California Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC) Practice Exam

The first step in cleaning a firearm is to unload the firearm. This critical step ensures safety, as it prevents any accidental discharges while cleaning. Before any maintenance or disassembly, verifying that the firearm is completely unloaded—meaning there is no ammunition in the chamber or magazine—is imperative to keep the handler and others around them safe. The other steps, such as applying lubricant or disassembling the firearm, should only occur after confirming that it is unloaded. Wiping the exterior with a cloth is also a good practice but is secondary to ensuring that the firearm is safe to handle. Overall, the priority in firearm maintenance should always be safety, which starts with unloading the weapon.