Unsafe Guy at the Range Today

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russ69

russ69

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It was one of those days. I was shooting at a very small indoor range with my buddy. A new guy comes in, I step back as I'm putting 22s into my magazine. The guy takes the station between me and my buddy, he slides a fresh mag into the auto pistol with the slide locked back, then he fumbles the gun and catches it before it drops off the bench. I say; "Whoa, whoa, go easy there buddy". He wasn't ready to shoot just popping in a fresh mag of ammo. My antenna is fully extended now.
He pops off a few mags, then he walks back behind the line with his gun pointed to the side wall, pulls the mag, pulls the trigger, drops the hammer, then fully fumbles this time and drops the gun. By my count it's like 6 safety violations in 5 seconds. That's enough for me, I read him the riot act (muzzles down range, actions open, no guns behind the line) and I'm outta there!

Thanx, Russ

P.S. He's posting right now about the AH at the range today. LOL.
 
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He left the shooting station, pulled the mag then pulled the trigger? :what: Yikes. He needed the riot act. I would have broken the ice by asking which federal agency he worked for.

EDIT: you meant no loaded or closed action guns behind the line right?
 
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Wow...not good. That is some scary behavior right there.

I think I would take the teacher stance first, then maybe go to the riot act if he/she is a nimrod. I have seen some nervous first time shooters, a couple at my CCW class do some stupid things because they are out of their comfort zone and nervous and twitchy. Just taking the time with them (2-5 minutes) will settle them down a bit.

Not everyone has the benefit of a mentor. I think if when I started taking my boat out. yeah I knew the laws but there are a number of ramp rules for launching and landing your boat that I simply was unaware of and they don't teach. I had some good dudes who took the time (when they had a lot better things to do) to explain the rules to me. I have since paid it forward to some other newbies.

Now if you take that time and the dude won't listen then riot act on him.
 
In most states there's no requisite training before a person buys their first firearm. In Illinois, gun shops have to give out a state pamphlet with each handgun purchase that explains basic gun safety, and of course safety is in all of the manuals.. BUT there's no guarantee people will read them.

Some people just don't know better. Introduce yourself, have some idle banter to put them at ease, and then pull them aside and (as much as possible) without being patronizing, explain to them that you observed some unsafe behavior. Tell them you have a friend who lost someone to an accidental discharge (you do - me), and walk through the safety stuff.

If there's a seriously dangerous situation, skip the introduction and idle banter part and just yell "STOP". I've been downrange when someone's opened fire at the range before. I was out checking targets with my (then) 6 year old son, while a dozen people were sitting on a cold firing line. A new shooter pulled up, set up, and opened fire on the targets downrange. I was <...irate...> not only because that guy didn't bother checking if the range was cold or hot, but also because there were a dozen people there (including three of my friends), and no one stopped him before he'd sent a half dozen rounds downrange.

So .. yeah, yell stop. If someone is handling a weapon during a cease fire at an open range, or sweeps a muzzle of a closed breech outside of the 180 degree arc at an indoor range, you have every right to stop the proceedings until the situation is straightened out.
 
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This sounds like a guy that doesn't know any better.
Playing DI didn't accomplish anything.

Teach him. Don't bereate him.
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I bet he knows better now, and won't forget the lesson. Sorry, but if said individual is an adult he should have known better, and deserved a stern talking to.
 
Yo Mamma Said:
I bet he knows better now, and won't forget the lesson. Sorry, but if said individual is an adult he should have known better, and deserved a stern talking to.
Click to expand...

OP Said:
P.S. He's posting right now about the AH at the range today. LOL.
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I doubt it. I agree, people should be tougher but not all people respond to the same type of instruction. I am a firm believer that all people have the right to safe and educated gun ownership, not just the ones who have the natural ability or the ones who take well to being yelled at.

In order for us to foster the growth of our sport we need to be the educators for ALL new shooters, not just the ones we feel fit the mold.
 
An incident happened at a gun show this month.

This is a given:
*All gunshows have check points prior to entering the venue to inspect and "tie disable" the guns with tie-wraps. Absolutely NO loaded weapons will be allowed past this point of entry; CHL or not*

At the show's location there are public restrooms in the building's lobby before entering the checkpoint. Some guy was in the restroom with his small kid and decided to reload his licensed "carry" before going home. A round accidently discharges. No one was hurt but as you would expect, the incident induced a bit of activity by the local law enforcement and show staff at the check site nearby.

The Anti-Gun coalition has just been given another "bullet" in their cache of defense.


Be smart folks-
 
Reminds me of the the time we did a project at Remington. One of our team members who NEVER touched a gun before. Was firing a large caliber handgun (think it was a 45 or 50 cal) at the range. With the gun still loaded, safety off, finger on the trigger, gun pointed level about mid torso height, she turns to all of us on her right side to tell us how awesome the gun is and swept the line. First time I ever dove on the floor at a range and i was joined by a half a dozen people.

yeah, good times. I have to admit, like the OP, she got the riot act from me and the other people laying on the floor.
 
