Some people just plain scare me at the range!

[Lugnut]

I honestly don't want this to turn into a 2nd A debate or a LTC training requirement discussion but I have to tell ya- some people just have NO common sense when handling guns at the range. They shouldn't even own a gun.

I've seen people walking off the line with their muzzle pointing everywhere but downrange, I've seen people checking their guns by looking into the muzzle, people that can't freaking keep their finger off the trigger, people that turn to talk to others with the gun moving in the direction of the other folks, I've seen people shoot the damn ground 10 feet in front of them when the target was 25 feet away at 5 feet off the ground, etc. God it make me insane.

Oh yeah- I do try to help them out in a polite and courteous way... as much as I want to scream! Am I alone in my perspective?

 

[Admin]

No, but lets hope Darwin thins the herd on some of them.

 

[Lugnut]

No, but lets hope Darwin thins the herd on some of them.

Yeah.. but I don't care to be an innocent bystander caught in the middle!

 

[Admin]

Shoot first, shoot often.

 

[Lugnut]

Shoot first, shoot often.

Well... I guess I'd be lying if I told you I never gave that a thought.

 

[Admin]

Well... I guess I'd be lying if I told you I never gave that a thought.

That's why I said it.

 

[FPrice]

Any questions why many of us always have a loaded firearm (concealed or otherwise) on us while at a range?

 

[jdubois]

This is why I like shooting at the outdoor range in January when it's in the 20's and snowing... nobody else around! Darn spring is bringing all the crazies back

 

[bostonasphalt2]

heh, last time I was at AFS, some dude kept trying to talk to me while I was shooting and as such, he kept strafing my body with the muzzle of his rented gun. I was prepared to put two in him if he did it again, but my tactic of ignoring him made him go away.

 

[drgrant]

Sounds like you need to find a new range. I have seen safety violations too, but most of the time they've been pretty minor. I do watch newcomers like a hawk, though, until I get a vibe for how safe they are. You can quickly tell whether or not someone gives a rats ass about safety or not- especially if they react positively or negatively to any
advice someone might give them. If they react negatively like you're insulting them, it's best to pack ones shit up and get the hell out of there, because you probably won't get anywhere.... or notify an RO if one is onsite, if not, bring it up with someone in the club later.

There are some people I've seen and asked myself "WTF?" over the years, though. I've seen a couple of incidents at pin shoots, although nothing resulting in disaster, but some people don't have a clue about ingraining safety habits- eg, is it really that hard to keep the muzzle downrange when unloading the damned gun/making safe? Thankfully these guys usually get straightened out pretty quickly and they get a new a**h*** torn out, and then usually they "get it" and we never have another problem with them from there on out. I think the vast majority of people who commit violations simply don't think about safety enough; and the problems are curable. There are also a minority of a**h***s who are just plain morons, and maybe they will do us a favor and blow their balls off and then get disenfranchised with firearms.

Some of this is why when I first take a newbie out I spend at least 15-30 minutes talking about "muzzle discipline" and "finger off trigger" before I even
let them near the line. I haven't had too much trouble instilling basic safety habits in the people I take out to the range. It helps when the person is paying attention and -wants- to learn, of course.

-Mike

 

[clinotus]

Any questions why many of us always have a loaded firearm (concealed or otherwise) on us while at a range?

I used to make fun of that club but now I'm a pocket carrying and full mag in the pocket card holder.

 

[FPrice]

I used to make fun of that club but now I'm a pocket carrying and full mag in the pocket card holder.

Welcome to the club, brother.

Let us not forget that Platt and Mattix (of the Miami FBI shoot-out) got some firearms by killing other shooters at some informal (?) shooting areas in Florida.

 

[Jedhed]

This is why I like shooting at the outdoor range in January when it's in the 20's and snowing... nobody else around! Darn spring is bringing all the crazies back

Bringing out the ticks too... I went to the range today and had to knock off about a dozen ticks! I don't mind one or two, but when I get a bunch I get the icthies all night.

 

[TonyDedo]

heh, last time I was at AFS, some dude kept trying to talk to me while I was shooting and as such, he kept strafing my body with the muzzle of his rented gun. I was prepared to put two in him if he did it again, but my tactic of ignoring him made him go away.

