It’s cliche, but it really is true: range safety is everyone’s responsibility. If you do something unsafe on the range, you should expect people to call you on it.
Tonight, for the first time in quite a while, someone threw a temper tantrum at the range. Three guys were on the lane next to me shooting rifles harmlessly when one of them decides to put a few rounds through his Kimber. Next thing you know, one of his buddies is holding the pistol — mag in, slide forward, hammer cocked — pointed directly at the people on the other side of their lane. So I leaned over and said, “Hey, keep your gun pointed down range and not at the people on the line next to you!”
Now, I guess I could have checked with Miss Manners’ Guide to Range Etiquette. I guess I could have offered them some tea first, or sent my request through diplomatic channels. But call me an asshole (and they did, over and over again), when I see someone obliviously pointing a loaded gun at folks on the range, I say something. And I tend to say it in a manner that doesn’t brook discussion or debate.
Humorously enough, one of the Three Amigos actually called a Range Officer over to complain. That didn’t go according to plan. As soon as the ringleader told me that if I had any more complaints about their range safety that I should take it up with a range employee, the RO flatly told him — and see if you’ve heard this somewhere before — range safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Then to add insult to injury, one of the guys who’d been in the lane getting the pistol pointed at him also came over to me and loudly thanked me. The ringleader was severely butt hurt at that point.
So here is the pistol-training.com lesson for the day: If you do something stupid on the range that endangers another person’s life, and the worst thing that happens is someone tells you to stop doing it, count your blessing and shut the frak up. Because you can only make things worse by opening your mouth.
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
WOW. Sounds like an ass kickin was over due. They should be banned from shooting……. and reproducing! Good for you for speaking up. That could have been any of us having that muzzle pointed at us.
You are much more polite than I am. I don’t find myself in that position often, having to shoot with retards, but the times that I have been so unfortunate, my methods are a little less subtle than that.
nice. we just had a similar incident at my range that has resulted in letters being sent to our exec (we don’t have assigned RO’s) to deal with. Likely two people will be losing their ability to shoot at my club.
Good job, Todd!
I’m an RO and would have immediately directed the three off the range, They would have had to go to the Board to decide if they could retain their membership; primarily for their response to your responsible and safe intervention. All three.
Please accept my kudus for your alert and prompt response.
Polite? Carelessness with life-threatening implications requires immediate, direct and effective action. Thank you for providing that.
My policy, if ever corrected by anyone for a possible safety infraction has always been to thank them. Even if wrong, they are right.
I recently witnessed the guy at the next lane at my outdoor club point his pistol sideways (actually away from me).
I shouted MUZZLE very loudly like IDPA S.O.’s do and he pointed it downrange.
I went up to him a minute later and told him I didn’t mean to sound like an “anal orifice” but I was concerned with range safety.
He said he appreciated my correction and we went on to have a pleasant range session.
Damn, apparently you dented that guy’s ego pretty good. If he were worth a damn he would have admitted his mistake, rather than trying to cobra up and make it look like you were in the wrong.
Good job! I have never felt that being nice was a prerequisite to being safe. Keep up the good work.
Todd-3, Asshats-0
I’m a newbie. Until recently hadn’t shot a handgun in almost 20 years. Went to the range with my fresh-outta-da-box M&P.45. Once I finished the first mag, I walked the gun back to my case sitting behind me to reload. The RO immediately called me on it. “Walk the case to the gun, not the gun to the case.” I felt like an ass. Appreciated the correction though.
Many of the regulars at the range where I shoot are also certified instructors, including both me and my ex-wife. Back when we were still married, some idiots were being careless with their handgun and my wife was in the lane next to them. The first time they swept her, she firmly told them to keep it pointed downrange. On the second occurence, her response was along the lines of “If you point that at me one more time I’ll fucking shoot you!”
Their butthurting led them to go out to the counter, point her out, and complain about what she said. The response from the clerk probably wasn’t what they expected.
“She said what? Wow, if you pissed her off that much, you need to leave and come back when you know what you’re doing.”
I love my range.
Was at a training session and in a safety briefing there was an old salt 1911 guy–looking like Hemingway–who was asking about needing to use the decock lever before holstering; he though it was weird! “I’ll just drop the hammer manually with thumb and finger” was his philosophy! Got to the line and of course he shows up on the line next to me–with his Sig DA/SA 220 (he admitted in the briefing to never shooting a gun with a decocker). Needless to say since the guy had quite a few years on me the RO was looking at me and not the other guy. RO was missing his “handling skills”: no decocking (!) upon reholstering, finger in the trigger guard at all times (even when dropping mag and overhand sling of slide (!). I finally got RO’s attention and said “I dont mean to be a brat but he is not decoking!” RO told me to worry about myself!
The old salt shot single handed exclusively in a pre Jeff Cooper marksman style and could shoot a ragged hole at 7 yeards but boy was I not shooting well seeing the gun handling. Safety is foundational; I dont care if you can shoot a squirrel at 200 years with a 1911!
Todd. I know it does not really matter but was at least the safety on on the kimber?
Man, I live in TN where we have public ranges that anyone can go to and there’s no RSOs EVER. Kinda swim at your own risk thing here. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been down range and heard shots fired. One was really close cause I heard pop! zip! Luckily I’ve never been hit or seen anyone hurt there besides occasional scope eye but I have a trauma kit in the truck just in case. I mainly count on whomever I’m shooting with to watch my back. One of the dumbest things that pissed me off most was a damn sheriff’s deputy popping off a Mossin Nagant while my brother was down range. No excuse for that. I yelled at him and threw brass at his head til he stopped. Crazy stuff here in TN.
One of my IPSC training buddies (an A-Open shooter) used to organize a little weekly practice at the local private club. Well, his friend (B-Open) invites some novices out to show them what it’s all about… which I’m completely cool with. IPSC needs more new shooters.
I too brought a total novice. So, I showed up about 30 minutes before everyone else to walk my friend through the four rules (I’m an NRA instructor).
So I’m waiting my turn to shoot, and one of the novice’s sweeps me with a loaded 1911. I say, “WHOA MAN, KEEP THAT POINTED DOWNRANGE.” He says, “My Bad.” He breaks the 180 again, and I ask him how long he’s been shooting. He says this is his second time. I ask if he’d had any gun safety basics. He says, “no.” At this point, I can’t really fault the guy for not knowing any better. So I go over to the guy that brought him (an experienced shooter) and say “Look Guy, these are your shooters, and they are pointing guns at me, you gotta give them a safety briefing.”
He gets very ‘butthurt’ and goes off on me, “you arrogant, ivy league, jerk, calling my friends out is not cool.”
“I wouldn’t call your friends out if you gave taught them the four rules”
“If you’re so high and mighty why don’t you teach them”
“I showed up 30 minutes early to teach my friend because that’s the responsible thing to do, now you want me to take time away from my shooting to teach your friend? Stay Classy my friend.”
I took the newb aside and gave him a safety primer, which he appreciated immensely, but seriously, take responsibility and man up.