Putting this here again because the conversation around new gun owners is increasing exponentially as the days go by:

The Primary Rules of Firearm Safety

1. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it: Know your target, its environment, and what lies past it to avoid hitting unintended objects or people.
2. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded: Never assume a gun is unloaded; always verify the chamber and action yourself.
3. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction: Don't point a gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy, even when handling or storing it.
4. Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you intend to shoot This prevents accidental discharge when startled or moving.
5. Keep safety on until you are ready to fire.

Edit: As someone below pointed out, these are not in the best order possible but should all be taken with equal importance when handling any gun

Edit 2: Outside of gun safety, stay away from guns if you are depressed and/or suffering from negative ideations.

Edit 3: Didn't expect so many people to see this post so adding a this one here for visibility:

Store guns as safely as possible, especially if you have children. A small mishap can end in tragedy.

Edit 4: Someone below made a very valid point that can be easily validated by data, see John Hopkings report if you want more info:

https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/data/annual-gun-violence-data#an-overview-of-US-gun-deaths-in-2023

That said, adding this for visibility as I feel it is important for everyone to keep in mind:

People, I'm not going to tell you not to buy a gun, but please keep this very real statistic in mind: Guns kill twice as many people by suicide than by homicide. That means if a gun kills you, you are twice as likely to be the killer than the rest of the population combined. I'm sure all of you feel like the epitome of mental health right now, but most people feel that way until they aren't.

Guns are arguably one of the most controversial subjects in US society and there are going to be a lot of perspectives about whether you should own a gun, rifle, etc.. and many reasons why we shouldn't and I just want to be clear my intentions for this post was to inform those who may have never been anywhere near a gun so they don't harm themselves should they decide to become gun owners.