It finally happened to me

A

Aguila Blanca

Staff
I've been shooting at the same indoor range for about ten years. I guess I've been lucky, because in all that time I've never encountered or witnessed really poor and dangerous gun handling there.

Until this evening.

I went there with two guns I had to test. The left-most lane has two benches, the upper surface is removable to leave a lower bench that's at the right height for shooting off a rest while seated. The range lets me use that lane for testing, so that was my lane.

Two lanes to my right were a husband and wife, who seemed to be familiar with the range and known to the staff. Fine. They signed in and went downstairs to the range while I was chatting with the guy at the counter. Then I went down, set my range bag on the rear counter, took the two guns (in boxes) to the bench, took them out and set them on the bench, and turned around to set the empty boxes on the rear counter.

As I turned around, the husband was standing in the aisle behind the lane dividers, gun in hand, finger on trigger, slide forward in battery ... and the gun was pointed at me. I'm not usually a confrontational type but there was no range officer in sight so I immediately went over and told him to point the muzzle down range and keep the gun in the booth. He was of Hispanic ethnicity (his wife was not), and he tried to pull the "No comprendo" bit. I told him again ... keep the muzzle pointed downrange, or we were going to have a problem.

I reported the incident to the guy upstairs after I was done shooting (and after the couple had left). Now I'm wondering if I should have gone upstairs immediately and raised a stink. I'm so accustomed to seeing safe gun handling at this range that I was taken completely by surprise and didn't know how to react.

What would you have done?
 
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I have seen some poor weapon handling but nothing to that extent. I have never been to the range when the safety wasn't present though. In your case I would probably have done the same, maybe have went straight to the desk.
 
I think I would have done just as you did with the exception I would have gone directly to the desk to find out where the RO was and why he was not on the line.

The alternative to not reacting strongly and forcefully to a real threat posed by being covered could be fatal.

Bad behavior whether intentional or just due to carelessness must be dealt with in real time.

Glad you are ok.
 
I've also had an incident where a gun was pointed at me. I saw a gentleman in the next lane was holding his handgun in a way that would give him very bad slide bite. He was clearly a new shooter. When I let him know he was about to hurt himself, he turned his whole body towards me, gun included, rather than just turn his head. I quickly but politely reminded him to always keep his gun pointed downrange, then packed up my stuff. As I was walking away, I heard an "OUCH!" and saw that he almost completely tore his thumbnail off from holding it behind the slide. I have to say, I didn't feel that badly for him.
 
After being swept a couple of times, I found a new range that I frequent as soon as the doors open in the morning. There are generally a couple of other early arrivals, with whom I have become acquainted, and we are all very safety concious.
 
I've seen quite a bit of moronic behavior at the ranges I go to, so I tend to go at times when other people aren't around.

Being an early riser, I often leave the house before light and get there around sunrise. Most of the time I'm alone, but sometimes there's a couple other older guys who apparently think like I do. We nod to each other and go about our business.
 
We had a deal with a local range where we would set up stages on the rifle range and have a Cowboy shoot. As we were doing our shoot we had two guys begin to set up rifles at the bench. Now we were between them and the backstop/berm. I have no idea how they figured to shoot around us. The President of our club had to find the range owner to get things set right. After a couple of more screw ups like this we changed ranges.
 
I think Boone from Fallout: New Vegas said it best.

"Let me point my gun at you a while and see if you like it."

But seriously, that is REALLY dangerous and that guy should be banned from the range.
 
I try to go for the lanes as far to the right as possible...as most right-handed shooters tend to reflexively turn their guns to the left.
 
the gun range I use has security cameras and the employees are very alert to careless handling. As a result, I see very little stupidity, and they are very quick correct carelessness. Also, I go late in the afternoon when there are very few people there so I can snag up all the leftover brass.
 
This range has cameras, too. But the owner had to leave early, and the guy he left in charge, although intellectually very advanced, is one of those people who doesn't have enough common sense to come in out of the rain. When I went upstairs to report the incident, he was sitting behind the counter, totally engrossed in an old copy of Gun Digest. I explained the problem and he had the cajones to tell me he checked the cameras every two minutes so he didn't know how he could have missed it.

A lot can go wrong in two minutes -- even if you really look at the cameras every two minutes.
 
Yes I agree when a person comes from out of the booth finger on the trigger your natural instincts kick in...you actually begin to think if this guy is going to be a threat. People need to learn muzzle safety.
 
When I was a brand new shooter at our gun club I made the mistake of picking up my [unloaded] rifle and sweeping the entire firing line during a "cold" range time.

Let's just say that one of our crusty retired Marines explained in a very unique way why this is such a bad idea.

It was a good lesson to receive. And I have not forgotten it.
 
Had the same thing happen to me at a public range. The Hispanic fellow was all excited about shooting and turned to talk to his friends. He swept me with the muzzle. I immediately pushed the gun downrange and pointed downrange. I then asked his group if anyone, "Hablo english?" The teenager did and I explained the safety rule about muzzle control and asked him to interpret it for his group.
 
^^^^^ I did not get that from the posts at all.

Being swept is not fun and can be life threatening. You have to be alert all the time.
 
I find that stupidity is a choice, not a lack of education. Sometimes a choice not to care about the safety of others. Can't stand public ranges anymore for such reasons.
 
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