Protection From Theft/Ambush While At The Range

Moonglum, there is NO way to prevent being ambushed when you are alone. If somebody wants to ambush you, they will, plain and simple.

Either don't shoot alone (and if you don't, you will need a plan for if your shooting partner tries to kill you, right, like with the Chris Kyle incident or the mom/son murder suicide in Florida), or leave ASAP when another person arrives at the range in order to minimize your proximity to a potential threat.
 
Double Naught Spy said:
Moonglum, there is NO way to prevent being ambushed when you are alone. If somebody wants to ambush you, they will, plain and simple.

Either don't shoot alone (and if you don't, you will need a plan for if your shooting partner tries to kill you, right, like with the Chris Kyle incident or the mom/son murder suicide in Florida), or leave ASAP when another person arrives at the range in order to minimize your proximity to a potential threat.
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Also, "Accidents happen."
- Forrest Gump (paraphrase)

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
 
So Im shooting at a range//

wearing ear protection and concentrating on why the firearm is acting up, etc.
and I am not CPLING?? Dumb, I may be, stupid i'm not.

Even backpacking and hunting smallgame and deer, I'm packing.

For Halloween weekend travel to Nashville to catch the Grand Ole Opry Saturday evening show, Shoulder holster was on and filled.
 
The Fryburge Shooting range in Maine, now a State run range with an instructor, had a theft a few years ago. Guy was shooting, left his vehicle unlocked (within sight of the line), and some punks from NH stole a rifle from his back seat and sped off. Always lock your vehicle and keep stuff out of sight.
 
I have no sympathy for people who leave their cars unlocked and valuables get stolen, particularly when firearms are stolen. I have little sympathy for people who leave firearms in their locked vehicles and are stolen anyway.

I may pity them, but I'm unsympathetic.

Just had a FB post the other day on our local neighborhood page that a Springfield 9mm was stollen from a car. "We ALWAYS lock our car and NEVER leave the gun in it..... Except last night."

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
 
Double Naught Spy, I’m nothing special and the odds aren’t good but I’ve survived being ambushed. More than once.
 
First only bring enough guns that you can keep track of them. Second, only go to a public range where there is people who sign in and out so you are known to the management. Give them time know and to trust you! Third, don't be a putz. Watch the way people behave and if they are sketchy suckers, leave and make sure you are not followed. Lastly, if you can shoot with people you know or alone in a private area others can't access. Find out when the regular old timers like to shoot and hang out. They will watch your six especially if you are accepted as a regular they know and like. I used to go to a public range regularly and never had any problems but I know others had guns walk off.
 
Double Naught Spy, I’m nothing special and the odds aren’t good but I’ve survived being ambushed. More than once.
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Zoo, you are right. Quantitatively, nothing special about surviving ambushes. Lots of people do.

I mean, look at Gerald Curry. He survived being ambushed. He got shot several times, but he survived...
https://youtu.be/sar0mLJk26o

With that said, why are you telling me this? I didn't mention anything about survival. I just said that if somebody wants to ambush you, there isn't anything you can do about it...which has apparently happened to you. More than once.
 
Here's an old story about a shooting range. The range master was walking out and setting up pistol targets for himself as some older shooters that frequent the range was at the line. Some bozo set his target up and without thinking, started shooting. The range master hit the ground. Thinking that he was shot, the old shooters happened to be veterans and picked up their rifles and pointed their guns at the bozo. For the range master, it's good to know their are enough good guys to cover your back.
 
Purely my .02$, but here's a thought. If you have multiple firearms, specifically a long gun and a handgun, why not keep on on the sling and one in the holster? No reason I can see to leave a firearm (whether loaded or unloaded) unsecured. That would make theft very difficult to accomplish. Same logic as the old stories of cowboys keeping a few dollars in the empty chamber of their revolver: "It's hard to separate from the owner". If you are worried about ambushes, then perhaps proceed on the operating rule that you keep at least one magazine loaded at all times while carrying your firearm. Swapping from your target to a thief or attacker would take no more time than a magazine change. Never be caught with an unloaded gun, if you ask me.
 
Sunflowers+Sixguns said:
Purely my .02$, but here's a thought. If you have multiple firearms, specifically a long gun and a handgun, why not keep on on the sling and one in the holster? No reason I can see to leave a firearm (whether loaded or unloaded) unsecured. That would make theft very difficult to accomplish. Same logic as the old stories of cowboys keeping a few dollars in the empty chamber of their revolver: "It's hard to separate from the owner". If you are worried about ambushes, then perhaps proceed on the operating rule that you keep at least one magazine loaded at all times while carrying your firearm. Swapping from your target to a thief or attacker would take no more time than a magazine change. Never be caught with an unloaded gun, if you ask me.
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I bring multiple long guns. Hard to have all of them sling on me at once. In fairness that’s my choice and I make it knowingly.


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At the range your locked car is a better storage container than a rifle rack. Some ranges don't want you carrying guns around on the range. they want you to leave it unloaded with the action open on the bench when the all clear is called.
 
Honestly, if you're by yourself, someone could pick you off without you ever being aware of their presence. And it doesn't matter if you've got 10 guns, 1 gun, or no gun. No one would question the gunfire.

Do what you can. No guarantees in life, but death and taxes.
 
Gun ranges check people in and out. The most likely problem at a public range is theft when you turn your back and not being attacked per se. That is most likely if the range is crowded. Going on the slow days you tend to have more of the range to yourself.
 
Honestly, if you're by yourself, someone could pick you off without you ever being aware of their presence. And it doesn't matter if you've got 10 guns, 1 gun, or no gun. No one would question the gunfire.

Do what you can. No guarantees in life, but death and taxes.
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Bro.. overwhelmingly, thats not how robberies or thefts go. Sure, there is not much you can do about the scenario you describe. However, if we are to consider a common model.. the one that is most likely to happen; you could help mitigate it by not going alone and by [not] leaving weapons on the bench as you walk 20-30-40-100 yards away to change a target.

These sort of situation are not guarded against by having a mindset of despair, hopelessness or surrender. They are typically guarded against by a belief that "there is something" I can do to better the situation, a willingness to try and actually trying.
 
FireForged said:
Bro.. overwhelmingly, thats not how robberies or thefts go. Sure, there is not much you can do about the scenario you describe. However, if we are to consider a common model.. the one that is most likely to happen; you could help mitigate it by not going alone and by [not] leaving weapons on the bench as you walk 20-30-40-100 yards away to change a target.

These sort of situation are not guarded against by having a mindset of despair, hopelessness or surrender. They are typically guarded against by a belief that "there is something" I can do to better the situation, a willingness to try and actually trying.
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Overwhelmingly, the odds are that your next airplane flight out of LaGuardia won't end up in the Hudson River, too, but history proves conclusively that the odds aren't zero. The odds also said that my daughter wouldn't be held up at gunpoint in a subway station in a city (and country) where private ownership of firearms is mostly illegal. Again, history proves that the odds weren't zero.

Pointing out what can happen is being realistic, not pessimistic.
 
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