Three safeties

I've trained with Gabe Suarez of Suarez International for many years and consider him to be one of best instructors that cater to the civilian shooter. I believe in his training on the 3 safeties and I pass it on to you:

1). Your Brain, which is telling you to Shoot or Not Shoot, based on what you see. If your mind is not switched on and dialed in to the events around you, you have no business with a gun in your hand. Period.

2). Your educated trigger finger, which is indexed along the frame until the brain decides to shoot or not to shoot.

3). The mechanical safety/decocking lever (if present) – to be used just prior to holstering the weapon.

Anytime the weapon is in hand, the safety should be disengaged. When you decide to relinquish control of the weapon to holster, then engage the safety. Some team tactics school may have different ideas about this, but I focus on teaching private citizens most of the time and private citizens must fight on their own.

Witness the Glock pistol with which such a vast number of police, security professionals, and civilian defenders are armed with. Where is the safety/decocking lever? There is not one, and Glock shooters operate using the methodology we described. Is the Glock unsafe? No. So why would we consider a cocked an unlocked 1911 or a cocked Beretta 92 unsafe? They are just as safe as a Glock pistol.

Remember, we are in the fight to win. This usually means hitting the other man before he hits us. Anything that detracts from that mission, either tactical, technical, or equipment, should be discarded and replaced with a better system. When it comes to manipulating the safety, the better system is In Hand/ Safety Off -In Holster/Safety On.