Are You Fed Up with Bad Behavior at Shooting Ranges?

glenwolde said:

Not an option, too selective to be a practical solution. Great for you, but useless to anybody who's not a member.

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Well, another way of looking at it is that the OP might consider applying to join a private range that enforces safety rules, if one is available to him, and waiting, if necessary, for the peace of mind that comes with shooting at a range or club where he knows safety rules will be strictly enforced.

I waited over two years to join my — rules strictly enforced — club. At our orientation, we were told "If strict rules enforcement is not for you, you'd be happier elsewhere. No hard feelings, plenty of more relaxed places to shoot, and we will refund your fees."

It makes sense to some of us to do this. Might make sense for the OP as well.

Different strokes, etc.

Onomea said:

6string, I think you should try to find a range or shooting club that more strictly enforces basic safety rules.

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Thanks for all the comments and insights. My background is in formal target competition. Private clubs, military affiliated ranges, etc have been the norm for me. Here in SC, the plethora of state and federal ranges is such that private clubs are not that common.
I belonged to one, however, that was founded in the 1930s for the express purpose of being a Bullseye club that sent a team every year to Camp Perry. Those days are gone, and the club was taken over by the "tacticool" guys. A few years ago, I posted a story about an almost unbelievable safety mishap that escalated to a shoving match. As the executive range officer, I tried to enforce a disciplinary action but was over-ruled. (The violator was married to the club treasurer.) So, I resigned.

It's been an "adventure" ever since.
Maybe I just need to buy private property and build my own range?

Thanks Guys!

Protocall_Design said:

I shoot a lot of matches and belong to 2 private member ranges. At the matches, everyone there is a range officer (RO). ANY safety violations are immediately dealt with. The violator is DQed and either puts away their gear and/or leaves. Everyone understands and respects this. The only way to have a safe shooting area, be it match or gun club, is to have strict safety rules that are rigidly enforced. That's how I like it, because then I can relax and enjoy my limited free time.

The public ranges around here are downright scary. People, including young kids, are waving loaded guns around in every direction, always have their finger on the trigger. People are handling guns all the time while others are downrange putting up targets. People are forward of the firing line to shoot up closer to the targets while others are shooting from the firing line a few feet to one side. I refuse to go there. A war zone would be safer.

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Yes! You describe it perfectly. This is exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about!
Incredibly, these places are publicly funded with money from firearm and ammunition excise taxes!

Some what off topic: Many decades ago the club I belonged to allowed the general public to show up on week ends in November to sight in for deer season (opening day, Monday after Thanksgiving). I'd show up about half the time and help out. Keep things safe, help out those with their first gun, etc.

Got to see some really neat firearms, meet some nice people and get some folks started out right. Also met some folks that I made sure I found out where they'd be hunting so I'd not visit that county.

If you see the folks leaving the range a mess, carefully catching a snap of the license plate and forwarding it -along with snaps of the mess-to the proper club officer might work. I notice the range flag doesn't go up n down like it's supposed to. I do it right.

mckenney99 said:

I belong to a private club with fairly strict rules. Generally there aren't a lot of problems although there have been issues with rounds leaving the property from someone shooting over the backstops.

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For what it's worth, I'd like to relate a preventive measure. My pistol club somehow acquired an aerial photograph that showed the range and the house on the the other side of the hill. All new members are informed about the picture (it's hanging on the wall at the range) and how there cannot be any elevated shooting that would put rounds onto that other property. New members were told that such an incident could cause the city to decide not to renew our lease and the club would be out of business.

I was meeting my son at a local range and got there a bit early. A bunch of yahoos arrived for their days of shooting, with wives/girl friends in tow. I hoped I would not be next to them and wasn't. Long story short, one yahoo managed to put a .22 round through the palm of his hand. My son put his first aid training to work, and I kept the wife/girl friend from becoming a hysterical nutcase. Meanwhile the line stayed hot while deputies and EMS arrived on scene. I stopped going there shortly thereafter.

