Transport: legitimate purpose required (hunting permit for C; sports licence for B/C)
Italy, Brazil, Belgium, Poland have distinct frameworks. The volunteer returning home with experience acquired abroad must verify in advance the status of weapons held, required permits, and customs declaration obligations. Consultation with a specialised lawyer is recommended before definitive return.
Common mistakes
- Treating visual check as permission to violate rule 1 ("I checked, it's empty")
- Pointing the muzzle at teammates during fast movement, vehicle mount/dismount, cleaning
- Finger on trigger at rest or in transport ("trigger discipline" is a habit, not a choice)
- Firing without identifying the backstop — common in urban night scenarios
- Confusing mechanical safety with procedural safety (rules apply even with safety ON)
- Improvising non-standard postures under stress — when the reflex takes over, the training rehearsed 10 000 times is what comes out
Lessons learned Ukraine
On the Ukrainian front, most friendly firearm incidents are not in combat — they are in the first hours after return, in extreme fatigue, during cleaning or unloading, inside vehicles or shelters. The unloaded weapon that fires is a documented statistic. The culture of the four rules, maintained as habit even after 72 hours without sleep, is the difference between a unit with zero blue-on-blue and a unit losing a teammate per rotation to a "shot that fired by itself". It never fires by itself — it always fires from a finger.
Source reference
Synthesis adapted from public IST-C (Instruction sur le Tir de Combat) material of the French Army and from the universally adopted Cooper Rules. FR legal framework source: Code de la Sécurité Intérieure, article L311-1 et seq. Regulatory updates: verify service-public.fr for latest amendments.