RSO Stories

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mdauben said:
I agree that everyone on the range is to an extent responsible for safety. When I'm shooting though, I'm concentrating on my shooting, not anyone else. In my opinion, I do not feel I could devote adequate attention being both a range officer and a shooter. YMMV.
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Perhaps what we are calling an RSO is different. In my book, and at several matches i have been to you have a few guys milling around....Catching a rifle on a table still loaded and pointing down range is a big no no....if you are shooting and playing RSO what do you do first....run down the line and check everyone...then go do your targets.

It is just flat f-ing stupid....and no one in their right mind can do both things.....even if you are qualified to do both, it is stupid work load.

It is only a matter of time, and when something happens it will be too late.....your range will be gone.
 
fpgt72 said:
I quoted and made a comment that the person that tossed a hissy fit was acting like a child.
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I misunderstood (mea culpa), and agree.
...and use very small words.
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No need. Mrs. Brown ran a tough 5th-grade class back in the mid-50s.
(Then again today . . . https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brie...tate-whose-majority-can-pass-citizenship-test

I do hope you understand (. . . really :neener:)
If the clubs I belong to had a policy like that I can see a very easy to win suit in your clubs future.
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I will pass it on.... (Though in our case, a selection of members are voluntarily appointed/NRA-trained/Certified/scheduled so that the range does not open unless one or more are there to run it. To date -- range open 6-1/2 days a week/rain-or-shine/never close for lack of an RSO, and as much coaching as policing is the norm.

Not a Nazi amongst them, and I've never heard a validated complaint taken to the Board (Probably because we're all devilishly good looking/full of charm :cool:. . . (except when we're not)
:cuss:
 
Sistema1927 said:
Apparently.

It appears that some folks aren't happy unless someone is watching over their shoulder for any little infraction. I appreciate the fact that I have the opportunity to belong to a club that treats its members like responsible adults.
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You still couldn't be missing the point more. This isn't about wanting or needing RSO's or not having the capacity of being responsible. Geez. I'm glad you like your club and it's working for you. But ignoring the exposure they have is very shortsighted.
 
Some say not to shoot by yourself.

I prefer to be alone...;)
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This is me. I go down in the draw to shoot and tell my wife; "if you hear the shooting stop and I don't show up after a half hour, you might check to see if I'm okay." Never thought about somebody wandering up, shooting me, and stealing the guns. Of course, I'm in the boonies, on my own land, shoot only a few weekends a month, never for more than an hour, and the timing is unpredictable. I hope I'd see someone watching that closely before it became an issue.....
 
A friend brought me to his club. I'd never been there before and we're shooting trap which is something that I almost never do. I'm being super safety concious at a new club. I'm behind the shooter awaiting my turn. The shooter fires and misses. I immediately here a shotgun blast from BEHIND me. The knucklehead thought if was OK for him to shoot if the man at the station missed. I couldn't believe that happened. I later found out that the knucklehead was actually a pretty skilled shooter. Good shooters can still be idiots. Never went back to that club.
 
Sistema1927 said:
Not possible to do both jobs at once? Sure it is.

As I said, this is the system under which I have operated for over 25 years, and it is flawless. This is a club with about 1,000 members, all of them are expected to know the rules and obey them. Failure to do so is grounds for immediate termination of membership.

At the same time, everyone is responsible for safety, anyone can call a cease fire at any time for safety reasons. The RSO is responsible for calling periodic cease fires for re-setting targets, etc. And checks that the line is safe prior to calling the range cold. Once everyone is back he calls the range hot. It isn't that difficult.
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The job of the RSO is to keep an eye on the entire line and watch for unsafe acts. As an example is there a right handed shooter draw in from a shoulder holster on the far right end of the line? Is someone experiencing a malfunction and muzzling the line trying to clear it?

Assuming you take your duties seriously you can't shoot and RSO at the same time
 
Lyle Wyatt said:
The range I belong to doesn't use the RSO system but it is extensive enough and has so many bays that you can generally have one to yourself.
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My private gun club is never busy.
we have no RSO system.
There is no need because there is never anyone there. (Only about 300 members total)
I feel bad for people that have to share the range with thousands of shooters.
That must be frustrating
 
I wouldn't be a member of a club where the first shooter to the range has to sever as RSO. It's a totally stupid rule. My range has no one in charge, the rules are clearly posted, and if you are caught breaking them and reported you lose your key to the gate. In all the years I've been a member I've only seen two incidences of stupid and unsafe behavior. My solution to the problem both times was to quickly pack up and leave. I have stated before that I go early and on weekdays only. It's never crowded and sometimes I'm the only one there. I have never encountered anyone being unsafe at these times. The two incidences I mentioned made me adopt my time to shoot at the range along with it being cool and the least wind in summer.
 
mrmike7189 said:
My private gun club is never busy.
we have no RSO system.
There is no need because there is never anyone there. (Only about 300 members total)
I feel bad for people that have to share the range with thousands of shooters.
That must be frustrating
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We have 700 members and no RSO policy. You are your own RSO.
 