I won't go to the range on the weekend, mornings are generally 'safe'.

All the above is why I have my own personal range and skeet field on my farm. You don't shoot unless I invite you. And you can count those with the fingers on both hands.

The state owned range here is a joke. Money was allocated to fix it up, clean up etc. Work was started and much of the work was sabotaged so funds were pulled. I drove out there today, the state must have just done mowing & clean up.
The trap range has a small pistol range on one side, members only. There is a nice indoor 12 lane range about 10 miles away, the owner runs it like a "good old boys club" and a tax write-off.
Basically members only but he advertises as a public range. Range officers don't exist.

46er said:

I won't go to the range on the weekend, mornings are generally 'safe'.

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Same here . I go during the week and I generally arrive around 08:30 . There may be somebody on the rifle range but I usually have the pistol side to myself .

Yes, I am more concerned about driving on roads with drunks, druggies, blue tooth users, etc. The 4 indoor ranges I shoot at are carefully monitored. Remember that most new shooters receive next to no proper instruction in shooting, gun handling.
Jeff Cooper wrote that his correspondents in The Sandbox were appalled by the careless weapons handling they saw.

BLACKHAWKNJ said:

Jeff Cooper wrote that his correspondents in The Sandbox were appalled by the careless weapons handling they saw.

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And before the colonel's body was cold there were bunches of back biters blathering about his faults, his views and the like, things they would never have had the guts to say about him to his face . . . face it folks - 'ol Jeffro was spot on about decrying the 'age of the common man' (among many other things). I could (and probably have) related witnessing such experiences at ranges - just would add to the din and solve nothing.

Treading lightly here . . . everything that is good and decent in the world has a counterfeit - you can believe or not the source of these two realities, but you can't deny the evidence under your nose. By guile, patience, good sounding platitudes, twisting of words to deny the truth of what was said/intended, by elevating 'the freedom from being offended' to a basic right that only a society run by morons could have conceived . . . the keys have been stolen (or sadly, just handed over) to those who will have us believe morals, right and wrong, honor, respect, responsibility . . . all these things are 'relative' and can mean whatever an in-duh-vidual decides for him or her self what they want it to mean. Live in the past and hang on to ancient wrongs and condemn people today for things they didn't do and had no part in to mollify 'victims' that never experienced the situation. Deny the truth because it's your 'right' and your rights take precedence over others 'because'. Cherry pick your reasons and use circular logic to keep the waters muddied so there can never be anyone or any power on this earth to "judge" the validity of your assertions about your 'right' to do as you please or deserve 'what you're entitled to'.

These discussions of specific manifestations of these things such as the behavior, attitude and compliance to set of standards at a shooting range are only visual symptoms of the rot that has gone so far the tree cannot recover, only suitable to eventually be hewn down and cast into the fire. Yeah, I know I'm a wet blanket and as guilty as any about shaking my fist at the wind for things that can't/won't be changed and occasionally lend my voice to the futility of the discussions.

I guess to me, it's like reading the back of the book first to see how it ends - reading the rest of the story after that is just an exercise in frustration.

I belong to a gun club that owns it's own land and range. In spite of the fact any new member is given safety instructions and signs a list of rules infractions occur. Courtesy sometimes is lacking. If we observe problems that can wait for correction we are instructed to contact the club safety officer and they address the problem. Members have been eliminated on occasion.
The most aggravating thing is in the target house there is a sign with bold lettering. Remove all staples from target stakes, cardboard backing and clean up and dispose of old targets. This is rarely done. I usually go early mornings on weekdays and usually am there by myself. I often spend a half hour sweeping up 22 cases on the line and pulling staples.
Some people just never seem to get the idea of courtesy and safety.

