incident at local pistol range.

At the range where I shoot the RO was up on the line working on his personal 45 auto.He neglected to unload it and shot his left index finger off,and NO he doesn't work there any more.
 
Oh my god...
This is why people are so paranoid about guns. Because people who don't know how to use them can buy and mess around with them. Besides there is the golden rule. NEVER point a gun at something you don't intend to destroy. Kinda a no brainer... I love my gravel pit range.
 
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Still not good enough. There should be a full time RO.
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Every indoor range I've attended has video surveillance but none has an R.O. on the line.

That includes at least 4 indoor ranges in the DFW area, one in the Norfolk, VA area and one in the Irvine, CA area.

I've also been to at least 3 outdoor ranges that had no R.O. on the line.
 
Thank God I have my own range here at the house. Not very fancy though (not yet). There is also a state range about 30 minutes max. south of here. Closed on Mondays for clean up. Pistol. shotgun, rifle, and even an archery area. Nice outhouses, clean and well maintained, free targets, and good parking. Covered concrete benches with swivel seats. Those boys did a fine job designing and constructing it. I feel very blessed to have always had good ranges wherever I have lived. Good ranges, and good friends within the shooting community.
 
I won't shoot at a public range, because I don't know anything about the skill level or safety practices of the person shooting next to me. I won't shoot at a range in a national forest or other public land because I don't know who might be prowling around in the vicinity with bad intentions. I only shoot at my private club or on private land with limited access.
 
I am just as big a supporter of our right to bear arms as anyone, but I wish there was some sort of training that can be manditory, even if it's a 2 or 4 hour class. I see so many morons at my local GS pointing guns toward others, I guess I'm just a stickler when it comes to muzzle control.
 
I am just as big a supporter of our right to bear arms as anyone, but I wish there was some sort of training that can be manditory
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Many of us will disagree with that on philosophical grounds, but I can understand the sentiment.

I've seen (at least) a tenfold increase in safety violations, and an arrogant attitude among those committing them, over the last couple of years. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with us, but lately, that's become a tall order, given the sheer volume of new shooters.

Legislation, though tempting at times, will not fix the problem and will only start us down a slippery slope of more restrictive regulations.
 
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Yeah.... On the one hand, I don't want the government in a position to deny a fundamental civil right in the United States (to keep and bear arms), or a fundamental human right everywhere (to self defense and access to the most effective tools for it), based on a firearms competence test. It sounds like a good idea unless you know American history and remember Jim Crow and all the laws that were passed to ensure that African Americans were not able to exercise their right to vote. :/ We don't want to go down that path with gun ownership.

On the other hand, a gun in the hands of somebody who hasn't learned to use it properly is a danger to that person and the rest of us. If the person lacks good sense and good judgment, it can be a *serious* danger. While I would hesitate to back a law requiring that gun owners get training in the proper use of their firearms, I vehemently support a social norm that expects this. When I got my revolver, I was not new to guns -- I'd grown up with a father who owned guns and shot, and who taught me. Nonethless, I was out of practice and made it a point to get refresher training. I have more training scheduled for this summer and fall, training in handling a handgun in a self-defense situation.

Not all good ideas make good laws. But the law is only one way to get people to do something. Convincing them that it's right or (even better) that it's what the cool people do ;-) can be just as effective.
 
I was helping my buddy buy his first gun a few years ago at our local gun store. The guy behind the counter pulls out a gun and points it in my general direction and without checking the gun he pulls the trigger. It was all i could do not to make a scene in the middle of the store. I dont care if the gun just came out of the counter he should have checked to see if it was loaded especially before pulling the trigger. I wish now i would have talked to a manager about the situation, but i didnt....
 
Those range lane dividers should be bulletproof if they aren't, or at least clear so you can see when you need to duck. At least everyone survived.

Watching the Pacific last night(I think that's what I was watching)...I got a kick out of the muzzle sweep range incident and the resulting arse chewing.
 
Luckily, the range I shoot at actually has 7 different ranges arranged so that there is total safety. The RO will be found on the junior range while the rest of us shoot on a specific range, assigned to us for a specific time. There is no way one can be hit by another shooter, even if they're acting stupid and turned the weapon behind themselves.

I also shoot at my brother's range at his ranch in north Texas. High berms made of corrugated steel (you aviation combat vets think of aircraft revetment steel), sandwiched between sandbags and railroad ties and covered with dirt.
 
Wheeler, there is always a way... 'you can't fix stupid'

blaming the accident on the range because there was no RO, hall monitor, watching is like blaming the police dept. for your house being broken into because there was no cop on your street during the burglary. And even better analogy, and this was actually in my paper... a guy ran his motorcycle off the side of a local mountain because he was going too fast and the newspaper reporter implied it was the fault of the legislature because they had not given enough funding to the highway patrol and thus there weren't enough troopers to watch this section of road.
 
Frankly, I think having an RO means more liability issues for the range owner should something go bad.

You tell folks, "you're on your own" and they're on notice. When you have a range nanny there, people figure someone else is responsible for watching out for the idiots.

We were talking about this at work yesterday. Many of us have been to driving ranges with more oversight. Our home range (for now only, I hope) has zero oversight. Good for me, though, it's almost always empty.

The last time I went, some numbnutz next to me was shooting at the steel pillar and sending ricochets back at the firing line. I figured he had to be doing it on purpose. I called a cease fire, packed up my stuff and left.
 
From time to time, we go to an indoor range in suburban Philly. I like the place, and have bought guns and ammo there. The guys who work there are professional and knowledgable. They get a lot of cops who come in to shoot. You can shout me down for saying this, if you want to, but darned it if the cops who go there to shoot are not the most unsafe, unprofessional bunch of people playing with guns I have ever seen. No muzzle control, triggers being pulled without guns being checked, guys looking down the barrels of their guns, etc. The antics would be amusing if they could at least shoot well, but often they can't.
 
...

I have only been to one indoor range with ROs and that particular facility is relatively big and new.
All the other indoor ranges I have been to are usually small and no one really cares, they do make me nervous from time to time seeing newbies have no clues what they are doing (I am one of them annoying people that likes to step in if the individual has really gotten me worry...).
I am always afraid to shoot in this particular indoor range down in Cinciny (XXXXXX World)...too many gangster type that practice side way aiming/shooting.
 
As bad as that is/was it could have been much worse. I belonged to a club were there was 24 hour access to the six lane indoor range by key card. Absolutely no one around and thinking back if you ever had an accident you might as well kiss your a** goodbye - just not a good idea. I don't care how much training you think you have, one brain fart, and you have a problem - can happen to anyone, the most highly trained to the beginner.

Think about driver training and the money and time that's spent on that - then think about the time that goes into Firerams training some mostly NONE...
 
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Having been a range officer years ago convinced me to build my own range. To many people with no clue as to how to properly handle a firearm that turned a deaf ear to rules and safety instructions and a few way too macho to listen.

Guns are like cars, not every licensed driver is safe or responsible. Most accidents are avoidable in both areas.
 
handled it before

I am a range officer at my gun club. Range is open to the public at certain times.
We always have 2 ROs on duty when the range is open.
Your first safety violation gets you a very stern and strong warning. The second gets you out of there. THERE ARE NO EXECPTIONS. Your name is recorded, and you are never permitted to return.
I have never had to throw anyone out after giving them their one and only warning. However, I have been told that when I deliver said warning, I am not noted for my tact. Been shot at, been shot, seen others shot, and have shot a few myself. (military service)
I have no desire to go to that neighborhood again.
 
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