With every right there is an equally important responsibility to properly govern one’s self when exercising that right. With firearms, the right to own, use and carry comes with the imperative that one does so in a safe manner. No company takes the safety of its customers more to heart than GLOCK. In fact, GLOCK actively encourages its customers to practice responsible gun handling. Likewise, the company builds all of its guns with three mechanical safeties that help prevent incidents.

GLOCK Safety Pledge

In the United States, June is National Safety Month. Although the company emphasizes safe gun handling and responsible ownership throughout the year, this month is a special time that GLOCK sets aside for renewing its customers’ commitment to gun safety. One of the ways the company does this is through the GLOCK Safety Pledge Drive.

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The pledge is a voluntary promise firearms owners make to handle guns in a safe and responsible way. People taking the pledge agree to use hearing and vision protection while shooting and to observe the four rules of gun safety. What are those rules? Here is a quick refresher:

1.) Treat all firearms as if they are loaded at all times.

2.) Never point the muzzle at anything you are not willing to destroy.

3.) Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you are ready to fire.

4.) Be sure of your target and what is behind and beyond it.

GLOCK puts the full weight of the company behind this initiative in an effort to get every gun owner consciously thinking about safe gun handling. Team GLOCK and R. Lee Ermey, aka “The Gunny,” make appearances on- and offline to encourage shooters to take the pledge. GLOCK uses its presence in social media to highlight safe firearms use. As a result, thousands of people take the GLOCK Safety Pledge each year. Because of that pledge, thousands of shooters take a conscious approach to gun safety.

To take the Safety Pledge, visit http://us.glock.com/safetypledge.

SAFE Action

Part of the brilliance in the GLOCK design is the three mechanical safety devices that prevent accidental discharges without impeding the ability of a shooter to bring the gun quickly into action. The three safety devices are the trigger safety, the firing pin safety and the drop safety.

The trigger safety is a lever that is built into the face of the trigger. This safety prevents the trigger from accidentally being pulled. Yet, when a shooter intentionally presses the trigger, the safety automatically disengages and allows the trigger press to proceed unimpeded.

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A spring-loaded firing pin safety physically blocks the firing pin from moving forward and accidentally striking a cartridge. As the trigger is intentionally pulled, the safety is moved from the firing pin channel. As the slide cycles, the safety is reset and prevents another round from being fired unless (and until) the trigger is pulled again.

The integral drop safety mechanically prevents the gun from discharging if it is dropped or otherwise suffers a sudden, hard strike. Like the other safety devices, the drop safety automatically disengages without hesitation when the shooter purposefully pulls the trigger.