JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Please, for all that is holy and good.... shoot with your pants on!
Can't make me!

 
I'm curious to know what other members feel about surveillance cameras being installed in the new shooting bays at the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club.
I have mixed feelings about them, but at the end of the day, I don't like them. I put them in the same category as speed and red light cameras.
I'm a conscientious and safe firearms enthusiast but I don't like giving up my privacy because someone might have violated range rules.
For me it totally depends on the management and their attitude. If they are Nazi types like a certain range I won't name, it's bad. If it's only used when there is someone is reported as being dramatically unsafe, it could be a good thing. I hope it's not used for personal rivalries or similar. I could see that happening possibly.

If your RSO is a dick, or management are dicks, and this is their toy to try to find someone to get in trouble it would be bad. If rso and management are good I can see it only being used when it could do some good (ie identify dangerous people who aren't being safe).
 
Can you provide a little more context about your concerns with the cameras? "I don't like them" doesn't give anyone much to go on. Are you worried they're going to review footage and penalize members for perceived rules violations or something? Is your objection to live video, recorded video, or both?
 
Given the pervasive anti-gun atmosphere and heavy handed government, I would not want my private members-only range to be recording all shooting bays.

Where is the footage stored? How long is it stored? What is the policy if the government asks for it or serves a search warrant? What is the data host's policy?
 
Given the pervasive anti-gun atmosphere and heavy handed government, I would not want my private members-only range to be recording all shooting bays.

Where is the footage stored? How long is it stored? What is the policy if the government asks for it or serves a search warrant? What is the data host's policy?
All good questions. Everything depends on the club's intended use, which likely includes:
  • Limitation of liability (reduction of insurance costs, evidence in case of lawsuit, etc.)
  • Safety (provide staff live view of member activities to ensure range safety standards)
  • Security (evidence to review when investigating theft of member firearms and equipment)
If big brother vibes are a concern, I would request the facility do the following:
  • Use only wired cameras connected to a non-networked video recorder for surveillance of any areas where members and their firearms would be visible
  • Implement a record retention policy that prevents footage from being stored longer than 1 month (excluding footage specifically related to a liability, safety, or security incident, which can be exported and securely stored as long as needed)
  • Audit access history and permissions to camera systems regularly to ensure only approved personnel have access to systems and aren't exporting data without approval
  • Document and share with members the club policy governing member data privacy, including:
    • What data (including images and video) about members is captured?
    • How it is used by the club?
    • How long is it kept?
    • Which 3rd parties is it shared with? (i.e. point of sale system vendor, sales kiosk vendor, etc.)
  • Document and share with members the club policy governing response to requests for information about club members from:
    • Club staff
    • Other club members
    • Family and associates of club members
    • Law enforcement, including both formal requests (i.e. warrants) and informal inquiries (i.e. "routine questions")
    • Other government entities (i.e. regulatory agencies)
    • Media
    • Vendors
  • Document and share with members the club policy governing reporting, investigation, response, and notification to members of incidents that may involve compromise of data privacy and/or abuse of club tools and technology.
 
Excellent write up @bradsteen . It's important that the club be transparent in its vision and purpose so as to put all on the same page . Always on guard to fend against any woke & or corporate mentalites that would weaken a group as this club . Hopefully some higher ranking member will post info here being this is a great way to inform correctly the plans to many in the NW .
 
I work with many clients who have cameras in their vehicles. In fact, yesterday, I was asked to assist with writing policies for one of them. @bradsteen makes many good points. If you are a company/entity/GUN CLUB you need to very carefully consider how they are to be used, who has access, how long and where you are going to store the data, along with many other issues. This needs to be a well thought out, written policy. If you use them correctly, have good policies and people implementing them, and they help you kick out the complete idiots who are damaging the range with complete and careless negligence, outstanding. But as @spookshack indicated, they can be a slippery slope in the wrong hands.

I belong to a range that has had cameras forever. They basically never get used. Even when the board found out about an extremely dangerous situation that should have resulted in kicking someone out forever and possible criminal action, they couldn't be bothered to look into the video/gate access information.

I'm a member at ARPC (and quite happy there), so I might see if anyone is up for a chat about this. I didn't find anything about them in the past three newsletters.
 
Cameras? What cameras?


IMG_4775.jpeg
 
Unpopular opinion, but I'm okay with the cameras to help protect the club from liability.

I've been a member at ARPC for many years. There are too many new members who are cavalier about the range rules. Most of these are not new shooters, so shame on them especially. The old guard would never let people get away with the stuff people do now. The most obvious one is people not cleaning up after themselves. But I've also seen rifles uncased behind the firing line. The most troubling is a real lackadaisical attitude towards cease-fires. People hit the cold range button without going down the firing line and checking in with everyone first. I can't tell you how many times I've had a cartridge in the chamber with my hand on the trigger when some imbecile hit the button. Communication is really not near as good as it used to be.

That club has operated safely since just after WWII. All it takes is one (1) tragic accident and the media will be up in our buns. I am 100% in favor of making it a lot harder to become a member.
 
Last Edited:
There are a lot of things that are introduced "for your safety" or for "liability reasons" that have skidded straight down the slippery slope. I am not a fan of the increasing surveillance society, especially at ARPC. Bye.
 

Upcoming Events

New Classified Ads

Back Top