As mentioned, this policy is supposed to cut down on people renting guns to commit suicide. A friend of mine who used to run a range had this happen. A guy came in and wanted to rent a gun to shoot on the range. Tom worked with the guy to get him familiar with the gun, and once he was convinced the guy was not a danger to himself or others, he left him on the range. The guy shot for awhile and then put one through his own head after he'd had enough fun shooting.I went to a gun store while on vacation and inquired about rentals for their indoor range. The clerk said I had to have a second person with me in order to rent.
Tom had to clean up the mess, he lost a regular customer (another guy who was on the range when it happened and never came back after the incident) and got to field irate calls from the suicide's family who tried to blame him for renting a gun to the guy.
The policy can be a hassle, but I just can't blame the ranges that feel like they have to take this step.
Most ranges with this type of policy will let you rent as long as you bring a friend OR a gun of your own.