I had a police officer off duty come by me as I was sighting in a new scope on the 100 yd range,(he was on the 25 yd range two spot's over) come over and tell me to be more careful with my weapon because he and his friend were shooting up close away from the firing line, as he pointed to the rules that said not to shoot when someone is down range.Not intimidated by the 'Badge', I said as i pointed to the rules to only shoot from the firing line, he then walked away.This a non RSO state range. The unwritten rules are if someone wants to do that we just ask for a cease fire and let the person go down for a short "test" of whatever they want to do, simple. Just another arrogant cop.
 
Interesting stories. I still keep my NRA Instructor and RSO certifications current but don't use them anymore. I never had issues on civilian or military ranges that I was RSO/OIC/AI/ Safety Officer on.

But one time in the early 80's I was OIC for an 81mm mortar range at Ft. Chaffee, AR. I was with the Fire Direction Controllers behind the gun line and my Section Sgt was running the line. I had spent a fair amount of time on gun lines when I was enlisted and as an officer.

I heard one of the mortars fire and it didn't sound right. A few seconds later I heard "cease fire!". I hustled down to the gun line and my Section Sgt was looking at one of the tubes. He saw me and said "sir, look down that tube". My reply was not too polite, but he finally convinced me it was okay.

I looked down the tube and saw the fin assembly still in the tube but not the rest of the round. So. The explosive part of the round went out with no stabilization. Everything shut down everywhere. Our XO finally found where the round had hit on the northern edge of the impact area and a crater analysis confirmed it came from our firing point.

We stayed shut down and left the firing point. I ended up talking to a Colonel from Ordanance who asked me if I wanted to condemn the lot of ammo. Apparently it was my call since I was the OIC. I said yes.

I didn't know that lot was being used world wide until I ran into a friend at Ft. Campbell a couple of months later who was in the middle of a live fire at the time when they shut him down and pulled all of their ammo.
 
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I worked at the LGS that had an indoor range. For anyone who assumes that all shooters are responsible adults, I can show you the bullet holes in the ceiling right above the firing line, divots in the floor directly ahead of the firing line, and bullet holes in the dividers between lanes.
 
Thats the reason why I stopped going to the indoor range and joined a private outdoor club.
The scary gun handling, suicides, and of course I like to breath natural fresh air, not suck in gunpowder smoke!
 
Being score keeper and standing next to the RSO. We tell a guy to load and make ready. He is shooting a 1911. He holsters the gun and fires a round about 1 foot from my toes and a couple of inches from the RSO. He starts to wave the gun - Wha happen? RSO grabs his wrist in death grip. He is sent away.

About holes at the range. I go to a new indoor range with my kid. She points to the ceiling above us, full of holes. The RSO sighs and said it took a month to do that. Another new range, the RSO is showing me the new gadgets. I look the the target holder full of lead splashes and comments. He sighs and points me to the bullet proof glass partitions. One has a big star pattern where it took a round. Now that is scary.
 
I'm not an RSO, but when I was a senior Army ROTC cadet we had a bunch of JROTC cadets join us for a fun-filled weekend exercise. I got to be one of the RSOs (or a quasi-RSO; the events are hazy). A young man was firing his M-16 when it had a misfire and he whirled around toward...everyone behind him, squeezing the trigger all the while and saying it would not fire. We all hit the deck, screamed at him, and laughed it off. Funny ha-ha. Not.
 
Sistema1927 said:
As I said, this is the system under which I have operated for over 25 years, and it is flawless. This is a club with about 1,000 members, all of them are expected to know the rules and obey them. Failure to do so is grounds for immediate termination of membership.
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My problem with this statement is that expectations aren't always met. I don't trust people not to be stupid. I don't know exactly what the number is but once you have a certain number of people on the range IMO you need some one who is tasked solely with watching the line.

Having said that I'm not the kind of person who would take it upon myself to nominate myself to the position.

The situation I described at my club has only ever happened the one time that I'm aware of and the club has since put in 8 more berms and overcrowding isn't an issue anymore
 
Batty67 said:
. . . he whirled around toward...everyone behind him, squeezing the trigger all the while and saying it would not fire.
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These 45 years later, my father still vividly recalls an Air Force RSO providing explicit instruction about this point, and reminding all present why exactly the RSO was armed. Apparently the lecture was memorable.
 
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GEM said:
He sighs and points me to the bullet proof glass partitions. One has a big star pattern where it took a round. Now that is scary.
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My local indoor range has a stall with the same thing. Apparently a young lady turned back toward her friend to take a damned picture. Shot the glass point blank.

When ever I go shooting, if that stall is open, I take it. I figure it's kind of like lightning.
 
Not quite a RSO story but I met a guy at my range that said he went to a gun store/range that gave discounts to veterans. He asked what was their rules on vet's they asked him his service time, he said three yrs in Army and one tour in VN, they said he didn't qualify. Seriously? He walked out.
 
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