Of Range Etiquette and Stupidity (long)

T

Therapydude

New member
I went to a free public shooting range in Glenwood, AR this afternoon with my dad to do a little target shooting. We like this particular range because it is "off the beaten path" and usually empty (especially on a Sunday afternoon). However, today we noticed another vehicle as we pulled up to park. As we approached the range, we saw a man and woman (I assume husband and wife) and two small children (boy probably ~8-10 and a little girl ~3-4). I try not to be judgemental of people, but I didn't like their looks. The woman and kids seemed ok, but the guy - wearing a tank top (I assume to proudly display his array of green ink tatoos)- wasn't at all friendly when I said "hi" as I approached. He reminded me of one of those guys who thinks he's pretty tough. However, with his pot belly and poor accuracy with the Hi-Point carbine he shot, I did not get that impression. Anyway, I've never been to any target range other than a free public one. I'm not well versed in range calls and things of that nature; common sense has usually been my guide. Therefore, whenever I want to hang/check targets (while other shooters are present) I always contact the other shooters verbally to see if they are clear. Now, to get to the situation at hand. This goofball I was describing earlier acts like he is the only one at the range. He stops shooting and gets up from his bench and starts walking toward his 25 yd target, just as I'm about to drop the hammer on my Ruger .22 pistol. I was looking through my Leupold/Gilmore sight and, luckily, caught a glimpse of the yahoo with my peripheral vision and didn't fire. I just looked at him. Then I looked at the woman. She looked kind of embarrassed. Once would have been bad enough, but the guy did the same thing two more times (the last time his little girl followed him out on to the range). I shook my head in disbelief. I don't know if it was ignorance or arrogance on his part. He kind of strutted out there like he owned the place. He would have done it a fourth time, but when I didn't lower my muzzle, he stepped back behind the firing line (whereupon I emptied my magazine). No words were spoken between any of us (except the little girl waved bye as they left). Sorry for the length, but have any of you experienced stupidity like this?
 
There's a public shooting area in neighborhood we refer to as the "glass factory" because of all of the broken shot bottles left behind. The range is also liberally covered with all sorts of trash left behind by careless, ignorant shooters.

On my first and last visti to the range, some yahoos were shooting at beer bottles after they had finished them. Dangerous to begin with, but these guys were tossing them up in the air on occasion and shooting at them with what I believe was a .357 mag. Needless to say, they were not marksmen and hit none. What is scary is where the bullets came down.

It's time to thin the herd.
 
I know exactly the type of @sshole your talking about. The "Small town methanphetamine Jerry Springer special". Just think of it this way, he's probably insecure from all the raping he received in prison. Its best just to forgive and forget. Hopefully you won't see him there again.
 
Tell me guys .... who/what operates a "public range". Up here in Ontario we only have private ranges aka membership required. I don't need to be told that they aren't policed or clean by what has already been said.

Sounds like a good idea if they were better taken care of.

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Be Safe, Be Trained

Life is tough...it's alot tougher if you don't know how to shoot.
 
Yes,
I was recently at a shooting range in one of Virginia's national forests. The range has clearly posted rules thar require shooters to communicate "hot" when the range is in use. Then "clear" when not in use(this is when everyone sets up targets etc). I was talking to a fellow Sig shooter when someone everyone yelled "clear". I removed my hearing protection at this time to continue conversing. Not really paying close attention to what was going on but waiting for the "hot" signal to be yelled. Apparently when the last person cleared the danger area on the range some guy decides it is now safe to begin shooting. He got off one shot with his 30-06. I couldn't believe no one yelled "hot". I was rather irritated by this and looked directly at this person and yelled "hot" in a very annoyed tone. I know that this may seem like a minor mistake but those are the ones that can really count sometimes. It is people like this that really cause me the greatest conscern while at the range. This range is in danger of being closed permenatly because there are many who totally mess it up after hours. People have shot up the signs and broken into the donation box. It is a shame. I can only hope that slackers will follow all of the rules and losers will shape up.
 
I avoid em like the plague. Worth it to me to pay the membership fee at the local gun club just to filter out the chumps. Think of it as cheap life insurance.
 
The two bad guys in the Miami FBI shootout, Platt & Mattix I believe, would go to "public" ranges to "shop" for guns & vehicles. They shot the owners rather than pay them.
 
