Person killed at the local range

[brasscollector]

Just reading the news this morning and there's an article about a man killed at the local public range. This saddens me very much as I hate to see anyone lose a life just getting out on a Saturday to enjoy his hobby. I cannot, however, say this surprises me. This is a very popular spot, about an hours drive from a medium metro area and just across the border from IL. I do get down to this very range quite often, usually early in the morning as to try and avoid all the craziness that takes place mid day and into the evening. No RSOs, in fact I've only seen a warden drive through once in all the times I've been there. I do occasionally see uniformed officers/deputies there but not to patrol the range, they're using it. I'm sure there will be an outcry from the typical crowd but it's hard to say what if anything will change.

 

[kcofohio]

The article's update quoted the sheriff as saying it seems the individual died of a self inflicted gunshot wound.

That could be of a suicide or an AD.

 

[WestKentucky]

Self inflicted indicates suicide. Could be ND though. I hate it when they leave things so open for speculation.

 

[milemaker13]

Terrible that he had to choose a public range to do this (assuming suicide) vs just walking out into the woods somewhere. Totally different if it was an AD/ND.
Very sad either way.

 

[jmorris]

Back in the fall of 2002 I was at a club match and a fellow that had been shooting for years was having light strikes with a revolver he was shooting and was going through the stages, bang, bang, bang, click, bang, bang, click, click, click, bang, style. Fast forward a few stages and he went through a cylinder at least twice with mostly “clicks” then pointed the firearm at his face so he could see the bullets from the cylinder side. One hang fire away from being a Darwin Award contestant.

I can still see the event, in slow motion, in my mind and think about it whenever I am about to do something that is not safe.

 

[somethingbenign]

All of our local ranges except one have have one shooting incident at them. If you talk to the owners they claim they were all suicide attempts and watching the footage I'd agree. Even with a RSO things just happen so fast. As much as I'd like to get on these guy's case for using shooting ranges for this I do wonder what can be done for outreach and prevention.

 

[jmr40]

Suicide is not uncommon at shooting ranges.

 

[WiTom]

This is very sad, as it appears it was a 19 year old from up by Madison, and was a suicide. This is the range close to us, and I had heard it on the scanner. My wife and I don't go there, on weekends, because it is so full, of people waiting to shoot.

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

There was a suicide this year at a range near me.

 

[cjwils]

I believe suicides at ranges happen mostly at ranges that rent guns. A suicidal person who does not own a gun can go to a range, rent a gun, and kill themselves. Ranges that rent in my area will not rent to a non-member who comes in alone without a gun of their own. If you come in with someone else, you can rent. The thinking is that suicidal people go to the range alone, not with friends.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Ranges that rent in my area will not rent to a non-member who comes in alone without a gun of their own. If you come in with someone else, you can rent. The thinking is that suicidal people go to the range alone, not with friends.

Same with most of them here.

 

[DeeTV]

A suicidal person who does not own a gun can go to a range, rent a gun, and kill themselves

This happened at a place fairly near to me a year or two ago

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

We had two fatalities at ranges in town in the last 2 years, one suicide (longtime member with his own gun), and a young boy who hit one the roof I-beams and the ricochet came back and hit him. Very tragic.

Of course we also had a girl accidentally shoot her boyfriend in the rump after a hot shell casing went down her blouse. That range now requires tight fitting collars- they will sell you a t-shirt if you need one.

 

[JR24]

Sad news. Home town is near my old neck of the woods.

 

[ACES&8S]

Breaks your heart to hear of such youth gone.
Can't imagine what the family is going thru & don't forget the owners of the range.
This is the main reason I decided not to make a public shooting range here.
It was a dream of mine for when I retired then everything fell in place to make it happen &
the more I looked into it the more liability & heartache would come with it.
.

 

[old lady new shooter]

At my old range they also would not rent a gun to anyone who arrived alone. I believe they had one or more suicides that way prior to when I became a member there.

 

[MedWheeler]

jmr40 writes:

Suicide is not uncommon at shooting ranges.

Yep. Had one at the place I shoot at sometimes a few years back, a case of gun-rental exit..

 

[Sistema1927]

There are lots of hurting people out there, and even more who are left when someone decides to take a permanent solution to their temporary problems. A sad reality in this broken world.

 

[HPCadm17]

A person died from a self inflicted gunshot wound this past week at a range near me as well. It's a small indoor range with at least one RSO always present. There haven't been any details since the initial report. I don't know what, if anything, an RSO could do to prevent something like that, as it certainly would happen far too quickly for anyone to realize what's going on, let alone try to stop it.

 

[H&R Glock]

I keep a close eye on new people at my gun club. You just can't trust everyone with a gun. I say that because there are several bullet holes in the roof of our pistol range and a few in the roof of the rifle range. There is even a big blast hole in a cement block base to a shooting point. Some fool was being an idiot to cause these bullet holes and probably came close to a bad accident. I don't want to be the unlucky bystander when these accidents occur. If you see someone behaving incorrectly, you must assume the role of a range officer and correct them. If they don't obey, You can quickly call the sheriff to intervene. Haven't had to call the infantry yet.

 

[Slamfire]

A local indoor range, in which I shoot 22lr Bullseye Pistol, the range master said they had two suicides. One went into the bathroom and did it there.

 

[old lady new shooter]

I keep a close eye on new people at my gun club. You just can't trust everyone with a gun. I say that because there are several bullet holes in the roof of our pistol range and a few in the roof of the rifle range. There is even a big blast hole in a cement block base to a shooting point. Some fool was being an idiot to cause these bullet holes and probably came close to a bad accident. I don't want to be the unlucky bystander when these accidents occur. If you see someone behaving incorrectly, you must assume the role of a range officer and correct them. If they don't obey, You can quickly call the sheriff to intervene. Haven't had to call the infantry yet.

I go during the day during the week.

 

[Milt1]

Suicide is not uncommon at shooting ranges.

I agree! We had a divorcee that lived across the street from us whose ex went to a shooting range and while sitting in his car committed suicide. This fellow was a successful businessman and very nice looking and you wonder Why? Perhaps the marriage breaking up did it (?). Regardless, it's very sad for the family members that are left behind.

 

[JR24]

I keep a close eye on new people at my gun club. You just can't trust everyone with a gun. I say that because there are several bullet holes in the roof of our pistol range and a few in the roof of the rifle range. There is even a big blast hole in a cement block base to a shooting point. Some fool was being an idiot to cause these bullet holes and probably came close to a bad accident. I don't want to be the unlucky bystander when these accidents occur. If you see someone behaving incorrectly, you must assume the role of a range officer and correct them. If they don't obey, You can quickly call the sheriff to intervene. Haven't had to call the infantry yet.

I have a good circumstance where I'm generally the only person at the range, or have the flexibility to leave and return when I'm alone.

I nearly always do so, as I much prefer the peace of mind from and empty space.

 

[WestKentucky]

The thoughts of this are a bit scary. Makes me wonder if I should let strangers test-drive my guns at the range. Usually the guys there bring their own guns, but every once in a while there’s that person who just seems curious to why people enjoy shooting...that’s the ones who I can see asking to try it out.