Sounds like he needed someone to help him out a little.
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Seconded.

And "Whoa, whoa, go easy there buddy"? Seriously? Because that's really going to calm his nerves. Since I've got nothing good to say about that comment, I'll simply state that either actually helping him or getting him help would have been better than drawing even more attention to his fumbling and more than likely making him more jittery in the process now that you've drawn everybody's attention to him.
 
We are in the information age here.
Ignorance is getting close to a deliberate act.

I would have taken a moment to teach if that happened on my range, but on my range the new shooters are my guests and I'm not on the rental clock. If I were on the rental clock, I'd be exiting and demanding a refund.
And oddly, now that I've escaped the rental ranges, I don't encounter the deliberate ignorance, somehow.

The basic concepts of "keep the hurty end pointed into the backstop" and "don't point the hurty end at people" are too simple, no more free passes are available for these concepts. The 4 rules (or the NRA 3 rules, at least) are on the wall at most ranges, the manual has 4 cubic butt-tons of safety info, the 'net has the 4 rules in every permutation possible including video demonstrations. No more excuses!
 
We had a guy like that at the club range one night. He was a doctor who'd just joined.

The range officer saw him drop his firearm on the floor. Investigating, the range officer noticed that the guy smelled like a distillery. He disarmed him and sent him home. He called a member of the Board of Directors who held an emergency meeting to expel the doctor and refund his dues.

Flash forward a week or two. Local Cleveland news reports a doctor arrested for being passed out drunk on the side of the interstate, a loaded gun (and no CHL) on the seat next to him. Guess who that doctor was...
 
I can't pile on the OP too hard because I wasn't there. We all handle various events differently, the best we can at the time.

That being said, I would have kept an eye on the guy after the first fumble-fingers incident, and informed the RO immediately after the second. We all need to be educators, but when you're at someone else's range and the rules are being broken, let the RO's who get paid to fix problems fix the problem.
 
I usually give them a chance with a "whoa buddy, watch where your pointing that thing". Then if they respond poorly, or do it again, they get a sterner message.

On really dangerous behavior I have been known to go "WTH do you think your doing?", first time out.

Really depends on the situation. Only the OP knows if he responded correctly.
 
Walkalong said:
Really depends on the situation. Only the OP knows if he responded correctly.
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Agreed. I won't yell at someone except as a last resort. My high school principal was like that, a Marine reserve DI.
 
He pops off a few mags, then he walks back behind the line.......
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Do you mean he fired a few mags? I'm just trying to understand if he ever got to the point where he shot.

At any rate, new guys are worth watching from a safety perspective, and worth helping from a friendly perspective. We need more shooters, not a closed club.
 
I carry a handgun every day of my life, and I try to get to the range at least 3 times a week. As I tell everyone who asks about this great right of ours. I also add that this right also carries with it great responsiblity. We all had to start somewhere and at some time. This guy certainly needs help and instruction.All of us seasoned shooters need to make ourselves available to help others who want to get started in this great sport of ours.
 
Personally I wouldn't have used the "whoa, whoa" line either ... I would tend to be polite - but firm - in asking a jittery armed individual to please do or not do certain fundamental things (like please don't point that anywhere but downrange). Whether he complies or not, I would ahve also informed the RO or manager, as he's a potential hazard to himself and others.

This has happened to me more than once, sadly, including one bad incident in 2004 when a gent who rented a 1911 at the range. He was fumbling with it, holding it sideways, trying to figure out the grip safety, apparently. Good thing I stepped back from the line - two seconds later came a negligent discharge, straight across where I had been standing a moment earlier. I walked right out of the range (not even picking up my belongings), and told the manager he just had a serious incident, and please clear that gentleman out so I can get my gear. And, by the way, he has a hole in his wall now... Despite my deeply wanting to berate (at a minimum) the offending individual, I was more concerned about the careless guy with a 1911 (who apparently had limited command of English to boot). That was not a good opportunity to either educate or chastise.
 
Also keep in mind that when someone is new to a hobby and around people who aren't new, they sometimes get nervous and flustered. I have been there. And I have made bone head mistakes (albeit not life-threatening ones) that drew criticism from others and was so embarrassing that I didn't want to even try it again.

I'm not saying this is what happend in the OPs situation, just saying some people are like that and would greatly appreciate someone taking the time to say "let me help you with that".

On the other hand, some people think they know what they're doing and will take your attempts at instruction as insulting.
 
Do not spare someone's pride/feelings/dignity if they are being unsafe at the range. Do whatever it takes to let them know that they are being unsafe. It's not worth risking your life because you don't want to hurt a guy's feelings. Better to berate him than say nothing at all. Obviously, if you have the restraint to do it kindly, and in an educative manner, then do so. But don't stand by idly while some newbie/moron endangers you or other range-goers' safety.

Well done, OP. That guy will likely not make those mistakes again.
 
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