A little freaked out at the range today.

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7thCavScout

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I know we have had these threads before. As far as if you see something unsafe at the range would you stop it. I've always thought that personally, Heck ya I would. Enter Chuck (me) today on my lunch hour at the range.
I grabbed my new Glock 19 and headed to my local range (County owned and unsupervised) to practice up with a white box of Winchesters. As I pulled up I heard and saw a guy banging away with a Mosin Nagant in one of the lanes. As I got out of my car I noticed his "buddy" down range standing three feet to the left of his target who was spotting for him and marking his target.
I immediately got back into my car and left. Now I'm starting to feel like I dropped the the ball as far as being a responsible gun owner goes. I really feel like I should have said something to these (very early 20's) guys. I was by myself and the whole scene was so crazy that I just bounced out of there. The former Army Infantry Staff Sergeant in me was going bananas. Anyway, I'm looking for thoughts on how I should have reacted to this. I think I really screwed up here by not saying something.
-Chuck
 
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That's crazy, I always stand at least 4' away from my buddy's target.. :D

I probably would have reacted the same, but I think the best way to handle it would be to walk up to the shooter and politely but seriously tell him how unsafe that is. If he ignores you that's his business.
 
I mean, he has to know that is unsafe?!?! Right?!!? Man I hope so at least. Doesnt have to be an oops direct hit kinda thing lol.

He had to be getting peppered with dirt, rocks, maybe lead and copper fragments... you'd think he would have figured that out after a shot or two.
 
If they don’t understand (or respect) the hazards of that, I don’t think it’s possible to explain it to them. I would have just left.
 
I watched a guy help line up a chronograph by being down range looking back towards his buddy while his buddy was sitting at the bench with a rifle and the bolt was closed. I turned around and left. there wasn't any blood stains the next morning when I went back
 
Video


You're better instinct to try to help them learn safely from that mistake is admirable.
 
hso said:
Video


You're better instinct to try to help them learn safely from that mistake is admirable.
Click to expand...

This.

These mouth breathers may not have the higher brain functions to learn but a video could be used to instruct others.


That and be teh funnay to watch
 
IMO, you did the right thing to bug out...

You can't fix stupid... and no amount of "education" you offered would have made any difference. You would have been casting your pearls b4 swine and they would have despised you for it.

Lightning seems to have a way of striking stupid people, and hence I prefer not to stand next to them.
 
This is still really bothering me. I didn't add in my original post that I'm a firefighter and I was wearing my duty shirt at the time. I still feel like crap that... My first thought of this is unsafe stop it, was overridden by my second thought of get the Hell out of here quick.
looking back....I did have a portable radio. I could have switched to police OPs and called them. My wife asked me "If they where lighting brush on fire in our dry conditions would you have stopped them?" My reply.."Hell yes!"
Needless to say I only feel worse for not saying something now.
 
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You were wise to leave.
The shooter may have 'automatically' swung his loaded and Off-Safe gun around at your head when he turned to say HUH? to you! :barf:

No thanks, I don't want to get shot, I would have left as well. I wouldn't want to be witness to some crime where the guy blows his buddy's stomach all over the place and I'd be the only witness.
No thanks.;)
 
You were not in a postition of authority over them sarge....

And had you assumed to be in one, and either instruct or lecture them... or ball them out and tell them to hit the road, you may have well provoked a reaction that you would not have been prepared to deal with.

Please look into the book "The Gift of Fear" (several reviews and comments on it can be found on THR)... because you just experienced it.

Your intuition said "this is way screwed up, get the hell out of here" and now your cognitive thought is loading you up with guilt.

There is a very strong argument made in TGoF that intuitive thought is FAR superior, faster, and less distracted than cognitive thought, and that we do ourselves a great service to pay attention to it.

If nothing else, you'll find the topic interesting and the anectodes compelling.

It's written by a former DA who went into security consulting and has written the threat evaluation policy for the SCOTUS.
 
Thanks SSN Vet, you helped me feel a lot better about this "situation". I'm still scratching my head and asking myself..."How can someone be so stupid?"
 
It comes with very little common-sense.
A lot of people just have no common-sense, at all!

I know very intelligent people who would stand there and try to get the brush fire going more by dumping the gas straight from the can onto the smoldering fire! Then, the guy wonders why flames are leaping up onto his clothes!

Fortunately, someone inside saw it happen and ran out to stop the guy! The guy is probably a genius as for brains, but he just doesn't know which way a screw goes in!

Maybe there are several screws a bit too loose!


Having 39 warning labels on everything you purchase doesn't help, who takes time to read all those?
 
That might have been Bill Tell, you never know?

I bet he was just practicing up enough to shoot a beer can off his buddy's head next!

rc
 
The last two generations of military service in the US has been with an all volunteer, "profesional" corp of some pretty talented and dedicated people.

I don't know how long you've been out, but I suspect you're getting a view of "stupid" that would either never make it into, or would have been quickly weeded out of the 7th Cav.
 
Hindsight is 20/20...

You have nothing to feel guilty about - stop beating yourself up over it. You could have called the Police, but then again, they weren't endangering anyone else - correct? And who's to say if they might have turned on you in a threatening manner or attacked you!? People are the worlds most dangerous animals, and animals are not people! You were just trusting your instincts, and many times that alone will save your life. God bless and take care. :)
 
If they were stupid enough for the activity you witnessed, there is no telling how a conversation with them might have gone.

You sir, did the right thing by getting home safely to the wife! You should only feel bad that you missed the range time.
 
Just don’t earn your own Darwin Award by saying “Hey, these fools are the most reckless people I’ve ever seen with a firearm. Maybe I’ll hang out and see what happens.”
 
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