I shoot at illegal dumps. Never have really cared for ranges or their rules. I'm wary whenever someone pulls into a dump or caliche pit while I am shooting (ie., Platt and Mattix or rancher with a chip on their shoulder).
 
You are not alone. We have a nice, low cost public range that attracts slobs who just love to shoot glass, litter, leave steel 7.62x39 brass all over, and depart. My favorite was a kid whom I gave some instruction to. Found him out there one day playing games and twirling the pistol. Made me want to throw up. We have only one pistol bay; my normal practice is to depart immediately when a stranger shows up, and if one is on the range when I come I just come back later. These idiots just provide the anti-gunners with more fodder to use against the rest of us. All we can do is hope they have a one-car no-seatbelts-in-use rollover coming home from the bar some night.

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Sad part is, to the public "they" are US, so maybe the best thing to do is try and change the stupid/ignorant/obnoxious behavior.

Hell, invite them to your next IPSC / IDPA match!

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Can't say I've seen a "Free" range around here (Houston), but I know what you mean. Luckyly, the ones around here you have to pay for, and there are pretty strick safety rules that have to be followed. Hopefully you won't have to run into this idiot again.
Cowboy
 
When I shoot I either walk out the back door and shoot into the earth berm I have there or out the front door and shoot into the wood pile. However I do have a "range story" of sorts to share.
A couple of years ago we finally got a local chapter for Cowboy Action Shooting in my area. Since I was building custom guns for CAS at the time, a life long fan of single actions and a cowboy at heart I was looking forward to becoming involved in the sport. Upon arriving at the "range" I disovered it was no more than a small 10' high earth berm with houses behind it. After the shooters began shooting there were children, ranging in age from four to eleven, playing on top of the berm, which was also very narrow. I quietly called the man in charge to the side and suggested that shooting be stopped until the kids could be removed from berm. He became beligerent and informed me that if none of them were my children it was none of my business. I told him that firearms safety was everyones business and the kids needed to be moved off the berm. By then everyone had stopped shooting and all were looking at us. Of the 30 or so people there all but a couple seemed genuinly whizzed at me for making trouble.
I still don't cowboy shoot.

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Gunslinger

We live in a time in which attitudes and deeds once respected as courageous and honorable are now scorned as being antiquated and subversive.
 
Hi, guys,

Those kind of places don't sound like "ranges" at all, only something like the trash dumps where people shoot. A "public range" in this area is a range run by a club which is open to the public, not just to club members. But they are supervised and policed by club members. Those who do not heed the range officer are invited not to come back.

Jim
 
Sounds like a case of genetic inbreeding. On a more serious note, I thinks I would have simply packed-up and come back at another time. All too common of a story.

Frank
 
The free public range I spoke of earlier is run by the state. Unfortunately, people really abuse the place (leave glass and debris everywhere, they shoot the benches and signs, etc). I never go there alone. In fact, when I do go, a weapon is kept loaded at all times. Anyway, pathetic firearm behavior really ruins it for the rest of us. Not to mention, like most things, the misdeeds of a few make us all look bad (especially those idiots who shoot road signs...but that's another story).
 
Our tax dollars support a large, multi-faceted, public outdoor range within a state park. It is quite clean and well maintained. It is staffed by at least one Game warden(LEO) and three volunteers to monitor the line. Five days per week, $5 a person, per day.
One or two safety infractions MAY be tolerated, depending on the severity. Handling a loaded gun whilst folks are downrange is not one of them. I belong to a private club, but I still go here occasionally for the shorter drive and change of pace. I'm not concerned with my safety while I am there.
For those who may be "thinking", you wouldn't want to move here. It's uh--er-um, WAY too hot! Yeah, that's it, way too hot. :)
 
A similar thing happened to me this afternoon. Our local outdoor range is run by our local gun club, of which I'm a member. On Sunday the shotgun club shoots and the range is open to the public (read that to mean that the gate is left unlocked). A friend and I were at the pistol/rifle portion of the range with a couple of those disenfranchised members of society shooting a couple of stations down from us.

Twice one of them pointed his new Ruger P97 across the range at us. I was then walking down range to replace a target when they opened fire. Needless to say I was "chapped". I procceeded to let them both know exactly what I thought of their gun handling, and their lineage in general. Fortunately they left soon after.

