What's the big deal with range safety?

[gimpyhunter]

My question is where is the range master? Seems to me that is where the problem lies. I like ranges with hard core loud range masters.

 

[jordanka16]

My question is where is the range master? Seems to me that is where the problem lies. I like ranges with hard core loud range masters.

This is what Rangemasters should do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu51rszgotI

 

[Will]

A truly good read
I tend to go to public ranges early on weekends or week day evenings, seems like less people and far less range idiots. Hit a public range on a Saturday afternoon and you wonder how there aren't more accidents. I have spoken to several people at the range about keeping their firearm pointed down range. Often the response is filled with attitude and something like "the gun is empty" or "my finger isn't on the trigger". If the conversation continues I'll tell them that many people are shot every year with an "empty/unloaded" firearm or I'm not as concerned where your finger is as I am concerned where your mind is. Sometimes you get the guy that gets it and apologizes for the mistake but more often telling someone to quit point there firearm at others comes with an excuse why what they did is alright and attitude. The public ranges I shoot at don't have a range master walking the firing line, they have cameras monitored by the guys working the check in/rental counter. These guys aren't watching the monitors and I think that is a disservice to there customers. A range master walking the firing line would teach a lot of the new shooters or those that just don't get it how to act at on a firing line and make it a better experience for everyone shooting.

 

[Heidland]

I think many of my fellow twenty something's missed out on a real gun safety education by being part of the video game generation. Most of them are buying guns when their only experience with them comes from Call of Duty.

Wise words kiddo...what is even more scary are kids like my nephew whose only 'real' experience with a firearm is Grand Theft Auto.

(Side note: in a safe and supervised non-range, outdoor, way-way-away from people environment, chamber one round into your favorite .45 then let smart-***-kid shoot that bad-a$$ gansta arm-extended-weapon-held-sideways-GTA manner.)(He'll only do it once)

 

[OLDNEWBIE]

The Range Idiot Song (Don't Shoot) - YouTube

 

[misplacedtexan]

I've started finding areas further and further off the beaten path to enjoy my time shooting. Sadly. On a side note. I found a nice 200+ yd long 50 yd wide downhill area to shoot in. Still walking it to make sure I don't get passer-by's

I've given up on the more populous area. Brother (15) was up visiting and we went out shooting at Browns Camp. Some bubblegum nut decided his AK was safe to swing around after he got done shooting. I politely corrected him, he did it again, and I lit into him like he was some private new to the firing line, knife hand and all. His 'crew' and himself left.

I have no patience for it. I've been shot at before, I do NOT enjoy it.

 

[Hrethgir]

Rule #1 - All guns are always loaded, All the time

Yup, NEVER assume it is unloaded, even if you verified it. Basically, never point the muzzle at anything unless you are OK with it dying or being destroyed. I just got my first gun in November, I was raised in a very anti-gun household due to my mom losing her older brother to a negligent discharge (no such thing as an accident when it comes to guns) when he was in high school. He was at a friends house, and his friend was showing him his dads "unloaded" hunting rifle. It wasn't unloaded. So I've had that ingrained into me even though I wasn't raised around guns.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I oftentimes feel that most of the newer shooters are so excited they forget everything they have been taught. While that is something that will get immediate attention from the range master (and put them in the right direction) but the worst type of negligence are the Rambo types who think of only being tacticool, suave & debonair (OO7 types) are the worst kind of range idiot out there. They will sweep you without a care & get pissed that you even had the audacity to scold them. This pisses me off the most and I will do everything in my power to get them banned, no need for this unsafe crap at a gun range!!!

 

[Burt Gummer]

At TCGC the other day a guy was casually walking around behind the yellow line on a cold range with his rifle in his hands as the RO walked in. He didn't look like an RO - more like a maintenance guy, no vest, etc. Damn. He tore the guy a new butthole in front of everyone for ten minutes. I believe he was someone's guest that was left behind as the member went down to change his target. My guess is the member will get some sort of a strike against him.

I took an idiot friend as a guest once. Would not stop touching things when I told him I would do all the setting up, the rules are very strict, etc. Won't ever take him again. There are just some people that cannot listen to instruction; too proud, whatever, but no thanks. One chance and you are gone. I'm not Mr Perfect, everyone will make a mistake given time, but blatant carelessness with a gun is just not something I want to be around at all.

The careless ones are the ones you would not expect also. I've taken 15 year olds that have more self control than some AARPs.

 

[Heavy6]

The post by the OP should be a sticky, along with Cooper's 4 rules. Maybe the first sticky.

 

[hotSAUCE]

this is why I like WCA, seems like the people in bay 2 seems to know their sh*t and don't do anything they should and just follow the rules of gun safety and general common knowledge...

I do remember 1 time on a sunday at Wades, we went there and I was in the lobby exchanging our gun we were renting. This old guy about 3 stalls away spun around pointing his gun at everyone! people were ducking and RO did the same. Scared the crap out of my fiance, I didn't see it.

 

[tacticalgunner]

At TCGC the other day a guy was casually walking around behind the yellow line on a cold range with his rifle in his hands as the RO walked in. He didn't look like an RO - more like a maintenance guy, no vest, etc. Damn. He tore the guy a new butthole in front of everyone for ten minutes. I believe he was someone's guest that was left behind as the member went down to change his target. My guess is the member will get some sort of a strike against him.

I took an idiot friend as a guest once. Would not stop touching things when I told him I would do all the setting up, the rules are very strict, etc. Won't ever take him again. There are just some people that cannot listen to instruction; too proud, whatever, but no thanks. One chance and you are gone. I'm not Mr Perfect, everyone will make a mistake given time, but blatant carelessness with a gun is just not something I want to be around at all.

The careless ones are the ones you would not expect also. I've taken 15 year olds that have more self control than some AARPs.[/

The other day I was on the GP Range tucked in behind my scope and the RO came in while I was shooting, and as I was pulling the trigger he tapped me on the shoulder just to ask me if I would pick up a target on the 50 yard line. Not being an blank hat, I quietly said yes and took his name down. I will tell Randy about him because that was a unsafe for both of us and kinda iterated me too. Seemed his concern was more about the range being clear than the hot range that was in effect