Idiots at the firing range...

[East_TN_Patriot]

I managed to make it out to the shooting range today for a little plinking. I was happily shooting away when out of the corner of my eye I see the guy at the end of the firing line go bee-bop downrange to set up his targets. I stopped in shock and heard the folks next to me say, "Did the range go cold?!?" I responded, "It wasn't until that moron walked out there." Wow...

What's worse is that you must pay for a membership there and attend a safety class before they issue you a gate key.

Then we have a group of people who couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if they were locked inside of it. I'm shooting 12 gauge cases and golf balls at 20 yards with my Ruger MKIII, and they couldn't hit cans at 20 feet. One guy was shooting left handed and aiming with his right eye, another wrapped both thumbs around the backstrap and got ate up by the slide. Then another one in the group did the same thing. After about 30 minutes, I heard one say, "I think that's enough practice for me." I wanted to look at him and say "Think again."

Wow...

I'm all for 2nd Amendment rights, but some folks with guns scare the out of me.

Edited April 15, 2011 by East_TN_Patriot

[Erik88]

I honestly feel like I have a better chance of getting shot at a shooting range than I did when I went to downtown Detroit last year.

Last time I was at CCA I was sitting in one of the chairs packing my stuff up, after looking around I counted numerous holes in the wall from people having ND's.

[Will Carry]

I don't mind so much that they can't shoot straight. It's that they can't shoot safely. Always watch out for the other shooters. I have seen idiots do things that make me gringe.

[Mike.357]

everybody has a right to own a gun but it doesn't mean they all need to exercise that right.

[Jonnin]

I managed to make it out to the shooting range today for a little plinking. I was happily shooting away when out of the corner of my eye I see the guy at the end of the firing line go bee-bop downrange to set up his targets. I stopped in shock and heard the folks next to me say, "Did the range go cold?!?" I responded, "It wasn't until that moron walked out there." Wow...

What's worse is that you must pay for a membership there and attend a safety class before they issue you a gate key.

Then we have a group of people who couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if they were locked inside of it. I'm shooting 12 gauge cases and golf balls at 20 yards with my Ruger MKIII, and they couldn't hit cans at 20 feet. One guy was shooting left handed and aiming with his right eye, another wrapped both thumbs around the backstrap and got ate up by the slide. Then another one in the group did the same thing. After about 30 minutes, I heard one say, "I think that's enough practice for me." I wanted to look at him and say "Think again."

Wow...

I'm all for 2nd Amendment rights, but some folks with guns scare the out of me.

Now, I am cross dominant, its not a problem. I am left handed / right eyed so I end up closing the left eye, sort of as you described. I can hit a 3 inch group or so at 25 yards or so, nothing amazing, but its not got anything to do with the way my body is wired, its because I have a ways yet to go with my skills.

The thumbs behind the slide thing... I would HOPE that everyone does this one time, goes DOH, and learns from it...!

Im ok with poor marksmanship if the person is trying. But unsafe behavior is anothing thing entirely --- and is why I have stopped going to certain open to the public ranges in favor of member's only / manned by a RSO places.

[Mike.357]

I have no trouble speaking forcebly at a range if someones is acting unsafe. I am sure I have hurt peoples feelings before. Too bad. Personally I would just as soon pass on places with RSO's.

[East_TN_Patriot]

Well, as far as the marksmanship was concerned, they weren't really trying. They started off with a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380, which I assume was for self-defense or perhaps CCW. The general discussion was, "Ha ha ha! I can't hit anything with this! Ha ha ha!" Then they would resume their lousy shooting and were clearly not trying to actually practice for the purpose of improvement. It was obviously a case where they just thought pointing in that general direction and pulling the trigger was good enough. As far as the cross-eye dominance, I understand that some people are like that, but this guy had no clue what he was doing. Once he'd shoot with his right hand & left eye, then the left hand and left eye, then he'd try left hand and left eye. He commented on my ability to pick off golf balls shooting off-hand and said I must come to the range a lot. It opened up an opportunity to mention that I used to be a police firearms instructor and have done a lot of careful practice, with the hopes he'd ask for some pointers. He just chuckled, went back to shooting literally 20 feet in front of the target he was aiming at, and then tore his hand up with the slide. Nice guy, but wow...

