FIJI FIREARMS CODE SHOOTING ASSOCIATION OF FIJI P.O.BOX 297 NABUA FIJI 1 A Publication of the Shooting Association of Fiji Endorsed by SAF Executive Committee PRESIDENT: Glenn Kable ([email protected]) VICE PRESIDENT: Yong Seng Chia ([email protected]) VICE PRESIDENT: Jitendra Mohan ([email protected]) TREASURER: Sunil Datt ([email protected]) ARMOURER: Dave Evans ([email protected]) SECRETARY: Henry Stephen ([email protected]) Committee Members Peter Bidesi ([email protected]) Ramendra Chand ([email protected]) Vinay Chand Shalendra Prasad ([email protected]) Quintyn Stephen ([email protected]) Rangemasters Ifereimi Cawanibuka Dave Evans Anil Sami Anirudh Kumar Webmaster / Booklet Editor George Tudreu ([email protected]) AFFILIATE OF: 2 FIJI FIREARMS CODE THE TEN BASIC RULES EXPLAINED As long as a firearm is in good condition and The use of firearms in Fiji is controlled by the handled and stored properly, it cannot hurt Arms and Ammunition Act 2003 and the anyone. You are responsible for making Regulations made under that Act. sure your firearm is in good condition and handled safely. The Fiji Police administers the Arms and Am- munition Act and Regulations in Fiji and con- Rule 1: Assume that any gun is loaded trols the issue of licences and permits author- This rule is a matter of keeping a certain mind- ised by the Arms Act, through its Central set. The purpose is to create safe handling Police Station in Valelevu, Nasinu. habits, and to discourage reasoning along the lines of, "I know my gun is unloaded so This firearms safety booklet is published by the certain unsafe practices are OK." The Shooting Association of Fiji, in consultation proposition "the gun is always loaded" is with the Fiji Police Armory Section, and ac- used as shorthand, even though it may be knowledges the use of Arms Code published assumed—or even positively known—that by the New Zealand Police as the primary this is not true of a particular firearm. resource for the construction of this booklet. Many firearm accidents result from the han- SECTION ONE: dler mistakenly believing a firearm is emp- What you must know about firearms tied, safe tied, or otherwise disabled when Definition of a firearm in Fiji in fact it is ready to be discharged. Such "Arms" means misunderstandings can arise from a number (i) any lethal weapon with or without barrel of of sources. any description from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged * Faulty handling of the firearm. A handler may or which can be adapted for the dis- execute the steps of procedures such as charge of any such shot, bullet or other loading, firing and emptying in the wrong missile; and order or omit steps of the procedures. (ii) any weapon of any description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious * Misunderstandings about a firearm's status. For liquid, gas or other thing dangerous to instance, a handler may think the safety is persons; on when it is not. A round of ammunition and includes any component part of any may be in the chamber or in the magazine weapon mentioned in paragraph (i) or (ii), while the handler thinks it is empty. A han- any accessory to any such weapon de- dler may receive a firearm and assume it is signed or adapted to diminish the noise in a certain state without checking whether or flash caused by firing the weapon and that assumption is true. For example, as any explosive-operated power tool, ram- handlers interact and pass the firearm be- set, hilt or fire nail fastener operated by tween them, each avoids over-relying on the pneumatic pressure; "show clear" of the other. Person 1 may but does not include an article designed misjudge the status; person 2 cannot assume or adapted solely to discharge a spear for that "it's OK because person 1 already spearing fish; checked it." THE 10 BASIC RULES * Mechanical failures. Wear, faulty assembly, damage or faulty design of the firearm can cause it not to function as intended. For Rule 1 - Assume that any gun is loaded Rule 2 - Keep your finger off the trigger instance, a safety may have been worn down Rule 3 - Always point your firearm in a safe direction to a point where it is no longer functioning. Rule 4 - Know what you are shooting at Broken or worn Rule 5 - Be familiar with your gun parts in the trigger, Rule 6 - Don’t shoot at hard surfaces, including water Rule 7 - Don’t rely on a safety mechanism sear or hammer/ Rule 8 - Load your gun when you need to striker may have Rule 9 - Use the right ammo given the firearm a Rule 10 - Pay Attention "hair trigger" (a 3 very sensitive trigger). A dented or bent age, firearms should never