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Unsafe shooter at range ... what would you do?

9K views 140 replies 79 participants last post by  screwedby 
#1 · (Edited)
Today, I was at a shooting range with a friend. Three guys, who looked like they were in their mid-20s, came to lane next to the one my friend and I were using. My friend was shooting, and I was standing 4-6 feet behind him. I look to my right, and one of the guys in the adjacent lane has turned to speak to one of his buddies, and the muzzle of his Glock is point right at me. He's totally freakin' oblivious.

I politely tell one of the guys in his group: "Hey, your friend just pointed his muzzle right at me." Much to my shock, instead of apologizing and talking to his (clearly inexperienced) friend, he says: "Don't worry. It wasn't loaded." I responded only by firmly saying, "It doesn't matter," with a disgusted look.

Look--if this moron wants to win the Darwin award for accidentally discharging a round into himself, I suppose that's fine (though I prefer he not, so the rest of us aren't made to pay for his feeble-mindedness). I also can understand (albeit not entirely excuse) a newbee shooter who makes a mistake, acknowledges it, and checks himself from doing it again. But these kinds of ignoramuses are a plague upon the whole responsible, legal gun-owning community.

Ultimately, I didn't leave. (I paid my range fee, too.) But I kept a watchful eye on these numbskulls, and I'll try to avoid this range whenever possible. It seems to attract these kinds of posers, to whom safety is very much a secondary concern (if a real concern at all).

How would YOU have handled the situation?
 
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#3 ·
At my local range, a guy swept me with the muzzle of his hunting rifle as he picked it up out of the rack.
I told him he swept me and he smugly said, "It's okay, the bolt is out."
I told him if he didn't know how to safely handle a firearm, he had no business owning one. I'm pretty sure we both went home thinking we were right and the other guy was an idiot.
One other time, the guys in booth next to me were handling there firearm so it was pointed at me quite a bit. They were both a couple of know it all idiots who were already arguing with each other. It was no use talking to them. I went home early.
 
#5 ·
I go to a couple different ranges....one with ROs and one without. At one, once he basically dismissed my comment, I would have mentioned it to the RO. At the non-RO range, I would looked to other shooters for their support to shame the idiot. If there wasn't anybody else, I would have packed and left.
 
#6 ·
I let them know, firmly but politely, not to let their gun point at me. Or handle a gun when people are downrange.

These days I mostly go to a range that has an RSO on the line any time even one shooter is present, I haven't been swept there yet (and they have very thick seemingly ballistic type barriers between lanes too). Or one that has an RSO on duty but there may only be one and he may not be on that line at that particular time...that one has a lot more safety violations since it's a cheap state run range.

People don't like being corrected...but I don't like having guns pointed at me. If talking to them doesn't fix it, then it's time for an RSO or employee, and barring that, time to leave.
 
#7 ·
I try to remain calm and say something and then report it. They have cameras and if you get warned a second time they make you leave. If it occurs again they remove your membership or you're not allowed back if you're only paying for a one hour session.
I got into a big argument about some people who's dad swept everyone with a malfunctioning 1911. Saying it wasn't loaded but then a second later, "bang" yep that's it, it wasn't loaded. dumbass.
 
#8 ·
Years ago we were in an outdoor range after X-mas (in So. Cal no less) and there was a whole family (8+) next to us on the pistol range. The guy had his 10-ish yo son shooting one of those $50 .25 cal Phoenix arms chrome throw-aways, obviously for the first time, but he wasn't even paying attention to him. Every time dad would walk away to BS to the rest of the family, the boy would turn and sweep me with the muzzle.

First time. "HEY! Your boy just swept the whole line with that gun." ...."Sorry Cuz."
Second time "HEEEEEY. RANGE OFFICER!" Who said (to me) "Don't be so loud Bro..." . WTF?!
Third time the boy was actually standing opposite of the range, finger on the trigger, towards his own family.
What I WANTED to do was clear his weapon, toss it down range and punch that oblivious mother****er in the face.
What I DID do, was pack up and leave, ruining a good day with new toys, and not teaching them a lesson:(
**** politeness. I have a plan, hopefully theres no next time. I now have a gun club membership in my state. I haven't been to a public range in years. Hallelujah!
 
#9 ·
I wish I had the option of a private range. Unfortunately, I don't. It's not geographically / practically feasible.

The RO's at this range are, I believe, voluntary. So, they aren't always there. The staff come through and look around from time to time, but they don't have full time RO's.
 
#10 ·
The last things I would do is confront them, or try to shame them or teach them a lesson.

I would pack up, quickly and quietly, and tell the manager of the range that if wanted my business he would have to refund me my range fee for the day, or ask these people to leave. That's it.

I'm not going to risk my life trying to teach other people how to handle a firearm.
 
#11 ·
I was at an outdoor public range shooting with my son (23yo) just before Christmas, and while the range was hot this fella about 23-25 years old just walked up to an open table, put a couple items down, then walked right across the firing line while my son and three other groups were actively shooting. I yelled at him first to get his ass back behind the line, then I gave him an earful, but tried my best to be instructive about it. He turned about three shades of red to purple, and apologized to everyone at the range. I think he asked me about 25 questions about my guns and his own (a Glock 23) before I left. Kinda sucked to realize I'd gotten old enough to have that effect on a young man.
 
#14 ·
That depends, is it staffed or unstaffed?

If it's staffed with range officers, and enough of them that one of them should've been paying attention and done something about it, and they didn't do anything, then I'd leave and tell management that I'm leaving because their range officers don't care enough to say anything.