Mike.357 hit the nail on the head. If you choose to exercise your right to own a firearm, one should at least try to do it safely and responsibly. To be fair, I had some folks come to our agency fresh out of the academy who couldn't hit the target at 7 yards, so this isn't just a civilian problem.

And in response to Erik88, nothing makes you more aware of the dangers of dumb shooters than a trip to the range (including a police firing range I might add).

Ah well, at least I didn't get shot and I had a good time burning through a brick of .22LR ammo. Now I need to go home and figure out what is wrong with my Ruger 10/22.

[-boatman-]

Every time I read something like this I feel really fortunate to be able to shoot at home. I just don't think I could enjoy myself at a public range if I had to be watching everybody else all the time.

[Mike.357]

no idiots here at my range ( well aside form me)

Went outside to blast through some .22's with the 22-45. my grandson soon followed ( big suprise, not). I just sat and loaded clips for him. He was alternating between aimed fire and freestyle as he calls it. Which is just blasting away. he has more freaking gun safety sense than a lot of people I see at the local range. It was a hoot. he had good form, and good trigger discipline. I was proud of his effort today, which I why i let him blast away and just loaded for him.

[Guest J.D. Skull]

I miss shooting into the woods behind house on old homested. Ex wouldn't let me dump a load of dirt in backyard for backstop.

[Tncobra]

Wost ever I've seen on the range. Older guy hitting the back of the hammer with a metal object. So by holding the trigger and striking the hammer, it would fire. He said the hammer spring was too weak and the revolver always did that. ( Single action, rimfire,six shot.) Not sure of the manufacturer but he was removing the cylinder to poke out the empties with a stick.

I grabbed the store owner who told the guy not to ever bring that pistol back to the property. I would have gone one step further.

[Raoul]

My best story goes like this.

My range buddy and I go out to Kettlefoot early one Sunday morning. We're down at the rifle range and John's trying to sight in his winmag 300 in preparation for hunting season. He's shooting at 100 yds and I'm fooling around with my ebr at 50 yds. All morning we've been seeing these suicidal deer sorta hanging around back behind the rifle range.

There's also this Aussie bench rest character shooting his Remington .270

So we're all shooting some pretty serious lead down range when we hear this strange noise. We're all thinking it's the deer when all of a sudden we see this white antenna. Here comes this jackwagon on a golf cart. Yep, a golf cart bounces out from the back of the rifle range while 3 guys are shooting down range. Apparently it's some jackass checking out the sporting clays course. And he gives us a look like we're interupting him.

[LagerHead]

no idiots here at my range ( well aside form me)

Went outside to blast through some .22's with the 22-45. my grandson soon followed ( big suprise, not). I just sat and loaded clips for him. He was alternating between aimed fire and freestyle as he calls it. Which is just blasting away. he has more freaking gun safety sense than a lot of people I see at the local range. It was a hoot. he had good form, and good trigger discipline. I was proud of his effort today, which I why i let him blast away and just loaded for him.

Well it doesn't get much better than that, does it?

My best story goes like this.

My range buddy and I go out to Kettlefoot early one Sunday morning. We're down at the rifle range and John's trying to sight in his winmag 300 in preparation for hunting season. He's shooting at 100 yds and I'm fooling around with my ebr at 50 yds. All morning we've been seeing these suicidal deer sorta hanging around back behind the rifle range.

There's also this Aussie bench rest character shooting his Remington .270

So we're all shooting some pretty serious lead down range when we hear this strange noise. We're all thinking it's the deer when all of a sudden we see this white antenna. Here comes this jackwagon on a golf cart. Yep, a golf cart bounces out from the back of the rifle range while 3 guys are shooting down range. Apparently it's some jackass checking out the sporting clays course. And he gives us a look like we're interupting him.

