[Hansen]

This was on another forum and I thought I would post it here for a learning experience! Rule one put the gun down and another rule #1 don't point it at something you don't want to shoot!!!!

I had been planning this day for over a week on taking my wife over to the gun range so she get some practice time before she takes a CCW class. Well, I found out that Shooters World offers ladies night from 4-8pm every Friday, this involves free use of different pistols (she’s in the process of deciding what to get) and range time as long as we buy the ammo from Shooters World. Well, we head on over and carefully select two hammerless revolvers with ammo and head over to our lane. I’m instructing my wife on how to handle the firearm (she’s handled a lot of firearms before, but I just want to sear safety into her consciousness) and how to handle it in a gun range, especially since this was her first time in a gun range, we normally go out to the desert. I’ve been yapping away about instructions on safety and handling for about 10 minutes when I hear a woman saying, “owe it hurts” repeatedly and holding her hand. I look at her and her husband removes the firearm from her right hand and holds her hand/arm while calling for a rangemaster. I see an odd mark about 2 inches below her wrist and another close to her elbow. By the time that the rangemaster gets there, those odd marks turn into gushers and several other rangemasters are there to assist. One of them wraps some gauss around the wounds and starts inquiring about her fingers, the injury, how it happened, etc, etc. They make sure that their children, who are watching tv in another room, are not being made aware of the incident until the appropriate time by yet another rangemaster. By this time the entire range is at a cease-fire and bits and peaces of information is starting to leak out from her on what happened. Finally the cops and paramedics get there and clear this section of range so they can investigate and I’ve already been interrogated.

What happened is this:
She was shooting a semi-auto and a piece of hot brass fell into her chest and she quickly went to retrieve it with pistol on hand and fired off a round, thus striking herself. She remarked to her husband, when being treated, “you know how much I hate it when that happens, you know, how it happened last time” (I can only imagine she meant the spent shell). After the investigation from the officers, we were let back inside to collect our things and firearms. Since we were standing right next to her when the incident happened, I asked where the stray bullet had gone, he was kind enough to point it out. It was on the median wall that separated her and us and the hole was about a foot and half to two feet from the point that my wife and I were standing. I asked the officer if these walls were bullet proof, he said that they were not.

I had stopped going to ranges just for the fear of this type of scenario taking place, but instead of the person taking himself/herself out, they would take me out or worst, my wife. This was the first time my wife had been to a range and this happens before she gets a round off. Am I just over reacting by saying that I’m sticking to the desert instead of heading back to another range? (I am aware that if an accident happens out there that it would take a lot of time before help arrives or to get to help) I understand that the range can’t prevent this type of incident from happening, but is this a common or uncommon event? Does anyone know if ranges bulletproof the dividers? Does anyone teach his or her loved ones on what not to do in case of this type of scenario?


I am in no way blaming the range for an individual’s stupidity.