Effective December 15, 2010, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife changed their guidelines for distance learning. Students are now required to spend a minimum amount of time on each course page before proceeding to the certification exam.

Click here to go to the latest version of the Today's Hunter in Washington online course—the official hunter education course of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Go to the new Washington course

The following course material is for reference only. Please go to the new course to complete your Washington certification.

4.7 Safety Tips

Many home firearm incidents involve the use of handguns. Keep handguns out of the reach of inexperienced shooters and children.
If you are around a gun that is new or unfamiliar to you, leave it alone! It could be loaded, and careless handling might cause it to fire.
Maintain safe muzzle control at all times! Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
The safest way to carry handguns and other firearms is with an empty chamber. If there is a cartridge under the hammer, some handguns can discharge when they are dropped or if the hammer is struck by a blow.
Make sure that handguns (and all other firearms) are unloaded before you handle them.

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Official hunting safety course for Washington hunters last modified: October 29, 2010
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Questions? Call Today's Hunter at 1-800-830-2268

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