He's lucky he wasn't giving you a look like you need to call 911 quick. Sounds like this guy donated his brain to science before he was done using it.

[vontar]

The thumbs behind the slide thing... I would HOPE that everyone does this one time, goes DOH, and learns from it...!

I won't wish that on anyone, but that is what they call a self correcting mistake.

As for someone walking out on an active range, that is just beyond DUMB.

However, I don't want to be at a range as described. Hell, I am not prefect but Dam I take care with firearms.

[luvmyberetta]

My wife and I went to a range in Pine Knot, KY last summer. When we walked down to the range, there were a bunch of drunk teenagers shooting a rifle and showing off for their girlfriends. As soon as we walked to our table I heard one of them say he had never shot a high power rifle and wanted to try. His buddy handed it to him and he sat down, but held the rifle about 4 inches in front of his shoulder instead of supporting it. As soon as he pulled the trigger the rifle flew back and the scope cut him, deep, from the top of his nose to the middle of his forehead. Half of them freaked out & the other half were laughing their asses off because this idiot now had blood pouring down his face & one of them asked us if we had any paper towels. My wife ran back to our car and got some blue shop towels (it's all we had) and brought back for him. Instead of cleaning him up & taking him to the hospital, his buddy took one of the shop towels and a piece of duct tape and taped it to his forehead so they could finish shooting. My wife and I picked up our stuff and left. This all happened within about 5 minutes of us arriving and we weren't about to hang out with a bunch of drunk teens with guns.

[Garufa]

I have no problem calling out idiots at the range and would encourage others to do the same when witnessing unsafe or ignorant behavior.

[7dogguy]

I managed to make it out to the shooting range today for a little plinking. I was happily shooting away when out of the corner of my eye I see the guy at the end of the firing line go bee-bop downrange to set up his targets. I stopped in shock and heard the folks next to me say, "Did the range go cold?!?" I responded, "It wasn't until that moron walked out there." Wow...

What's worse is that you must pay for a membership there and attend a safety class before they issue you a gate key.

Then we have a group of people who couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if they were locked inside of it. I'm shooting 12 gauge cases and golf balls at 20 yards with my Ruger MKIII, and they couldn't hit cans at 20 feet. One guy was shooting left handed and aiming with his right eye, another wrapped both thumbs around the backstrap and got ate up by the slide. Then another one in the group did the same thing. After about 30 minutes, I heard one say, "I think that's enough practice for me." I wanted to look at him and say "Think again."

Wow...

I'm all for 2nd Amendment rights, but some folks with guns scare the out of me.

Good grief...the only worse thing I could share is once at a local range, ran into a guy smelled that smelled like a brewery - and it wasn't aftershave or mouthwash. Went to the folks who ran it and he was escorted out. Of course, I wondered who checked him in and let him start at all...

Fools - it they only hurt or killed themselves, let them at it. Problem is innocents are generally the recepients of foolishness.

[Murgatroy]

I am kinda glad the range is normally empty when I get there. I have been lucky I guess. Most of the time when I am there it is folks taking their time and shooting at the long range backstops.

I have run into a few idiots at CCA, but that was a while ago, and it was just once. Group of young guys all came in carrying Glocks and got stupid. I left.

And that isn't Glock hatred, that is what I carry.

[leroy]

As my sainted mother used to be fond of sayin:"...You dont have to look far to find a fool!!....". I always make it a habit to watch closely who is either "at" or "comes into the plinking range". If i dont like what i see (...and, sometimes i dont...). I simply leave for the day. I have that luxury because im an old retired guy. If i need to finish something important, i have no problem calling folks down for silly gun-related behavior (...as kindly as possible; of course; they may be foolish, but they are armed...).

One of the big problems with any range (...membership based, public, or "for hire"...) is that people are people and since they are; a certain fraction of them are foolish, unthinking, and uncaring.

All that being said; ive met some delightful and knowledgeable folks at the ranges. Thankfully, the clowns are in the minority.

leroy