Range trip yesterday evening....

[shefearsnothing]

So yesterday evening I had the pleasure of giving a fellow poster from PAFOA a tour of the range we belong to (Palmyra Sportsmen's Association). We went to shoot pistol.

When we went into the pistol range there were already a couple of guys there. I was a little disappointed about that because a lot of times when I go there no one else is there. I have been spoiled in that I get it all to myself then. Oh well, I thought. We'll deal. And then I watched them....

Now I did not know said poster (I'll leave it up to him if he wants to respond here and reveal his identity. LOL) before yesterday except through brief emails to coordinate the tour/shoot. I knew how I wanted to react to what I saw and I feel we should all be so inclined but not everyone is quite as forward as I am so I just looked at my guest and said "I might have to walk out of here." He nodded and expressed that he saw what I saw and was a bit leery as well.

Here is what I observed: these guys walked up to their targets and just started yanking away on the trigger like they were practicing for a drive by. Once they were "done" they turned around PISTOLS POINTED OUT IN FRONT OF THEM AND IN OUR DIRECTION and walked back to the counter. (I call it a counter but it's where you stand if you want to shoot from 20 or 25 yards I guess and they have those panels hanging to divide "lanes" but we have to walk down to hang targets at our range.)

Now granted, when they turned around their pistols were open action but hell, there could have been a casing that was lodged in there for all we knew. As fast as they were shooting I am sure they weren't aware of how many rounds they fired off. Also, we were standing far off to the side so they weren't pointed directly at us but that's not the point at all and when they turned around we were certainly swept for a brief second.

I didn't say anything at first. I was in a bit of shock. Then I noticed the ventillation fan wasn't on. At that point they weren't shooting and I walked back to turn it on and I yelled to them "hey you guys have to have this fan on!!!"

A few minutes later I asked them if the range was cold. I wasn't sure if they were getting ready to walk back down and shoot or not. (I think there was an unspoken agreement that we were going to observe and slowly load our mags before we were willing to walk up there with our backs to these guys or stand next to them while shooting for that matter if we could help it.) One of them looked at me like I was crazy and after I asked a few more times it was clear he didn't know what I was talking about. I might as well have asked him what the temperature on Mars was at that moment. Now I don't mind explaining things to people, really I don't but once I explained it they used the terms "range is hot" and "range is cold" like it was some fancy new lingo and they were in HS. I think they were making an ass out of me to be honest.

About the time we were ready to hang our targets they were getting ready to leave. Whew! What a relief!

So we shoot for a bit. A nice couple comes in and we have some great conversation. Wife didn't have any eye protection and I said "well you can't shoot without those..." so her husband went and got her some sunglasses out of the car. They left shortly and we kept on shooting....

Shortly after that we turn around and in come those guys again. We just looked at each other and I am sure we were both thinking the same thing. We had each hung a fresh target and were standing on the line getting ready to fire. I said, "hey guys, we'll wait for you until we start." I honestly didn't want them fooling around with their guns at the counter behind us and that is EXACTLY what they were doing!! My guest seemed to agree.

These guys took FOREVER!!! Finally we just said ok, let's just do this because it was going to be our last "round" of mags and then we were going to clean up and go anyway. When we finished I turned around and said to them, "ok the range is cold." The guys look at me and say, "oh ok, " and one of them just stands there and keeps fooling around with his gun. I said "Excuse me, the range is cold." He says "yeah ok." and just gives me this dumbass look. I said "when the range is cold your weapon is either on the table open action or in your holster please." He put it down and just kind of looked at me. I was hoping he didn't shoot me while I cleaned up my casings.

Now when we were finishing up another man had come in and I pulled him aside and told him that for his own safety he might want to keep an eye on them. I didn't feel bad about doing this. Anyone here can tell me I'm just a bitch for doing that but these guys were just on the careless side. I swear at one point I saw one of those idiots pointing the barrel up at his face. I could have been mistaken. I was trying not to stare and just glimpse enough to be sure they weren't pointing them at me.

I know we have all seen people doing stupid things with guns. This probably takes the cake as far as things I have personally seen at the range though. I don't know exactly who the club officers are because I have not gone to any of the meetings but I'll tell you one thing: there did seem to be some sort of organized something or other going on upstairs and if I did know that there was a club officer up there I'd have pulled them down there and asked them to step in. I don't mind being the one telling someone to be safe but these guys were not interested in having conversation. I did ask them what they were shooting to test the waters and see if they would engage in conversation. Nada. They told me and that was that. Never asked what I was shooting. Nothing. Oh, they wanted to know where I got my targets...picture of a thug pointing his own gun at you. I knew before I hung it that they would ask me that. I just knew....

Feel free to tell me anywhere I went wrong here.

PS. If the couple who was at the range has found their way to the site and sees this....HI!!!! It was wonderful meeting you!

[gnbrotz]

Feel free to tell me anywhere I went wrong here.

Did you ask to see their membership cards (so you would have their names)?

Have you contacted any of your club officers?