As they were leaving an older man and a younger individual who appeared to be his grandson arrived. Several times when we were shooting we had to stop as they obliviously walked down range. One of the last guns I shot was my Uberti '73 Winchester replica. I had noticed that the old man was shooting what appeared to be a '92 Win. or a replica thereof. Before leaving I approached the old man and asked him what kind of rifle he was shooting. He then proceeded to swing the rifle around and point it right at my head stating "I just got it, I'm new at this". My first reply, which I bit off was "no ****". I then assisted the gentleman in adjusting the sights on his rifle and left. I'd tempted fate enough for one day.
 
Okay, a suggestion and a story.

Therapydude, just curious, are signs posted ? If this behavior is as bad as you say, and its on a "government" sanctioned range, I suggest contacting the local authority (sheriff, not congressman) and try to see if something can be done. Posting signs with basic safety rules and stating that the area is patrolled may be of some help.

This isn't a gun story but definitley fits the category.

Back when I was living in Canada, I had a salmon run about 100 yards from my house. We had 12 to 20 lb'ers jumping every other second during the September run. The only catch was that I had to walk about a mile upstream in order to legally fish. The point where you could fish was north of a certain bridge, and every day I would always spot some jackass casting from the bushes south of the boundary. One particular excursion stood out from the rest. While I was making my way upstream, I noticed a huge plume of smoke rising off the banks. Whatever they were burning was causing my eyes to tear, and just to make sure a fire hadn't broken out I decided to check the situation. Well, it turned out to be two drunk Ukranian immigrants who had CUT DOWN A TREE and set it on fire !!! The area was surrounded by tall dry grasses (it was late summer) and on top of it they were illegally fishing right out in the open. It was a clear case of two complete idiots and I had to act fast, it would have been a matter of seconds before the fire spread. I approached them without saying a word, picked up a log and pushed the tree into the river. One of them got up and started cursing me in Ukranian. The other guy got up and produced a crude skinning knife. Needless to say, this was a very tense moment. I contemplated smacking the guy with the knife into the river and trying to duke it out with the other dude. Fortunately for me, the fire department arrived on the other side of the banks. The Ukranians bolted but only got about 100 yards before they were aprehended.

Nope, MusclesMcgee didn't get any special recognition other than a "thanks", but that didn't matter.It was satisfying to know those nimrods would be spending a few at the local jail and be heavily fined. I can't stand pricks that feel they are above the law and don't respect their enviroment.
 
I have a membership at a local indoor range. One time about two years ago, I was at this range with a friend and we heard some loud talking through our hearing protection. Three or four pinheads had stepped back from the firing line and one had (we must assume) a loaded handgun leveled at his buddies belly as they stood there talking to eachother. The loud talking was the range owner telling them the range rules, no guns away from the line, do not hand guns back and forth-lay it down on the tabletop and let the next guy pick it up, etc. My buddy reminded me that is why he doesn't like indoor ranges. He prefers outdoors, in the desert of southern Ca., away from those who lack common sense or just don't know any better.
 
When I first got into shooting, I would go to an indoor range in the south part of town. I would go during the day on my days off. Usually there was no-one there but me and the people working there. My third trip two men were put into two stalls next to me. One was a former marine who shot a m1911a1, the other was a his friend with a brand new ruger 85 series pistol. The marine was teaching him how to shoot, but from the conversation they really didn't know eachother that well. After a while the man started hitting the black on a b-27 target. The marine left to talk to a couple of women behind the glass at the back part of the range. The new-guy then starts reloading his Ruger with it pointing sideways directly at me!!! I politely asked him to point the pistol down range when he inserted the magazine. He just gave me a dirty look and said nothing. Shoots the gun empty and starts loading again WITH THE GUN POINTED RIGHT AT ME!! I quickly stepped back from the line and as he started shooting down range collected my stuff and left. I went to the counter an requested to be moved to another range. I explained what happened and the owner was happy to move me. Later when I left the owner told me he went and talked to the man and he got smart with him. He threw the guy out and told him not to come back. He said the marine wasn't paying attention and didn't know what was going on. He apoligied to the owner and said the really didn't know this guy to well, he was a friend of his girlfriend. I was happy with the way the owner handled the situation and have returned many times with out problems.
 
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