Firearms Safety Rules

1️⃣ Always Assume All Firearms Are Loaded

Always open the chamber to visually and physically check for any ammunition. Ensure there is no loaded magazine inserted in the magazine well. Check both of these twice. There are only three safe places for a firearm to be loaded:

✅ Hand (in a safe, responsible manner)
✅ Holster (which adequately protects the trigger and is on your person)
✅ Gun Safe (safely secured and inaccessible to others)

Firearms should only be loaded when you have complete control over them and can prevent unauthorized access. Never rely on external safety features.

2️⃣ Always Keep Firearms Pointed in the Safest Direction Possible

On the range, your loaded firearm should only be pointed at the target or down-range.

🚫 Do not point guns at people you don’t intend to shoot
🚫 Do not point guns at your own body parts
🚫 What goes up must come down & may ricochet

This rule still applies when not in your hand (holsters, purses/bags, vehicles).

In real life, there is no guaranteed safe direction. You will need to constantly evaluate and adjust to maintain the safest option available. If something were to go wrong, we want to minimize potential damage as much as possible.

3️⃣ Always Keep Your Finger off the Trigger – Firmly Planted on the Slide/Frame Until Ready To Fire

The trigger of the gun has one purpose—it makes the gun fire. It’s important to build strong safety habits to prevent accidentally touching the trigger.

Your finger should be completely out of and above the trigger guard to prevent unintentional contact with the trigger.

Your trigger finger should be firmly in contact with the slide or frame of the gun, rather than in the air, to maintain a secure grip and prevent access to the trigger if you were to unintentionally clench or grasp.

4️⃣ Always Be Aware of Your Surroundings

You are responsible for every round that leaves your gun, no matter how far it travels, what it goes through, or what it ricochets off.

Always be sure to consider:

✅ What you are shooting at
✅ How the round could interact with your target
✅ What is behind your target
✅ What is around your target
✅ What could come between you and your target

The Butterfly & The Dragonfly
(Civilian Defensive Mindset & Posture)

At Alpha Zero Concepts we train both mind and body. Real-world defense is not only about force; it’s about timing, awareness, and choices. The butterfly and the dragonfly are our blueprint. Together they form a balanced civilian defensive mindset and posture: prepare quietly, read the environment, move deliberately, and act precisely when required.

The Butterfly: preparation, awareness, and evasion

Preparation and transformation before the mission — build skills and reserves during training, then move when conditions favor you.

Awareness of the environment without disturbing it — observe exits, lighting, people, and patterns while remaining unseen.

Evasion over confrontation — avoid fights when possible; survival is the priority.

Grace under pressure — stay calm, conserve energy, and keep options open.

Discipline through adaptability — adjust plans quickly to match changing risk and terrain.

Training emphasis: situational scanning, concealment, movement economy, decision discipline, conflict avoidance and identify escape routes.

The Dragonfly: precision, control, and execution

Awareness before action — maintain broad visual and spatial understanding before committing.

Calculated movement instead of reaction — plan intercepts or withdrawals based on predicted behavior, not reflex.

Precision over volume — a single well-timed action ends the threat more safely than repeated force.

Efficiency through control — conserve resources, control space, and finish decisively.

Training emphasis: trigger discipline, distance management, controlled aggression, and smooth transitions from movement to engagement. Distance + Cover = Time

How they work together — a complete civilian defensive mindset & posture

Adopt the butterfly’s patience and environmental mastery early. Use the dragonfly’s speed and precision when action is necessary. In practice that means: identify threats early, shape the encounter by your movement and position, then, if forced, execute a single controlled response and move to safety.

We refer to this as: Avoid, Elude, Counter.

Practical outcomes for students

Fewer needless confrontations.

Faster, cleaner resolutions when force is needed.

Greater confidence and less fatigue in stressful situations.

A mindset focused on survival, not bravado.

We use a method called LIE – Look, Identify, Engage.

Alpha Zero Concepts teaches this balance through progressive drills, scenario-based training, and after-action review. We don’t glorify conflict; we prepare you to preserve what matters: your life and the lives of those you protect.

Rules for Personal Protection During Armed Conflict
(violent encounters, active shooter, home invasion, terror attack)

Rule #1: Always Go Prepared.

Have your personal protection system ready and accessible: your firearm, a nearby first-aid kit — and at minimum, a tourniquet on your person — your handheld light, pocket knife, and communication device. Your mindset and level of situational scanning must be a relaxed state of awareness whenever you leave your home. Preparedness gives you options — complacency removes them.

Rule #2: Nobody Is Coming to Save You.

In the first seconds, it’s you versus the problem. You are your own First Responder. Take action. Your mindset and response tactics decide the outcome.

Civilian response options (in order):

1. How can I avoid?

2. How can I elude?

3. Where do I move to?

4. Do I need to shoot a bad guy?

Rule #3: Everything Is Your Responsibility.

Your safety, your family’s safety, your readiness — it’s all on you. No one else owns that duty.

Civilian priority of life (in order):

Your family
You
Others you choose to protect (third parties)
The threat

Rule #4: Save Who Needs to Be Saved.

Get people away from harm if you can do so safely. Prioritize getting others to cover and out of the kill zone over bravado.

Rule #5: Stop Who Needs to Be Stopped.

If confrontation is unavoidable, do what’s necessary to stop the threat, break contact and create an escape. Use force, including deadly force, as required, legally and proportionately.

Rule #6: L.I.E. — Look, Identify & Engage

Look at your environment — assess cover, exits, and possible threats.
Identify who’s in that space — friend, foe, or unknown.
Engage appropriately: give direction to those you protect, or act decisively against an immediate threat.
L.I.E. keeps you thinking, not reacting. Every second you think clearly is a second you survive.

Rule #7: Keep Moving & Know when to Hold.

There is a time to Push and a time to Hold. Motion equals survival. Push towards cover, to exits, to safety, when lives are at stake. Hold when there is no tactically sound means of escape and prepare a defensive response if necessary. Keep thinking, keep adapting, keep moving. Hesitation gets you killed.

Remember to be Prepared and Precise!