There are two types of range officers.

[paul73]

My buddy brings a friend to the trap range to give him a try at it about 15 or so years ago. Super nice guy and a lot of fun.
He’s on station and loads his pump gun but unfortunately his booger finger is on the trigger and when he closes the action the gun goes off right next to his foot into the lawn. After shitting ourselves and nobody was hurt he earned the nick name Digger.
I haven’t seen them in a few years but I’m betting the name is his for the rest of his life.

in my life i only once had an incident - when i loaded my up/under shotgun with 2 shells and smacked it back - barrels were horizontal to the ground, and somehow one shell fired. may be i smacked shotgun too strongly back together. barrels were pointed right in between 2 other hunters.
that was kinda unpleasant, and since then i always would point barrels down or into the sky upward when closing the gun. an impossible shit just happens, sometimes.

 

[Len-2A Training]

in my life i only once had an incident - when i loaded my up/under shotgun with 2 shells and smacked it back - barrels were horizontal to the ground, and somehow one shell fired. may be i smacked shotgun too strongly back together. barrels were pointed right in between 2 other hunters.
that was kinda unpleasant, and since then i always would point barrels down or into the sky upward when closing the gun. an impossible shit just happens, sometimes.

In the same vein. . .

I was 12-13 yo at Boy Scout Camp on the range with old DCM single-shot .22LR rifle. Order was given to load one and close the bolt. As I did that, the gun fired. It was pointed downrange so other than getting chewed out by the instructor (my finger was nowhere near the trigger), no harm was done. I had no idea how that happened back then.

Many years later when I got into firearms, I understand that likely some dirt jammed the firing pin forward, so when it was closed, it fired. We never cleaned the guns, so no idea how clean or dirty they may have been. But the lesson learned was as you and some others stated, never point it at something you aren't willing to destroy!!!

 

[whacko]

My buddy brings a friend to the trap range to give him a try at it about 15 or so years ago. Super nice guy and a lot of fun.
He’s on station and loads his pump gun but unfortunately his booger finger is on the trigger and when he closes the action the gun goes off right next to his foot into the lawn. After shitting ourselves and nobody was hurt he earned the nick name Digger.
I haven’t seen them in a few years but I’m betting the name is his for the rest of his life.

Long time ago at Sunday practice trap a woman showed up with an old Steven's single shot break action. Asked if she could shoot a round of trap. Range officer asked if she'd ever shot trap before and she said no.....looking for a place to try this shotgun my brother gave me. Ro says no problem we'll have a volunteer stand with you for your first round to talk you through it. She got pissed and said "I don't need a f***ing chaperone". Personally I would have told her tough shit then hit the road. But the ro let her shoot. After her 5th she dropped a shell in the broken open gun.....I was gonna tell her to remove it (because she's moving stations next and can't have a shell in) but the ro stater to walk over her way so I left it alone. She closed the gun before he got there......so he asked her to open it and clear it......the Steven's had the hammer already cocked......shes trying to open the gun but it wont because the hammer is back.....he tells her you have to lower the hammer first.....yup......blam.....she shot the trap house cuz she pulled the trigger and slipped off the hammer. Ro said do I even need to tell you your done? She left in a hurry.