Harvard sportsman’s club

As a newer member (few years) who was sponsored by an elected member of the board. I was specifically told if you were with others at the regular ranges (non action pits) and you wanted to fire your carry weapon. You were supposed to stop the range. Inform/ask if you could pull said weapon. Secure weapon onto bench. Then proceed as normal.

I'm not sure if there is a written rule or not but go ahead and pull out of you holster with others around and see what happens. I was told numerous times if you want to practice that type of training you should use the action pits.

It all stems from some idiots who were both quick drawing and some guy got shot in the leg.
 
Understood, but if it's not codified in the rules (I don't mean the bylaws, I mean the rulebook) and it's not posted at the individual ranges, and it's not part of the Sunday safety briefing members get after joining...how can it be considered a range rule?

Has anyone ever been told they can't draw from a holster at any of the HSC ranges other than the pits/SASS ranges?
I remember it from the safety brief. I also have no problem with it. They provide plenty of areas where it is appropriate to do this.
 
Understood, but if it's not codified in the rules (I don't mean the bylaws, I mean the rulebook) and it's not posted at the individual ranges, and it's not part of the Sunday safety briefing members get after joining...how can it be considered a range rule?

Has anyone ever been told they can't draw from a holster at any of the HSC ranges other than the pits/SASS ranges?

As I said. everyone who has joined for the last several years plus is told that exact thing by Dan at the membership meeting. that would be more than one thousand people at a minimum. He uses a chencklist of points that he goes over during his talk. Every member that joins must go to the meeting AND the safety briefing. I have given that safety briefing and not every point that Dan goes over is brought out again but everything at the initial meeting regarding range rules is expected to be followed. I doubt the range rules talks about how a violation is handled but that is brought up by Dan.


Anyone found doing something that they were explicitly told not to do and then uses the defense that even though they joined within the last six plus years (my length of personal,knowledge on this, not how long Dan has been saying this) and the rule wasn't mentioned during the safety walk would be before the board and the question put to them would be "it was stated at the meeting you want to, correct?"

Stating that something wasn't in the rules but you were told not to do it from the person with authority to tell you not to do it seems a poor defense.
 
Dan also tells new members to carry a copy of the members handbook with them, and if there is any confusion to consult the handbook or the rules posted at each range. So there appears to be an inconsistency between verbal statements and printed rules. It seems that when club is back to holding meetings this could be easily be rectified by bringing the statements and printed documents into alignment. It wouldn’t be first times signage at ranges needed updating / reprinting

I’m not a big fan of “undocumented” rules. I was once told by a person in a “position of authority” that the .222 Remington I was shooting at the 200 yard range wasn’t allowed as it was not a “high power” cartridge, and nothing smaller than .243 Winchester was allowed. I asked to be shown that rule in the handbook as his statement would mean the .223 Rem / 5.56 wasn’t allowed. Discussion ended there.
 
I'm not a fan of verbal rules as an offender can say "I didn't hear that". Reprinting the rule book would be expensive and only new members would get it. Placing signs at the ranges that don't allow drawing and shooting would probably be better and since I've heard both answers from people who help run the club, something in writing would end the confusion.
 
Hey guys. Apologies that holster use is not more clear in the rule book. I will fix that.

We are just following common sense; if you pull a gun out of a holster on a common firing line, you have probably broken muzzle discipline. And if perhaps you didn't break muzzle discipline, everybody else thinks you did. So we keep carry guns in the holster whenever we are at ranges besides the Action Pits.

The Action Pits are awesome for holster practice because you are in there by yourself. Perhaps you have another person or two, but they know exactly what you are doing and they stay back. And there are usually plenty of Action Pits to use, except during matches. The Cowboy Pits are also OK to use, but as the signs and the book say, no jacketed or plated ammunition in the Cowboy Pits. (And of course, don't shoot the cowboy props, buildings, etc.)

We tell folks this policy at the meeting, and we usually repeat it during the Safety Briefing (if we don't mess up). We also strongly remind people to be extra diligent and practice with the holster 10,000 times using an empty gun. Also when we practice, reholster the gun slowly and diligently. A tiny piece of shirt can change your life; and nobody ever won a gunfight by putting the gun away fast.
 
Rule book changes can/should be maintained online and communicated via the monthly email blasts. Members would print out if needed, pull up on their smart phones, or download. Perhaps update a printed copy yearly for new members or for nominal fee purchase by others at the annual meeting and breakfasts.
 
Rule book changes can/should be maintained online and communicated via the monthly email blasts. Members would print out if needed, pull up on their smart phones, or download. Perhaps update a printed copy yearly for new members or for nominal fee purchase by others at the annual meeting and breakfasts.

Excellent ideas.
 
Thank you, @Dan Hurley, for you post.

As a member, I want to be a good citizen and follow the rules.

Rule book changes can/should be maintained online and communicated via the monthly email blasts. Members would print out if needed, pull up on their smart phones, or download. Perhaps update a printed copy yearly for new members or for nominal fee purchase by others at the annual meeting and breakfasts.

I don’t remember how or when I got them, but I have the club bylaws and range rules in the “Notes” app on my phone. I suspect it’s stale :-/

I agree With @Individualist that it would be useful if the current range rules were in one place on the HSC website - Ed has the 200/300 rules in the subpage for that range under Shooting Groups, but I think that’s the only one?

R
 
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