Speaking of idiot behavior at the range . . .

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Prof Young

New member
So in conversation with my gun range owner I learn that he is restricting AR 15 use to the first three lanes. The reason, he has caught AR 15 shooters intentionally trying to shoot down the target hangers and damage the cables. Caught one kid intentionally trying to shoot above the bullet traps to damage the wall. He'll know that the first three lanes are all in good shape and can catch those who do the damage more easily. This kind of behavior strikes me as more than just idiotic. It's arrogant and self righteous. "Too bad for you if I damage your range. I paid for my time so I can do what I want." WRONG!!!

Thoughts and comments invited.

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
Depending upon the situation and particular offense, I'd be collecting fines for damage (and banning the person) or calling the police to report vandalism -- committed while the person was in possession of a firearm, which may be a potential and nasty enhancement in some places.
 
We have security cameras on us just about everywhere else.
I understand the political sensitivity..but...

There are rare accidents,suicides,etc .And it would take the "your word against mine"out of reportable safety issues.

I'm not a lawyer or legal expert. I'm thinking (wondering if) the firearm might elevate a crime such as vandalism or criminal mischief to a higher level.
Example,I would expect throwing a rock through a window is different than shooting out windows. Same broken window.
 
Very disheartening.

It's on the same order as other stuff that's been reported here numerous times...outdoor ranges where people leave trash and shoot up the target holders...just people littering ANY WHERE and not being respectful.

I have to keep reminding myself there are more good people than bad folk out there.
 
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The degree of idiocy displayed by some purported members of the species homo sapiens is mind-boggling. Case in point:

I shoot at an indoor range. The walls between the lanes are solid (as in opaque, not as in bullet proof). Between the side walls for each lane as a simply plywood bench top, set (at a guess) somewhere between 42" to 48" from the floor. Not high tech, but it works.

You know those plastic, stackable lawn chairs? The cheap, wobbly ones you can't lean back in because the legs collapse? The range has a few of those in the corridor outside the back-of-lane area, for people who want to wait outside where it's a little quieter while someone else shoots. I was in a lane near one end of the range one day. I was done, and all the brooms for sweeping up brass had magically migrated to the far end, so I wandered down that way to grab a broom. As I walked past the booths, I saw a child -- a boy who was maybe 8 years old, maximum -- standing on one of those wobbly plastic lawn chairs while shooting! An adult male (presumably the father) was behind the kid, but not steadying him or even near enough to grab him if he started to fall.

I'm a certified range officer, but I don't work at that range. Even so, that looked too dangerous to wait even the length of time it would have taken for me to get the safety officer. I just told the adult to get the kid off the chair because it wasn't safe. His excuse was that the kid wasn't tall enough to see over the bench.

I just told him to discuss that with the owner, and maybe they'd let him use one of the two lanes with lower bench surfaces, but it wasn't safe for anyone to shoot when they aren't standing on a solid, secure surface. Then I chased down the owner and ratted them out. I think the father (?) got a good talking to when they checked out.
 
I used to shoot on a range where the owner locked the plate rack in the down position. It was free to use; but you had to go get the key so he’d know who was responsible for any damage.

Went to go use it one day and the plates were locked in the up position and all bent from being shot with 7.62x39. Ignorance is disheartening enough but outright malevolent stupidity really bugs me.
 
I overwhelmingly like to shoot at my outdoor range. More room, not as noisy and, in my case, cheaper. The outdoor range takes longer to get to but I think that it is a small price to pay.
 
So what you are trying to say I think is that bad behavior at ranges began with the popularization of the AR15?

Some of us have been around longer than that. Some of the things I seem to recall over the years...

- The guy that took shotgun slugs to a the wooden frame of a target holder
- The revolver guy that opened up with one in each hand like he was Josey Wales... while people were down range adjusting targets
- The "sniper" guy who gave himself scope eye not once, not twice but three times. Truthfully I don't know how he could see from all the blood.
- The TEC-9 guy who thought it was absolutely hilarious to try to spray every target down range while firing from the hip (this one took place on an open public free range in the National Forest and resulted in a mass exodus and calls to the Ranger Station)

Those are just some highlights. I am sure if I sat around and thought about it for a while I could come up with more.
 
Yes, gun range idiots have always been there. 40-50 years ago they were an endangered species; today not so much. Privately owned weapons ranges on military bases attract idiots too. Several years ago a very nice recreational firing range was established at a base near here. Within a few years the range was totally trashed.

Several years ago someone in a group of people using my range killed a neighbors cow: No one saw anything. i paid for the cow. The range was immediately locked, posted and placed off limits to everyone.
 
thallub said:
Yes, ... ..... idiots have always been .here.
Click to expand...

(Fixed it for ya.)

It's not just gun related. It seems that most of a generation was born without common sense. I quit driving downtown and take the train to avoid "geniuses" who don't do well in rush hour traffic.
 
My old club range had member(s) who would rather shoot at target stands than targets. The new range has fewer permanent stands and those more cheaply made. Match targets and props are kept locked up except on match days. Thanks, guys.

I do not consider a rifle rated bullet trap to be an improvement to an indoor range, although the proprietor certainly makes money off of it.

Anecdote: I watched a guy hunkered down over the counter with a rifle pegging away at maybe 25 yards. Suddenly he noticed a target still hanging at 10 yards on the next lane. He swivels around and opens up on it, with brick dust spraying off the wall. Unfortunately, the RO was overseeing somebody else and did not notice.
 
The lowest common denominator folk...that's why we can't have anything nice.

It's not humorous so much as heart breaking.
 
A lot of the good folks eventually get their own range set up, which leaves the
public ranges with a higher proportion of the chowder-heads.
 
After A good 15 Years using a state range 12 miles from my home I built my own . Got a good and big back stop cost me 200 bucks built three benches a 50 100 and 200 no idea what that cost me , I put up four good steel plates 4-8-10 inch saved a bunch on targets . Thinking how much money I would save not driving 24 miles three or four times a week I was happy . But it was not to be now I shoot every day and three times as much .
 
Kind of a sign of the times. Lack of respect for people and property is rampant. And yes, if I were to catch them the police would be involved. But I'm kind of a hard-nosed bastard. If it's mine and you mess it up, I am going to get a piece of you.
 
Yes and . . .

Didn't mean to suggest that it's just the AR owners who are doing stupid stuff. Have a nice AR15 in my own collection. And yeah the owners fine and banish people who are caught doing stupid stuff. From day one at that range there been a ding in the edge of the first booth from someone who had and AD or some such. Craziness . . .

Life is good.
Prof Young
 
Some shooters at the private outdoor range that I belong too...have a hankering to take uninvited pot shots a my steel silhouette target, set at 100 yards on occasion.
 
This isn't really a recent trend/sign of the present times...

I used to be an avid hunter years ago.
(oddly, the last time I went hunting happened to be the same day John Lennon got shot - - which had zip to do with my not hunting anymore since I was never a fan of his or his group)(I only mention it to set the time frame.

I was a suburbanite & the only hunting places available were miles and miles away - at least an hour and a half each way.
These were public lands.

Every single last one of them was shot to pieces. Signs, picnic tables, wooden benches, buildings - you name it - riddled with shotgun blasts.

Had to be in the mid 1970's when I was there. A good 40/45 years ago.
Even before that, a couple decades at least, all the outdoor magazines had letters and articles about - slob hunters.
 
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