PSA on New Shooters

[daekken]

A couple weeks ago I met a former coworker for lunch. He mentioned he was in the process of moving from MA to NH and was looking forward to having a little more freedom and that there were some things he was planning to get into once he completed his move.

Among the things he listed was possibly getting into firearms. At that time, he didn't know I was a shooter--I tend not bring it up at work unless it's with a person I already know is into it; I just don't feel like dealing with people potentially treating me differently because of my interests.

So, when he said the bit about firearms, my countenance must have changed because he asked me what was up. I told him that NH's laws were definitely better for firearms, and then he asked me if I owned any. I replied, "a few." "Do you have any ARs?" "Uhh, three." And so and so on. Needless to say he was pretty surprised and we ended up chatting about it for quite a while.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I took him to my NH range this past weekend. He was already familiar with the four rules but I made sure to make sure he was comfortable with handling and operating different firearms. Let him try two different ARs, an AK, an M1 as well as a Mk III and a S&W Model 15. I ended up forgetting my Glock at home but we still got to do plenty of shooting.

It was fun to have him blast some soda cans and shoot some steel plates. He's closing on a home in NH shortly and already starting to research what he's going to buy. He's also planning on getting his younger brother into the shooting sports as well. I'm hoping to do a Steel Challenge with him later this year once he gets some more confidence in handling.

So just a reminder to grow the shooting sports and the community, and to take new people shooting. The more people that get into it, the better for us all.

 

[Nessy]

What range are you a member of that let's you shoot steel and soda cans, I cant even draw from the holster at mine!

 

[Deleted member 67409]

What range are you a member of that let's you shoot steel and soda cans, I cant even draw from the holster at mine!

2/3 clubs I've been a member of had steel plate/gong rifle targets. All of them allow the use of non-glass targets, e.g. soda cans and not beer bottles, as long as you clean up your mess.

These are questions you ask before joining.

 

[Nessy]

2/3 clubs I've been a member of had steel plate/gong rifle targets. All of them allow the use of non-glass targets, e.g. soda cans and not beer bottles, as long as you clean up your mess.

These are questions you ask before joining.

Thanks for answering my question?

 

[mac1911]

2/3 clubs I've been a member of had steel plate/gong rifle targets. All of them allow the use of non-glass targets, e.g. soda cans and not beer bottles, as long as you clean up your mess.

These are questions you ask before joining.

Sometimes things change. 30 plus years ago the range My dad belonged to and I joined later in life was a pile of tires filled with dirt no benches, trash cans or other stuff. Only a small club house with bath rooms.
You could shoot anything you wanted, you bring it in your bring it out was the rule. We rolled big chunks of trees out from the sides of the range and turned them into mulch often.
Its fun to chip wood with a 75 round drum dump.
Fast forward, same club has so many rules its now a boring club. Although steel targets have be given the ok again but only at 100 yards.
They where talking about banning prone position shooting last year.
I try to get new shooters out there, i invite them to events where guns are available to them or i can supply them.

 

[ChevyGuy91]

These are questions you ask before joining.

100%. I wouldn't join a club that had these types of restrictions.

 

[Deleted member 67409]

Sometimes things change. 30 plus years ago the range My dad belonged to and I joined later in life was a pile of tires filled with dirt no benches, trash cans or other stuff. Only a small club house with bath rooms.
You could shoot anything you wanted, you bring it in your bring it out was the rule. We rolled big chunks of trees out from the sides of the range and turned them into mulch often.
Its fun to chip wood with a 75 round drum dump.
Fast forward, same club has so many rules its now a boring club. Although steel targets have be given the ok again but only at 100 yards.
They where talking about banning prone position shooting last year.
I try to get new shooters out there, i invite them to events where guns are available to them or i can supply them.

To be fair most gun clubs have changed a lot in the past 30 years with the stronger anti push against clubs themselves. Some things like shooting beer bottles needed to go away - no one likes picking up sharp shards of glass. 50-60 years ago, I question how many clubs had eyes/ears safety requirements.

That being said, stuff like not being able to shoot prone is stuff the club discusses at board or general member meetings. If the club has a CMP or action shooting (3-Gun, etc.) program, they're going to allow shooting prone as long as the chair of that department speaks and advocates for his program and doesn't get into stupid interpersonal feuding. Most clubs restrict rapid fire in some manner but something at some point happened to make the club make a rule. Again: speaking at club meetings and advocating based on facts can help (provided the club isn't entirely FUDDs and understands concepts like defensive shooting or action shooting). Better yet, talk to the chairman of the range.

Most gun clubs like to operate like businesses and do a basic risk/reward analysis at meetings before enacting rules, or the club's lawyer makes suggestions to cover the club's ass.

 

[SKumar]

So just a reminder to grow the shooting sports and the community, and to take new people shooting. The more people that get into it, the better for us all.

*FIST BUMP*
Absolutely. I offer to take liberals whenever I can (sometimes it may backfire). I also have a few Vietnam vet patients that I've offered to take shooting as well. But you're right, the more people that shoot, the better is it for all of us.

 

[headednorth]

They where talking about banning prone position shooting last year.

What could possibly be the reason for this?

 

[daekken]

What could possibly be the reason for this?

 

[Matt-CZ]

What range are you a member of that let's you shoot steel and soda cans, I cant even draw from the holster at mine!

Braintree Rifle and pistol club has steel set up on the pistol range (15 yards?) and the rimfire lane (50 yards). You can also set up cans on the 50 yard rimfire range, but only there. No steel for centerfire rifle.

 

[teaser452]

Daekken, you only have 3 ARs?

That’s weak sauce.

Unless you were tactically lying to him, then bravo in that case.

 

[AHM]

What range are you a member of that let's you shoot steel and soda cans, I cant even draw from the holster at mine!

They where talking about banning prone position shooting last year.

What could possibly be the reason for this?

Spoiler

An elevated PSA.