If they were staffed, but not enough to see anything, then I'd hunt down a range officer and ask them to please keep an eye on the idiots and kick them out if they don't straighten up.

If it was unstaffed, then I'd move to a different bay if at all possible, and if not possible then I'd either try to discuss it with the idiots and get them to see the error of their ways, or leave.

Range fee or no range fee, my life isn't worth a few measly dollars, and I'd leave the money on the table and get out of there.

Sure, he thought the gun was unloaded, and it might have been, but I don't want to be hanging around when the gun is loaded.
 
#15 ·
The indoor range I go to has the barriers between station so you can't see the persons on either side. Barriers I'm sure aren't bulletproof. As a result, I go when they first open and aren't busy, get the lane farthest to the right and leave when it starts to get busy. My theory is that most shooters are right handed and will, if making mistakes, lay their gun down with the barrel facing left. I just have little trust for people I don't know after observing some pretty risky practices.
 
#20 ·
The indoor range I go to has the barriers between station so you can't see the persons on either side. Barriers I'm sure aren't bulletproof. As a result, I go when they first open and aren't busy, get the lane farthest to the right and leave when it starts to get busy. My theory is that most shooters are right handed and will, if making mistakes, lay their gun down with the barrel facing left. I just have little trust for people I don't know after observing some pretty risky practices.
I'm right handed, but I always face my barrel to the right when I lay it down.
I normally go early too, but I request the lane second from the farthest right.
 
#21 ·
Last year I was at a private club and there was a proclaimed War Veteran that told everyone there about all the medication he was on including vico din. So the RSO calls cease fire and this sixty something year old picks up his rifle, begins to turn to the right, the side I'm on. He begins to sweep the line and discharge the rifle in my direction. The round goes about 45 degrees between the berm and nowhere land.
I looked at the RSO and he shrugs his effing shoulders. The war vet goes down range to change his target, me and the RSO exchange words, he wasn't going to reprimand this other guy. I packed my stuff and left.
 
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#23 ·
If a guy's muzzle swept across me, or pointed at me, I'd have said something, just as you did. If their response was as in your scenerio-they said it was ok, it wasn't loaded...well, I'd instantly pack up & leave, letting management know on way out why I was leaving. I would obviously not feel safe any longer next to some idiot like that.

I've always been strict with gun safety, learned that way from a young age, but had an incident a couple years ago that made me have about zero tolerance for others who are not 100% safe...I was on a bird hunt with a group, most of whom I knew, but some I did not. We were walking cornfields and I instantly noticed a couple a-holes shooting at low birds. It made me nervous, and our guide had to say at least 2 or 3 times to not shoot low. I even said something to my dad about how some of those guys were making me nervous. Well the next field someone shot low and I took a pellet to the temple. Luckily the pellet came out pretty easily and no medical care was needed, but I came about an inch from seriously injuring myself, possibly losing my sight. I will never ignore my gut feelings about someone being unsafe with a gun, ever again.
 
#24 ·
The main one I've been going to is ran by the state and a public range. They're safety nazis with RO's, people giving cease fire commands ect.

Plus is its controlled, not a sure bet I know but better than nothing. It's three bucks an hour and they supply the paper. Nice target stands ranging out to 100 yards. There's a short and a long side. Target distances range depending on what side you're on. The staff are volunteers and the funds support the state and conservation. Some knowledgable guys have been out there working helping me sight a rifle in before.

Downsides are no rapid fire, no steel cased stuff besides handgun ammo. The waiting for a booth on nice days. Not letting it hang out and do what you want.

There's another state ran place I used to go to that wasn't staffed and I quit going due to the dumbasses. People loading up crap after they pulled in while you're down range. Once there was a few guys that pulled up and Rambo jumped out the car hip firing AK's without any regard for others around or targets put up.

They also have a clay are to blast shotguns, was out there with my brother and a couple other guys. We all had a good setup and knew squat we were doing until another pickup pulled up. People got out and just started doing their own thing. Looked like a good chance for us to get sweeped or shot like the above so we left.

The nice indoor ranges in KC are exspensive. If I want to go shoot I go to the public nazi range, if I want to let it hang out I venture to my uncles place.
 
#25 ·
Shameless plug: For a great environment that involves absolute adherence to strict safety protocols, head on out to an Appleseed shoot. :thumbsup:
 
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#27 ·
The range officers where I go to shoot my rifles usually pick up on sweepers fairly quick. I've only had a problem once there and fortunately I was already getting ready to leave.

For pistol shooting I usually go to an indoor range with stalls.

In both cases I do my best to arrange my times for the least number of occupants. I simply like it that way not only for safety but also because I like the alone time.
 
#28 ·
The range officers where I go to shoot my rifles usually pick up on sweepers fairly quick. I've only had a problem once there and fortunately I was already getting ready to leave.

For pistol shooting I usually go to an indoor range with stalls.

In both cases I do my best to arrange my times for the least number of occupants. I simply like it that way not only for safety but also because I like the alone time.
Good call. Always feel like I'm weird because I don't chat much at the range, just shoot. I usually try to go weekdays during the day at the indoor ranges I frequent. I hate when the place is packed. Sometimes I luck out and have the whole range to myself. Nothing more relaxing IMO than an hr or two shooting, alone, not talking or thinking, just shooting!
 
#29 ·
+ you can use a shot timer accurately if nobody else is there, or if there is only one other active lane and you use the timer while they are looking at/switching targets, loading, etc.
 
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