How many people are cautious when going to the range?

[DaddyFatSacks]

I've heard a couple horror stories of people commiting suicide. I've also heard of people going to a range and shooting others. My question is, how many people are on a "heightened alert"? (besides the fact that your are using a dangerous weapon)

[Spotted Owl]

I definately am. I've seen too many people carelessly handle loaded guns at the range to relax even a little bit. Sometimes I wish I had body armor to wear to the range. The indoor range I go to has too many holes to count in the floor, walls, ceiling, and even in the partitions between the lanes. Scary.

[dasmi]

Honestly, it depends on who is in the range with me. Sunday afternoon I was shooting at an indoor range, with a bunch of people. All were acting responsibly, most were older guys, and two were probably military. Two weeks ago I was at a different, somewhat...seedier...indoor range, which was filled with young guys and there girlfriends (I'm a young guy also) who were shooting sideways at targets 20 yards away. I decided to leave early. I couldn't concentrate on my target, because my eyes kept darting back and forth, making sure I wasn't being swept.

[DaddyFatSacks]

<<complete newbie... dasmi, sorry, whats "swept"?

[pointfiveoh]

When someone points a gun at you moving to something else, in a sweeping motion. Hence swept. And I have had that problem before, it was with a 100% gun noob and he gave me the willies.

[dasmi]

When someone points the muzzle of their weapon at you. Not necessarily on purpose, but sweeping it over you as they turn, or something like that.

[Duxman]

I agree with Dasmi on this one.

Caution is the order of the day everywhere. The second you let your guard down is when the bad stuff happens. In fact, I was in a couple of competitions - IPSC and 3 gun, @ IPSC one of the rangemasters was clearing his weapon when his finger hit the trigger and boom! It went off. :(

The second @ the 3 gun, someone loading a 12 ga auto shotgun broke the 180 plain and could have wiped out half the shooters in the competition. Brutal. :mad:

But there to their credit, MOST shooters are generally very safety concious. It is the young buck who wants to show off to his friends that you should be careful with. Or the "Mall Ninja" in the fatigues and commando outfit. :eek:

The veteran shooters are very deliberate in their actions, and well aware of their muzzle control. But never hurts to be careful.

Shoot where you are comfortable, if not, go someplace else. Safety is #1, and if you get home in one piece, you have done your duty as a safe, recreational shooter. :D

[DaddyFatSacks]

is it just me, or does that just seem like common sense. my mom taught me at age 3 to not point at people.. and that was without a gun.

off topic, but when i took the CA gun saftey test (30 Q's). I didn't miss one, the questions were pure common sense. I asked the lady if people actual fail (failing is above 6), and she said a fair amount of ppl fail. She also told me that people study for it and still fail. I didn't read anything, I think the general population is stupid.

[Stiletto]

I have a video of my roommate firing sideways at about 10 feet...his group was better than most of mine in that first box of the day. :(

[Bullrock]

The fish and game club I belong to is kinda in a rural area. Members are given a key to the main gate, and are required to lock the gate on the way in, and the way out.

I use extreme caution when I do this. Also I keep my carry piece on cocked & locked while out of the car in the open. If I make it through the gate I drive slow, and carefully down the short dirt road to the trap house. At the trap house there is usually a bunch of old guys I know on a first name basis standing around shootin the s**t. I usually say hello, but I make double sure I'm not being targeted by some young guy up on the porch.

I continue on 50 yards to the handgun/rifle range. I check each car carefully in that area for BG's. I turn off my engine, and sit in my car for a long time looking for any suspicious movement from members on the range.

When I'm sure the coast is clear, I get my range bag of my trunk. I usually keep one hand inside the bag as I approach the firing line just so folks there will know I mean business. When I finally get to shoot, I'm so tired from all the stress I have just caused myself, I just get back in the car and head back home. :o

I'm so tired I haven't been able to shoot for over a year, and I think I just might cancel my membership next year. ;)

I've been lucky though! So far I haven't been kilt! :D

[Capt. Charlie]

I guess you could say I use three different "modes" of caution. When I'm shooting on the dept. range, or any other well-supervised range, my caution leans towards keeping from being swept, etc. If I'm shooting by myself, my caution is more towards my equipment, my own stupidity, and Murphy's Law. If something were to happen (catastrophic failure, etc.), I'm not keen on the idea of laying there bleeding for hours before being found. On one particular range in this area (Fernwood State Forest), you have to worry about being shot... with intent, and robbed of your guns. The range in question is public, free, poorly kept, and unsupervised. You never know who or what is going to be shooting there. I quit going after one experience where several well-known gangsters showed up with their tech 9's and shot at everything except what they were supposed to (glass bottles, etc.). Worse yet because a couple of them recognized me as being a cop and the range is outside my jurisdiction. I BS'd them for a few minutes and got the hell out of there.

[benzo1355]

The range I go to is outdoors in the middle of a wildlife managment area. So when I am there I am very cautious. Last week there were some strange, thug looking asian guys that kept yelling and shouting and saying stuff like, you only blew his arm off........he is limping........shot em again.......f*** this.......f*** that........kill em ect. They had me on guard but there was another guy there that was normal so I stayed and shot, in silence. I hate when people get loud it breaks my concentration. They of course couldn't shoot to save their life.

