Administrative handling is dangerous and should be avoided to the greatest extent possible. (Think of clearing barrels and the fetish for empty firearms that infests the military - a disaster from start to finish and a darned good example of the problem.) Any of my firearms in use are loaded and stay loaded until and unless taken out of service for some reason (cleaning, storage, etc.). Most firearms do not need much cleaning, and are better served with adequate amounts of quality lube. A quality AR should go tens of thousands of rounds with no cleaning, just lube.

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NHI, 10-8.