Lack of training or just lacking common sense?

[OLDNEWBIE]

MONROE, Ore. — A Monroe woman is in the hospital after deputies say she was shot by neighbors who were target practicing.

" the location and the angle they were shooting at went across a road without sufficient backstop, so it does concern us,"

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[Caveman Jim]

Defiantly lacking all of he above and stupid to boot. If you have neighbors close enough to worry about don't even think about it!!!

 

[lowly monk]

I saw this. Very disturbing!

 

[cookie]

The same people drive cars.

 

[ocarolan]

1. Go to youtube
2. Search for shooting videos
3. For those on open land, count how many are using sufficient backstops


Let's face it - us shooters (me included) are not scrupulous about using a full berm, especially in desert or forest areas.

I take these news stories as a call to action... keep it safe.

PS. Some examples. Not saying these are dangerous, but they are not using a backstop.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

Not everyone was lucky enough to have a parent teach gun safety, membership in boy scouts to earn a shooting merit badge, and obtain professional training from a P.D. or military branch.

I know training and testing are sensitive subjects in the shooting community, but, dang, this is foolish, that these people thought it would be OK to use neighbors as a backstop.

At least in order to get a drivers license there's a nominal proficiency and legal test.

When untrained people do something like this, it makes all of us look bad. Nobody benefits.

 

[etrain16]

Not everyone was lucky enough to have a parent teach gun safety, membership in boy scouts to earn a shooting merit badge, and obtain professional training from a P.D. or military branch.

I know training and testing are sensitive subjects in the shooting community, but, dang, this is foolish, that these people thought it would be OK to use neighbors as a backstop.

At least in order to get a drivers license there's a nominal proficiency and legal test.

When untrained people do something like this, it makes all of us look bad. Nobody benefits.

That's true, but we don't know that they're untrained. They may just be idiots. All you have to do is look at every person who drives a car - they had to be trained and tested to get their license, yet stupid people do stupid things in cars every day. Yes, training is very important, but what is more important is respect for others and concern for safety - that's as much an attitude as an ability. If they have the attitude that they just don't care, no amount of training will overcome that. Unfortunately, we can't control the idiots, so there will always be people making the rest of us look bad - but the same can be said for people that drive cars, use knives, power tools, you name it. They're everywhere

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

Let's face it - us shooters (me included) are not scrupulous about using a full berm, especially in desert or forest areas.

If I can see the horizon in flat open desert environments, and I'm aiming at a man sized target no more than 200yds, Its a safe bet the round is gonna hit harmlessly in the ground not too crazy far behind the target.
I NEVER trust a dense wooded area, I look for a hill/mountain or find a low spot to shoot in.
Tall targets in the woods? you better have a good backstop period!
Shooting down at your target at a relatively close range with line of sight where rounds will hit can be safe but I don't do it with other people I don't know or trust to be responsible.

 

[ocarolan]

If I can see the horizon in flat open desert environments, and I'm aiming at a man sized target no more than 200yds, Its a safe bet the round is gonna hit harmlessly in the ground not too crazy far behind the target.

Agreed, it can be safe. At the same time, I recognize it is not completely safe and impressions can be deceptive...

- Bullets don't always stabilize.
- Depending on altitude/weather, some rounds can travel for miles.
- People might walk into the region behind my target. Since my focus is the target, I may not see them.

I think in the future I will post cones or orange tape around my targets to help keep people away, and keep it to 50 yards or less unless in a quarry or pit.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

Seeing those vids makes me wish I lived closer to open land/desert. When I was stationed in the Mojave we didn't have to look too far to find a safe deserted place to shoot, sometimes with a hill as a bonus.
I took it for granted, now it takes me an hour to find a safe spot that doesn't have a NO SHOOTING sign.

Seems like all the obvious safe spots are off limits forcing people to take chances. Not excusing unsafe shooting but it's like by blocking all the easy safe spots they promote risky behavior.

Damn all the yahoos who trash shooting spots and ruin it for others!

 

[AMProducts]

One of the places we used to always shoot was giant rock airport near landers, ca. It was a dirt airfield that was badly rutted that no one could land there... If you're near the giant rock, and shooting to the south east there's a perfect hill there to act as a backstop. We used to always shoot 800-1000 yards there. But there are a lot of motorcyclers in the area so you always had to have someone on overwatch.

I remember some years ago we were out in arizona looking for a place to shoot, we found a place that had mountains in the background (few miles away) that was big open and flat. We were doing some night shooting as we had picked up some tracer ammo at the local gunshop. After the bullets went through the targets, they would hit the ground and pop almost straight up in the air. After that I've had a very healthy respect for what bullets do after going through the target.

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

You never know what's just under the surface. I was shooting in to the foot of a steep hill about 30 yds away one time and after 20 or so shots one ricocheted back at me!
After that, I quit shooting so close to my hill/backstops!

 

[Sgt Nambu]

The same people drive cars.

They breed too! So sad.

 

[XSubSailor]

Rule No. 4 violation...