[AK103K]

These days I always wear my vest when I go to the range. One look at the dividers and ceiling at the indoor pistol range and you'd understand why. I know it wont stop a direct hit from most rifles on the rifle range, but it's still better than nothing, and there are other things besides a direct hit. I also try to go when the range is least populated. The less people the better all around.

[steelersfan0000]

No I am not to concered, I have only shot outside a rage once in the hundreds of times i have been shooting. I have never had or seen a mishap at a range.

[JohnKSa]

When I go to an outdoor unattended range I generally carry a gun while I shoot. A SEPARATE gun, not the one I'm shooting.

Some ranges are pretty remote, but folks know where they are from the noise. It's not unheard of for criminals to view remote shooting ranges as a source of free guns. Which rarely bodes well for the current owner of the guns.

And I do keep an eye on the shooters around me. I've been pretty lucky though, no one's made me duck for cover yet.

[Relayer]

Seems to me its only wise to be cautious when in an area where folks are firing weapons.

And especially so if you don't know (and know you can trust to behave properly) some or all of them.

[neal bloom]

With no formal ranges in our immediate area, I am on continous high alert out in the desert. I too carry a gun besides the one I am shooting. There are some real fools, idiots and other dangerous types out shooting up the desert.

[ATW525]

Having a second gun for self defense purposes just makes sense. I don't want to carry the gun that's just had 300 rounds put through it and hasn't been cleaned yet, and I don't want to go unarmed when I leave.

[ScoutinStAugustine]

I belong to a private F.O.P. range and most of us know each other. But still, I'm always aware of who's there, what they're shooting, and if there are any BAD practices going on. At a public range I tend to be almost nervous pretty much most of the time. I've never seen anyone shot, but a few months ago at a public range the guy to my right had a woman with him who turned sideways to ask him a question, and the semi-auto she was holding was pointing in my direction, hammer back, slide forward. Hmmmmm.

[utaherrn]

do I win a cookie for spotting it first?

I'm always cautious around other people with guns. Too many idiots out there exercising their right to be stooopid and careless. I'm less worried when shooting with local LEO friends, though some need a safety refresher now and again.

[Hardtarget]

A year ago (only a few miles from my parents home) a man was killed and his guns stolen ...he was shooting at a "dump range" by himself. Seems this was the norm for him and the B. G. knew it. The man was found some time later. His car was there but his guns were gone. I don't know if this has ever been solved. All that to say yes I try to be very careful, but mostly I shoot on private land. Still...
Mark.

[utaherrn]

Been a while since I read about them, but as I recall Platt and Matix, the Miami shootout BGs, obtained several weapons by hanging around remote shooting locations and when someone showed up, they shoot 'em and take their weapons. That stuck in my memory.

[Hayley]

"When someone points the muzzle of their weapon at you. Not necessarily on purpose, but sweeping it over you as they turn, or something like that."

Dasmi: that is precicely what happened in the death of a good friend of mine many years ago. At 15, my father allowed me to go on a dove hunt with a group of my friends. I was really uncomfortable, it turned out, with the lack of field safety discipline by a couple of guys in the party, and I begged-off when I was invited again the next weekend. Sadly, my friend Jerry G. was fatally shot that day. Someone nearby, finger on the trigger, safety off, shell in the chamber, barrell pointing here and there, looking at the sky...not a bird in sight.

off-topic. sorry.

[dasmi]

Hayley, that's a terrible story. It illustrates why none of us can afford to be lax on firearm safety.

off topic, but when i took the CA gun saftey test (30 Q's). I didn't miss one, the questions were pure common sense. I asked the lady if people actual fail (failing is above 6), and she said a fair amount of ppl fail. She also told me that people study for it and still fail. I didn't read anything, I think the general population is stupid.

I took the same test, and didn't miss any. All common sense questions. Yes, the general population is stupid.

[Brit]

Been a while since I read about them, but as I recall Platt and Matix, the Miami shootout BGs, obtained several weapons by hanging around remote shooting locations and when someone showed up, they shoot 'em and take their weapons. That stuck in my memory.

Going off memory also, the shooter in the Glades, whose rifle they took, shooting his Mini 14 was shot with his own gun, and left for dead, he crawled a tremendous distance, and was rescued, and lived.

He also out lived the criminals who shot him!

[Rojoe67]

I think of it a little like getting on the freeway each day....... Conditions dictate a lot to me. Is it raining, clear, fog, snow, ice, sunny, what day is it? It might sound odd but in general some things are similar. I like a light crowd......big crowd at range is harder to watch to see if everyone is shooting and acting civil. No crowd in my case is ok too. The range is on a main road within sight to the road. A store must be entered in order to get to the gated and fenced range and a range master is always on site. This said I still shoot there in an alert status. Just me and that is how I feel best and do best at range practice. I must admit the part or rule I hate most is leaving my weapon at the shooting booth and going down range. I always take the mag and ammo with me. I also try to always have a CW on me too....

[Bullrock]

Damn! You spotted me again. ;)