[MadamRaven]

It's careless people like that who will help us lose our rights...being a gun owner is a huge responsibility and if you are going to be in public, have respect for the rules and have common sense...if you thought they were pointing their own guns at their own faces then surely they have no concept of the responsibility that comes with being a gun owner... surely they range has IDs and waivers on file of this group and I would be sure to notify the range owners of their carelessness and perhaps they wouldn't be allowed to practice for their drive-bys again... I wouldn't have been as nice as you...I woulda "mommed" them so to speak

[Lycanthrope]

Range etiquette and safety must be taught. A lot of new shooters have no one to teach them or training. "Treating every gun as it were loaded" usually takes some initial explaining to people who are of the mindset that an open weapon is "safe".

I don't get irritated (although I might get antsy!), I just try to teach them to the best of my ability in a friendly way.

If they don't want to hear it and they are being unsafe, report them to a range officer and/or leave.


Lycanignorancehappensthrope

[ReconLdr]

I am not afraid to say I was Meleanies guest at the range last night... This being said those guys were dangerous. I was not comfortable with them behind me/us waving their pistols. In all of my years on ranges with the military I know they would have been thumped with a range paddle.

They were mashing the trigger as fast as they could clearly with little to know control over the gun. I am not a master pistol shot by any stretch of the imagination but I do know there is no way they could get sight alignment/picture the way they were shooting. They did every classic "gangsta" technique other than rotating the gun to the side.

I know that being able to aquire a target and fire rapidly is an important skill but what they were doing clearly had no training value. This coupled with the fact they broke every range rule and courtesy leads me to believe they have no respect for the laws that the rest of us abide by. (my opinion) This is also the reason that I have not "joined" a shooting club even after all these years. I will have to join one soon because my normal shooting place will no longer be available after september. The farm land will begin development into a gated residential community after the harvest at the end of this growing season. I know that my application for membership would have to be approved if they let these guys join.

The couple we me were very nice people and I hope they join us here on the forum. Unfortunately neither Meleanie or I had flyers to hand out.

Meleanie was fun to shoot with... You can call me to go shooting anytime. I hope you didn't take offense to the "advice" I gave you.

Adam

[Lastdefender]

Ugh! I hate stories like this as jerks like those you encountered give us all a bad name. Sounds like you did about all you could with the exception of getting their names or member numbers and reporting them to your safety committee.

[shefearsnothing]

Our names are not on our membership cards. My husband asked me if I asked to see their cards and I said that I thought about it because when you agree to the membership terms you do agree to show your card whenever ANYONE asks to see it. I HATE to stereotype but since we all do (or at least SHOULD) practice situational awareness I'm just going to come right out and say that the way these guys were acting was in a manner that would cause me to pay very close attention to them even if we were not at a range. If I were ANYWHERE and they showed up I would be paying close attention to them. They were just pretty shady all around.

Thank you Adam for backing me up on the account of our trip last night. Honestly I have never seen these guys there before so I hope you don't think our range is full of people who act like that. The few times I have seen others there or been on the range while others were shooting they DID practice safe handling and basic range safety. (A few of the members here went to the range with me after my hearing and can attest to that.)

Also, I didn't mind the advice at all. Obviously I can't see what you see when I'm shooting. I appreciate your taking the time to observe and give me feedback. You weren't obligated to do that at all.

I think I will contact someone tomorrow although I don't know that it will do a lot of good since I don't have their names. I don't know how I might have asked them given their demeanor. Maybe you "had to be there" to know what I mean but they were pretty unapproachable. Like I said, I tried asking them about what pistols they were shooting and I barely got a response to that. Some people don't like to be bothered when they're at the range I guess although I don't think they were "anti-social" so to speak. I think they were just plain shady. I think I get along well with people (ok soccer moms aside) and I can generally strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

Thank you for the input and I'll look for more feedback on this in case anyone has any to offer.

[FNG19]

We're a community, and we're supposed to watch each other's backs. Safety is everyone's concern. There is nothing inappropriate about politely clarifying and/or explaining the safety rules of the range. I, personally, have zero issue if people call me out on safety issues because it makes me a safer shooter. In fact, I encourage it. I, in turn, feel that it's my responsibility to do so for other people for the same reason.

As far as I'm concerned, Meleanie, you did the right thing. I might've called them out earlier on the horseplay, but I wasn't there, so I'm just Monday Morning Quarterbacking here. Take that for what it's worth(less).

[SilentRage]

Sounds like a few dumbasses to me , and you had every right to be
a bit leary , but as far as finding out who they were might be hard .
I don't know how it is in you're area but most of the ranges I go to
you don't have to be a member to shoot , they usually have a metal
box bolted down to something for non-members to pay to shoot ,
usually around $3.00 .

[rovert97]

i see these types all the time at the SGL range in Pike Co.
i tend to just go back to the car, and wait it out, or go over to the 50 and 100 yard ranges, and bs with some of the regulars over there until the dummies get frustrated, or run outa ammo and leave.

ive tried talking some sense into some of them, but they are too ignorant to listen, or even read the rules. yet every time something like this happens, the PGC is no where to be found.