be leant against body of the firearm may cause jams or pre- vehicles or in any place where they could mature discharge of ammunition. Sensitivity slide or fall. to impact may cause a firearm to discharge if dropped or struck against another object. If a handler always treats firearms as capable of being discharged at any time, the handler is more likely to take precautions to prevent an unintentional discharge and to avoid damage or injury if one does occur. Rule 2: Keep your finger off the trigger This rule is intended to prevent an undesired discharge. Normally a firearm is discharged by pressing its trigger. A handler's finger may involuntarily move for any of several A firearm must be open and empty before you reasons: the handler is startled, a lack of full pass it to or accept it from anyone. attention on body movements, physiological reasons beyond conscious control such as a Always be particularly careful when placing spasm, stumbling or falling, or the finger firearms in, or removing them from, vehi- being pushed by something (as when trying cles, boats and storage. to holster a handgun with one's finger on Be aware that firearms can go off unintention- the trigger). Handlers are therefore taught ally when: to minimize the harmful effects of such a Closing the action motion by keeping their finger off the trig- Releasing the safety catch ger until the muzzle is pointing at the target and the handler wishes to discharge the Uncocking firearm. Or opening a loaded firearm The trigger guard and area above the trigger of a firearm presents a natural point for a Rule 4: Know what you are shooting at handler to keep their finger out straight This rule is intended to eliminate or minimize alongside the weapon, so as not to violate damage to non-targets when a firearm is this rule. Another recommendation is to intentionally discharged. Unintended damage keep the trigger finger above the trigger may occur if a non-target is misidentified as guard, so that there is less chance of the a target, if the target is missed, or if the finger involuntarily slipping into the guard bullet hits something or someone other when startled. A properly indexed trigger than the intended target. finger also helps remind the person holding Handlers are taught that they must positively the firearm of the direction of the muzzle. identify and verify their target. Additionally, they learn that even when firing at a valid Rule 3: Always point firearms in a safe target, unintended targets may still be hit, direction for three reasons: A safe direction will depend on where you are. The bullet may miss the intended target and Remember that bullets can hit a non-target around go through walls and ceil- or beyond the target. ings. A non-target may pass Never point a firearm at in front of the target anyone else or at yourself. and be hit with a bullet Keep focused when handling aimed at the target. firearms – no daydreaming. The bullet may pass To through the intended avoid target and hit a non- unin- target beyond it, so called "over penetra- tion". tentional firing or dam- 4 Therefore, this rule requires a handler to almost certainly occur from shooting at "always be sure of your target; not just the water or smooth flat surfaces and rocks. target itself, but above, below, to the left, to the right, in front of, and behind the target". This may create situations that present dilem- mas for a handler. Such situations are for instance, a civilian facing a possible intruder at night, or a soldier in a situation where civilians are near the enemy. Indecision or misjudgement of the handler's abilities in such a situation may cause undesired out- comes, such as injury to the handler due to hesitation, or the handler violating rules of engagement and causing unintended damage. Training is used to minimize the risk of such outcomes. Target practice increases the precision with which the handler can dis- charge the firearm and thus increase the Remember that when a ricochet occurs you chances that the intended target is hit. Edu- have lost control of where the projectile cation about terminal ballistics gives the will finish up, resulting in possible injury to handler knowledge about the characteristics another person or damage to property. of a bullet after a target is hit. This knowl- Be especially careful when shooting with an air edge coupled with insight into the handler's rifle due to the slow velocity of pellets they own capabilities makes it easier for the han- fire. They are very prone to ricochet and dler to make appropriate decisions about should be treated with the utmost of cau- tion.