[Gus Dddysgrl]

In 2 weeks I will be going on a retreat type of thing with a bunch of couples from my church. It's our marriage builders class retreat. We go hang out for a weekend in a cabin about 2 hours from here. I'm not sure what all we are going to be doing, but they said we could bring guns.

Now I know we can't shoot the wildlife, but we plan to shoot clays, targets, eggs, and whatever else we find and want to shoot. :D :D

Some of them are regular shooters and hunters, but some of them have never seen a gun. I know I'm not the only one bringing guns, but feel I am the one most concerned about doing it right. Many of them are aware of how to handle guns and be safe. However being one of the youngest and a female I don't want to come off sounding like a scaredy cat or a worry wart(or like anyone's mom since they are all grown adults older than me :neener: :evil: ). I want everyone to know the rules, but I'm not sure if I should take charge or ask one of the other guys to do it.

Dad suggested getting a thing together explaining how to act, the 4 rules, and some other general rules and precautions, then have everyone shooting sign it. I'm not if I have to go that far or if I can just do it verbally. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.

[Werewolf]

Superficially at least it appears to me that you are assuming the worst about the folks that will be going along with you on this weekend outing.

That's not a bad thing necessarily as being cautious around that which is unknown is usually a good tack to take.

However, since all those going with you are older than you I'm of a mind that you should give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they know what they're doing when it comes to gun safety. For those that aren't shooters it may be appropriate for you to suggest to the group leader (I assume there will be one and if there isn't there should be) that they either not shoot at all or to be pre-briefed on the 4 rules by whomever the group leader assigns. Who knows the group leader may assign you that task.

Taking charge of something that may not need taking charge of could just lead to ill feelings.

Hang back out of the way and watch how your group handles their weapons. If you see something that isn't safe and there is a group leader point it out to her or him (as the case may be). If there is no group leader then you can point out the "right" way. If the corrected person acknowledges the error of their ways great - if not then you'd probably be best served by just going back to your cabin away from the shooting and getting to know your partner better. ;)

[Gus Dddysgrl]

That's just the thing. I don't want to assume the worst, but from what one of the leaders said she has no idea about gun safety. She said when their family went out to the cabin she was swinging her son's rifle all over the place and ended up in a direction in which people were. She and her husband are the leaders. It's their sons that are into guns and they're not going.

I'm not worried about those who have shot before, but I am concerned that they won't be looking out for those who have not even touched a gun before. I'll probably go over somethings with some of them before they handle my gun and my dad's guns (which he said I could take, but they are not to go out of my sight).

I guess my biggest worry is that those who have shot will assume all that are there have shot and know what to do; when many of the people have no idea.

[Werewolf]

Ahhhh....
More information always helps.

You've got two weeks. Talk to the husband and wife who are the group leaders. Tell them of your concern which I agree are very, very valid. Point out you have experience with firearms and are very familiar with firearm safety. Suggest that a short get together with all parties concerned be conducted prior to leaving for the trip. Topics to be discussed to be a review of gun safety for everyone and teaching it to the newbies. Maybe assign each of the non-shooters to stick with the experienced ones once you get to the camp site.

The main thing is to voice your concerns now before you ever leave. Make sure all parties agree on how the shooting will be conducted at the site and understand the importance of safety and organization.

If everyone can't agree on the rules ahead of time then once you get there there's nothing that forces you to participate in the shooting activities if you don't feel safe. Like I said before there's nothing like a warm cabin this time of year.

[Atticus]

"I'm not worried about those who have shot before,..."

Not a good assumption to make. Some of the worst safety offenders I've known are those who have decades of hunting and shooting experience.
Bad habits are often deeply ingrained. I like your Dad's idea. It never hurts to remind the experienced...maybe under the guise of educating newbies. You might want to type something up and then ask the experienced ones to help you teach the newbies.

[Majic]

Never assume everyone knows the rules. Like stated earlier, discuss this with the group before everyone leaves for camp. In this discussion you can decide what type of firearms everyone has and then between all of you a variety of things can be brought along such as the firearms themselves and the targets. Learn who has the least experience so everyone can be prepared to help those. Everyones different so some sort of baseline must be established. It's best to learn this before hand than during the actual shoot. Above all else, pay close attention to others shooting nearby. That's just common sense.
Be safe and enjoy your outing.

[Standing Wolf]

There's no such thing as too safe with firearms.