We learn those rules a little different in the military but they're basically the same. Rule #3 is stated, "Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until ready to fire." Following rule #3 is the reason a guy didn't get shot by me in a live fire, house clearing maneuver when I raised my rifle to shoot a target in a room and one of my team members crossed my line of fire to get to the other side. Everybody but that guy (instructors are walking with you) had on their face. I've never fired a pencil before. I almost want to try it, almost, but not really.
When we taught some new comers on gun handling we would always emphasize the rule "Do not point your firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy" i like the tone of that.
I was told never to point a weapon at some one you are not about to kill. However it was Cyperus we were bored but strangely my mate and I were both in an ops room set up, carrying the 9mm with 10 rounds of ammo each, all the lads out on the ground had SA80 and the obligatory tonne of ammo. Our company 2 ic had nipped in and in passing told us about two squaddies doing the pencil thing on Belfast, an officer walking in catching them at it soundly telling them off. Going into the next office. Drawing his pistol, putting a pencil oin the barrel, pulling back the slide, and shooting a fellow junior officer with a 9mm and a HB pencil! As soon as he was around the corner we was wanging stationary at each other, a few years later I was shown it as a final functionality check as it only works If the firing pin is ok