Those of us who have worked in City Public Schools can see the people who will be "misbehaving" at the public shooting ranges, and understand why these people will not obey safety laws. From what I've seen at a public range these young "adults" never had proper discipline growing up, at home or in school. Most of the folks, young or older, at the one public range I frequent seem to be pretty safe around the handgun range. Although, while still being fairly safe in doing so, many don't pay attention to the 6-cartridge limit or the mag dump rules. A permit is required to shoot at the State Game Land ranges but I've not seen a game warden check for them in quite some time. Monday thru Thursdays in the AM is the best time to go.

Golddollar said:

For what it's worth, I'd like to relate a preventive measure. My pistol club somehow acquired an aerial photograph that showed the range and the house on the the other side of the hill. All new members are informed about the picture (it's hanging on the wall at the range) and how there cannot be any elevated shooting that would put rounds onto that other property. New members were told that such an incident could cause the city to decide not to renew our lease and the club would be out of business.

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Great idea. I will bring it up at our next meeting. Thanks!


In general I have seen a lot at the clubs I have belonged to.

Of the two clubs I now belong to its rather interesting that at the one club I see more problems. This club is older more expensive and has for want of better words a higher class of members. Also more range/safety problems.

The other club for sure could be considered Red Neck. Most members are blue collar, construction, truck drivers, farmers and the biggest group is retired. We have a rifle range, pistol range, trap and archery. Also decent key carded heated indoor range and during the normal work day you many times can have the range to yourself. I see less problems there that at the more gentlemanly club, whoed a thunk it.

After reading these stories I'm glad I belong to the private range I do. No one can go down range to change a target without the permission of everyone else on the range. The "cold range" flashing lights are turned on and a buzzer sounds. (the lights stay on the whole time). All actions have to be open and everyone has to step away from their bench. We used to allow cleaning on a cold range but encountered some problems so now no one can touch a gun on a cold range. The range cannot go "hot" until all shooters are informed. Some might say that's over organized but it works.
I think there were some problems with "tacticool" shooters a couple of years ago but they are gone now.

Jeff423 said:

After reading these stories I'm glad I belong to the private range I do. No one can go down range to change a target without the permission of everyone else on the range. The "cold range" flashing lights are turned on and a buzzer sounds. (the lights stay on the whole time). All actions have to be open and everyone has to step away from their bench. We used to allow cleaning on a cold range but encountered some problems so now no one can touch a gun on a cold range. The range cannot go "hot" until all shooters are informed. Some might say that's over organized but it works.
I think there were some problems with "tacticool" shooters a couple of years ago but they are gone now.

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That is how you run a range so no one gets shot or killed. If I end up at a place that doesn't work that way, I'm gone. I have tried to get others to act right and be safe, but often times they all just get mad and refuse. Not much you can do at that point but get far away.

Tom Beavert said:

Volunteering again this summer with the Colorado Div of Wildlife, among other things I monitor the Beyers canyon range. I see all sorts of things. Mainly ignorant of safe handling of firearms. Things that seem just common sense to me.
Be well
Tom B

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I lived in Kremmling back in the late 70s. Many great memories of shooting at the Byers Canyon range. I can only think of a couple of times that any other shooters were there when I was shooting. I can't imagine how crazy that place could be today with all the population growth and recreational activities in that area. Wish I had a range like that near me today.

BLACKHAWKNJ said:

Remember that most new shooters receive next to no proper instruction in shooting, gun handling.

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Yes. God forbid something so simple and common sense as general familiarity and basic gun safety should be taught in schools.
Instead we need to pass some more laws (since the thousands we have now are enforced and working so well) that mandate a bunch of disinterested know nothings create a new bureaucracy and implement new regulations, taxes and fees to be administrated by taxpayer funded in-duh-viduals whose qualifications include being connected by birth or marriage to those running the whole shebang, and make sure it has a new Cabinet position to oversee it with a headquarters and field offices in each state. We need to make sure it has some altruistic, lofty moniker that virtue signals our great intentions like maybe "The Citizens Safety Bureau for the Futherence of a Good First Step in Reducing the Number of Senseless Child Deaths By Something We Don't Think You Need Anyway" .

By cracky ! I think I'm on to something !!

So why did you say "no"?