Everyone is a range officer, even at places with formal ROs like AFS. If someone covers me on the range, regardless of who or where, they're going to hear something from me. Just a polite reminder the first time, but if it happens again, they're going to get an ear full.

I've found that many people just don't know any better, or don't realize they're doing what they're doing. And a few are just idiots.

I'm a very mellow, laid back guy, but there are some things I don't mess around with.

 

[Lugnut]

heh, last time I was at AFS, some dude kept trying to talk to me while I was shooting and as such, he kept strafing my body with the muzzle of his rented gun. I was prepared to put two in him if he did it again, but my tactic of ignoring him made him go away.

I can honestly say I've never had anyone do that to me with a loaded gun- maybe close to me but not accross or at me. I'm not quite sure exactly how I'd handle that one. But I'd be damn angry and it would only happen once. Some people huh?

 

[Blitz1]

OK

I'm a newbie here. But not new to shooting (backwoods training)

Isn't is proper that you have the safety on, barrel facing down or away, finger off the trigger on the receiver. I've always been told to keep the business end away from whatever/whoever.

Fill me in please.

Thanks

 

[Admin]

It's all literally about common sense. You either have it or you don't.

 

[Lugnut]

I'm a newbie here. But not new to shooting (backwoods training)

Isn't is proper that you have the safety on, barrel facing down or away, finger off the trigger on the receiver. I've always been told to keep the business end away from whatever/whoever.

Fill me in please.

Thanks

Sounds like you got it.

I had a bunch typed up but realized it's quite simple.

1) Always point the gun in a safe direction
(Never at people, unless it's your target)
2) Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
(NOT when reloading, clearing a jam, etc.)
3) Always keep the gun unloaded till you are ready to use it

Others: Always assume the gun is loaded. Don't point the gun at anything you aren't willing to kill or destroy, etc, etc.

There are plenty other good ones too but these are some of the basics.

Like Derek said- it's really common sense. Would a "normal" person walk off a shooting line with the muzzle pointing all over the place while he/she was racking the slide??? Would you ever point a gun at someone you didn't plan on shooting and potentially killing?

 

[Admin]

IMO you need to remember ONE rule.

"treat every gun as if it's loaded."

 

[Blitz1]

Few people have it

It's all literally about common sense. You either have it or you don't.

Common sense isn't. IMO

As I said before, it is obvious that everybody here does have common sense, but I fear that it is rare among the sheeple.

All due respect.

Blitz1

 

[Lugnut]

IMO you need to remember ONE rule.

"treat every gun as if it's loaded." [ring]

If I had to pick one... I'd agree on this one.

 

[Blitz1]

Sounds like you got it.

I had a bunch typed up but realized it's quite simple.

1) Always point the gun in a safe direction
(Never at people, unless it's your target)
2) Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
(NOT when reloading, clearing a jam, etc.)
3) Always keep the gun unloaded till you are ready to use it

Others: Always assume the gun is loaded. Don't point the gun at anything you aren't willing to kill or destroy, etc, etc.

There are plenty other good ones too but these are some of the basics.

Like Derek said- it's really common sense. Would a "normal" person walk off a shooting line with the muzzle pointing all over the place while he/she was racking the slide??? Would you ever point a gun at someone you didn't plan on shooting and potentially killing?

Exactly what I was taught by my grandad, dad, uncle, brothers and "others"

I got my first start when I was 6. (My Mom was super pissed at my uncle)

Thanks All, just trying to re-learn, laws mostly.

Blitz1

 

[dwarven1]

I've seen people checking their guns by looking into the muzzle

PLEASE tell me you're joking on this one, Lugnut!! Man, I can't even think about this without getting a shiver down my spine. That just plain scares the crap out of me.

 

[clinotus]

PLEASE tell me you're joking on this one, Lugnut!! Man, I can't even think about this without getting a shiver down my spine. That just plain scares the crap out of me.

I may have posted this before but you want to talk about scary? A bunch of us, all competent shooters, had finished up for the day and I was demonstrating how to walk a target. A few of us had shotguns that we were screwing around with and after I mentioned the walk I was the one who was showing the drill.

