A Shooting At My Range Last Week

[Char-Gar]

I week ago today, a fellow shot his best friend in the upper arm with a Glock 40, cutting the artery and causing extensive damage.

We have target frames on the pistol range that are 4 foot by 8 foot nailed to 4X4s. Seems like one fellow went behind the target frame and his buddy shot at a target with the above result. Total stupidity and carelessness.

The next range over a group of twelve Emergency Medical Service personnel were re-qualifying with their handguns. They had all of their equipment and were able to save him and a helo showed up and flew him off to a hospital where he had extensive reconstruction surgery to get him a usable arm again.

I didn't know EMS folks could carry guns. I asked and they were not cops, but a local company. I don't know what gives with this. With a CHL they could keep them in the trucks.

[Trey45]

My neighbor is an EMT and she carries every day at work. Not on a belt, a CCW. Knowing some of the neighborhoods she has to work in, I'd not only carry, but I'd have an armored car for an ambulance.

[pmeisel]

glad they were able to fix him up. lucky they were there!

[btroj]

Glad to hear he will make it but this sort of thing worries me.

Firearm and range safety ought to always be foremost in our minds at all times. Someone decided the range could go "Hot" without clearing downrange. If the guys were together it is even worse as one fired without k owing for certain that the other was still down range.

Blows my mind to think people are that careless with firearms.

[Wayne Smith]

I am absolutely amazed that he did not know where his friend was! I assume they were shooting together and shooting at two frames next to each other. I would always know where the person shooting next to me was at all times. Even if it's not my friend. To me that's common courtesy.

[shooterg]

We have a "red ball" that is lowered when anyone goes downrange and out of sight behind berm/etc. Soon to be replaced with a flashing red light since we now have that new electricity thing...

Of course you'll come out and someone left it down yesterday and I gotta walk the 300 yards to see if someone is there...

Kinda hard to believe the guy lost track of his buddy(maybe no lo0nger a buddy!) .

[WildmanJack]

There was another thread about RSO's being jerks and being too strict, This is what happens when range rules get laxed..

By the way, when I left the Sheriffs Dept. I had a contract out on me by a local drug dealer I had busted really good. He put the contract out from prison. Anyway, in Florida it is against the law to carry in an ambulance or rescue truck unless you are a LEO. I kept a hand gun in my duffel bag between the two front seats for 8 months till one of my sources told me that the contract had been cancelled, but even then I carried for a year after that, just to be safe...
Jack

[ubetcha]

Not only do we have red flashing lights,but we also have an electronic buzzer that beeps in conjuction with the lights.Our lastest range rule states that anyone using the range must unload their firearm and get away from the shooting benches and stand behind a red line anytime someone needs to go down range.also the ruling is who ever turned the range lights on must be the one to turn it off.
our 200m range does have a berm at 200yrs so when someone'S down that way and can't be seen,the line should know someone is down there.
SAFETY FIRST ALWAYS

[MtGun44]

We have a continuous honking horn and rotating red lights at multiple locations on the
line when someone is down range on our 100-200-300 range. Bells or horns and flashing
red lights on the shorter ranges.

EMTs carrying sounds smart in some locations, basically anwhere that they want to would
seem pretty reasonable.

Bill

[DIRT Farmer]

The services I worked for would not allow firearms on the property. It may have something to do with how they treated their "help".

Range safty can only go so far, it still requires the ability to be alert.

[Char-Gar]

Our range is an informal place with no range officer unless there is an organized match of some kind. We have a 22 pistol falling plate match every Saturday and have very strick safety rules. The others on the range are left to their own devices. This happened during our match last Saturday, but on a different range about 50 feet away. With some of the idiots out there, I am surprised it has not happened more often. I don't shoot on the open ranges unless I am there by myself. Somebody else comes along and I pack up shop and leave.

[btroj]

I hear you Chargar. Too many idiots out there who don't have a clue about safety. I prefer to not shoot around them either.
At the 2 clubs I shoot at we don't have a formal range office but 1 person will usually assume that role when people go down range. I like to make sure everyone has saved their weapons before clearing people to go down range. I then check that everyone is back before making the line hot. Doesn't need to be over officious, someone just needs to assume control and let people know what is going on.

As for needing the ability to be alert- I consider that a huge part of range safety. I always want to know what is going on around me.

[MT Gianni]

I rarely shoot where there is a range officer. Our old range had red flags at each station. They were simply a banner on a stick that swiveled. If the flag was out there was no shooting. When you returned you and only you reset your flag. It was a cheap easy way to tell if someone was downrange.
Flags were 1x2 lath with a red square of plywood 6" x6" painted red. One screw held them to the frame and a nail in a larger hole with a piece of builders twine kept it there. Pull the string and it fell, when you return you reset it. I would bring up something similar at the next range meeting as it has shown that what you are doing now was not effective.

[bruce drake]

Another reason why I carry a spotting scope and a target frame with multiple targets to the open range I normally shoot at. I prefer to not to disrupt my shooting by having to go replace targets as often and I really hate the folks who shoot three times and ask for a Cold Range to go see their "group." I will shift my scope to let them see the group rather than have the line go cold too soon. A few times at the range and eventually they buy a scope of their own.

Now, I believe in safety first at all times. I will tell someone that they are doing an unsafe act as soon as I see it. When folks go downrange to check their targets, I will step away from the bench. Its courtesy and dang good safety as well. But also I will tell someone to not dally down on the target line so they don't delay the limited shooting time people have.

Range etiquette goes a long way towards keeping people safe.

Bruce

[Bret4207]

We had and EMT killed up here by gunfire a couple years back. The world is not a safe place, even for those who are trying to make it better.

[dale2242]

You gotta love Texas. EMT with guns.
I`ll bet he doesn`t go shooting with that "buddy" again...dale

[crabo]

I think this is one of the most important reasons for shooting organized sports. You learn safety with guns. I started a friend shooting smallbore lever action silhouette with me and I was constantly having to tell him to be safe. I stopped and let the other people tell him and it made a better impression.

I also had to tell him a couple of times to think about how he was going to feel when he had to call my wife and tell her he shot me. It finally sunk in.

[gee-gaw]

Hey chargar,
I'm sorry that happened on your range. Seems when things like that go on, the powers that be start looking for ways to get out of the liability for future accidents.
This can close a range, or make it go to members only with a signed waiver. I've shot at public ranges for years and have never witnessed a shooting, only a few UDs. I'm glad that I have access to a private range now. I hope the fellow that got shot makes a full recovery... and hey, at least he got shot by someone that he liked.
Wayne

[Bad Water Bill]

The range I shoot at has 4X4 wood posts with chicken wire to hold your targets. Clothes pins keep the targets in place. No one is permitted between the targets and the berm at any time for any reason. Before the range is opened and after hours the range master can go into no mans land.

As for hurrying down range please remember us OLD folks can only shuffle so fast. :)

[Ozarklongshot]

<---doesn't shot at ranges anymore. Seen more than one act of bloody ignorance!


and I'm an EMT and if I can't carry, I aint goin...