I was reading a 40-year old owner's manual from Voere, a German and Austrian rifle maker, and the section entitled "Using the Safety" was so good I thought I would share it. Believe it or not, it actually mentions common sense:

"Using the Safety
Your rifle is equipped with an effective and well-constructed safety
mechanism.

"However, NEVER RELY COMPLETELY ON A SAFETY! It is NO substitute for safe handling of the rifle. NO safety, as positively and well-constructed as it may be, can be relied on fully. Like all other mechanical devices, a safety can break or fail to function or be adversely influenced by wear, mis-use, dirt, corrosion, incorrect assembly, improper adjustment, and repair or lack of care.

"There is no safety which is truly “fool-proof”, in the sense of preventing unintentional discharge through improper manipulation, carelessness or fooling around. The best safety mechanism is your own common sense. USE IT! Handle your rifle as if you expect the safety not to function!"

AND THERE WERE NOT EVEN ANY PICTURES OF BOMBS GOING OFF OR BOLD-FACED LIGHTNING BOLTS !!!!! AND WARNING, WARNING, WARNING MESSAGES REPEATED UMPTEEN TIMES IN RED TYPE!

Why do I have the random thought that Owners Manuals under the safety section should mention, "keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open!".

And unfortunately for everyone due to a few idiots is one reason that we'll never see anymore those great set triggers like those on the old Mannlichers. Those were the days when it was just assumed that the operator had common sense.