All was clear and everyone stood back to watch as I moved the target from the right side of the berm to the left side of the berm in a diagonal direction still towards the berm. Got that mental image?

Lo and behold and I kid you not some guy who wanted to use the parallel range to us that was separated by another berm decided to walk towards the target instead of walking from my direct left...or waiting.

He literally walked into my line of fire. I think I was on shot 5 of 7. Had I moved my stock down 4” to elevate the target he would have been a dead man. The kicker?

He was waving hello at me.

“Hey whats going on?”
Stunned silence from myself and everyone around us.

I turn back around towards my crew and everyone was wide eyed like a bunch of rodents caught in a restaurant kitchen when the lights go on. We cleared the range in under 2 minutes.

Never underestimate common sense.

 

[drgrant]

Sounds like you got it.

I had a bunch typed up but realized it's quite simple.

1) Always point the gun in a safe direction
(Never at people, unless it's your target)
2) Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
(NOT when reloading, clearing a jam, etc.)
3) Always keep the gun unloaded till you are ready to use it

Others: Always assume the gun is loaded. Don't point the gun at anything you aren't willing to kill or destroy, etc, etc.

There are plenty other good ones too but these are some of the basics.

I'll add another one: "Just because your gun f***ed up or whatever or you're
trying to do something else with it, does not entitle you to violate any of
these rules." You'd be surprised at otherwise safe people who start
doing stupid shit for some reason when their gun malfunctions- they get
too preoccupied with clearing a jam while not realizing the gun may still
be loaded. Unless someone is shooting at them, they should slow the f***
down and clear a jam the SAFE way.

-Mike

 

[drgrant]

I turn back around towards my crew and everyone was wide eyed like a bunch of rodents caught in a restaurant kitchen when the lights go on. We cleared the range in under 2 minutes.

Never underestimate common sense.

That's almost as good as the "retard/moron assault krew" at winchendon rod and gun with the guys driving the ATVs and snowmobiles on the gun range in front of the longer range rifle "lanes" of fire. It's fun watching one of those guys show up in your scope. "HEY COOL! MOVING TARGETS!!!!"

-Mike

 

[Hope and Justice]

Everyone’s got a horror story. I’ve seen some crazy stuff as a safety on Army qualification ranges. Wait, you’re shocked that anyone in the military would be any less than 100% safe with a weapon right? Well, some soldiers only see their weapon twice a year to qualify because of their specialty (admin, cook, network manager, etc). So needless to say they can be a little rusty sometimes.

The worst one I saw was an E-6 in a foxhole on the qual range who swung her M16A2 around 360 degrees…. TWICE! She muzzle swept the entire qual line, the safeties and everyone waiting to get on the range. Apparently the weapon had some kind of a problem and she didn’t know what to do. Needless to say she had her weapon removed from her by a safety, got pulled out of the foxhole by her helmet and flack vest and was removed from the range.

 

[Migmojo]

It's all literally about common sense. You either have it or you don't.

Common sense ain't so common.

 

[JimB]

Was at the outdoor range last summer. Along comes a famaily, mom, pop
and two young children, boy and girl. Pop was the expert with firearms,
so his family thought. From what i could see he didn't have any patience
and was attempting to teach the youngsters how to handle a firearm.

During their shooting session, they needed to change their targets
so they sent the young boy downrange, he was all of 9 years old.
They put their semi autos on the bench, loaded, in battery,
muzzle facing downrange.

I packed my stuff and left, pop was too much of a hot head to mention
safety issues.

JimB

JimB

 

[ateamrob]

yeah I see it from time to time too.

some guy shows up and has his finger on the trigger when he is not on target and ready to fire. He lasers people and is oblivious about it. Not aware of targets environment and not aiming at anything not willing to shoot or destroy. All the basic fundamental safety rules.

As an LLEA guy myself and a Firearms instructor as well, as much as I hate to say it, some of the biggest offenders are Cops.... Not all of them but certainly some of them. Most of my friends are Cops as well and they admit this sad fact too. A very good friend of mine is a Vermont State Trooper and we were having a conversation about this at the range yesterday.

I think a lot of it is just lack of training.