As another said, if you are carrying the holstered gun then you are using it. Same with a gun left in the night stand drawer for home defense - depending on who lives there.Carry-a-Kimber wrote:longhorn_92 wrote: 3.Keep the action open and the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it.
So should I wait until I draw my 1911 to pop in a mag and chamber a round??
Should I wait until a quail is in flight to thow a shell in my shotgun??
I don't know how a whitetail would react if I loaded a round and closed the bolt on my Rem 700 while he was standing 150 yards away.
As to bird hunting I was taught to unload the gun when crossing fences or traversing ground with dangerous footing but at other time it was OK to leave it chambered. Here is where Cooper's 4 basic rules really come into play. Specially concerning watching the muzzle and what you are doing with your finger.
Deer hunting I personally always keep the chamber empty until I am in the stand then load up when in place. If still hunting I use the same procedure I use when bird hunting. BTW, still hunting with a bow and having that razor sharp broad head exposed really drives home safety concerns. I get more nervous doing that than having a loaded gun.
Hunting is I think the most dangerous shooting sport because there are far fewer safety fall backs. It really puts a premium on following the rules. The fact that you are often miles from assistance if something goes wrong doesn't help.
I suspect that George's point was that the rules as stated were overly complex. Cooper's 4 rules say it all and there is no reason to make things more complicated. Over complication just leads to rules not being followed.