Is it appropriate for a RSO to go through your bags?

Most range officer are pretty polite and ask permission. Most likely he wanted to make sure that you didn't have any steel case or tracer rounds. I'd pull the manager and let him write up the range officer, they shouldn't go through your personal property...despite their range, their rules rule. There's a thing called respect.

You should have told him to cease and desist. He had no business getting into your bag without your permission. Find out who he reports to and raise a stink.

I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial.

Steel case, or steel core? Steel case presents no threat or problem that I know of. Steel core bulleted ammo could damage the range. In any case, he was rude and unnecessarily intrusive. I'd file a complaint, or talk to his boss in person.

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IMO he can ask to see your ammo. Searching your bag wo your permission is BS and maybe illegal.

RSO was a jerk, and I would have told him so in quite frank terms.

No two ways about it.

I don't care about the Sheriff or your speed-dial antics.

No doubt the Most High Sheriff would pop his lights and sirens and race to a call like that. You bet. Maybe tell him you found a guy with "cop killer" bullets.

I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial.

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If you started searching through my private property without my permission, and without a warrant, I would have the sheriff on the line much faster than you would.

ETA - When is a person who is concerned with their privacy "pushing the envelope"? If the OP had refused to show the RSO his ammo choices, then the RSO can ask him to leave. No RSO at any range, public or private, has the right to just open someones private property and nose through it. That is no different than a woman in a store setting down her purse at the cash register, only to have the cashier start rifling through it looking for the money.

That is total BS. OK, I understand his reasons and he has every right to know what goes on with the range is safe and within rules. He really should have ASKED, you could have refused and he could have thrown you off for refusing to allow him to look and I would be cool with that. Just going into someones bag like that, IMO, totally inappropriate.

Sounds like an opportunity to slide a mousetrap, cigarette lighter hand grenade or dirty underwear into the old range bag.

A friendly "The range prohibits popular, inexpensive ammo, would you mind showing me the ammo you're going to use?" beats a snoop any day. The RSO was out of line.

lilguy I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial.

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So........what would be inappropriate? Pulling the bullet and sawing it in half?

If the range does not have a written "we can search your bag because we feel like it" policy then the RSO is overstepping his authority.

Inappropriate, offensive, disrespectful and illegal. I would have filmed the event with my camera, called the police and then a lawyer.

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IMO he can ask to see your ammo. Searching your bag wo your permission is BS and maybe illegal.

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Illegal search!

I would have loaded up my gear and walked out.

I would hate to be the employer of any idiot RSO that thinks he can search someone's anything (bag, car, pocket, purse, wallet, house, w/e) without their permission. Having one of your employees arrested and having your business slammed in the public pulse section of the paper could be devastating. All that is not to mention the power of today's internet. It doesn't take much to get a few thousand people to do something: boycott, protest, write letters, etc. Technology can be evil to some, but sometimes it helps bite the big dog on the.... well, you get it.

With blogs and forums (especially the bigger ones, like Myspace and Facebook) you can easily get people to protest things that are unconstitutional - such as illegal search and seizure.

"I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial"


So what.If you did that to me you would be going to the emergency room first,then the county lock up to be processed.Just because you are an RSO,doesnt mean you know everything,stick to basic safety protocols and loose the scumbag sense of entitlement.

Certification does not equal competance.

Did this happen at the Bristol range per chance??Sounds very much like their MO.

I was an RSO at two different ranges, and it would have never even occured to me to put my hands in or on a customers personal property without a clear specific invitation. The MOST intrusive we ever got was asking for tax stamps when NFA items appeared. Those people could also refuse to show that paperwork, and we would, once again, not even dream of laying hands on thier personal property, but would request that they leave the building, nothing more. Only if someone refused to leave would LE ever get involved, and that would be to trespass the individual. I never had any issues with that. The RSO in question was outside of normal activity as far as I am concered, and I was an NRA certified RSO for several years.

I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial.

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Perhaps you can tell us what club you RSO at so that I can frankly avoid going there . Rifling through my stuff without permission will get your hand slapped - hard ! You can hit the speed dial with the other one .

I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial.

Click to expand...

Wow.

An unlawful (yes, unlawful) search of another's private property is indeed "inappropriate". Actually, that's far too mild a word. The proper word would be "illegal".

RSOs are to be obeyed on matters of safety and procedure. An RSO can't order me to do jumping jacks, just like they can't conduct an unauthorized search of my vehicle. You're taking the rules of your organization WAY beyond the way they were intended.

Beyond that, it's just rude. "Sir, we have a rule against steel core ammo at this range. Would you mind if I check to confirm none of your ammo will damage the backstop?" Now how hard was that?

We've got a serious jerk RSO at my club's range that enjoys throwing his (literal) weight around over the stupidest things. Not even he would see reasonable behavior in rifling through somebody else's property.

NRA certification, RSO status, none matter in this case. You're not a god, so quit pretending you have authorization to act like one.

"I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial"

A tad bit authoritative there don't ya think? I get the RSO has a serious responsibility, and I am EXTREMELY glad they are there at the range to keep things safe. However, it does not make them any better than anyone else or give them a right/reason to start off puttin' the smack down on everyone. A little respect on both sides is, IMO, appropriate.

I know at my range if I bring my own ammo, they will politely ask to see it. Occasionally, they will ask to see my firearm. I will always comply. They don't frisk me, look through my pockets, or grab my case and rifle through it. I have actually (my first time there) had the RSO ask to look through my case. He asked me, actually told me what he was looking for (steel core bullets) and told me if had any or would prefer I did not check the case, then I could leave the case at the desk, and take my allowed ammo and firearm openly to shoot. He was every bit clear they were in charge but also, at the same time sensible, and respectful and they rarely have any issues at that range because of it.

"Yeah, sheriff. I had $200 in that bag before this guy stuck his hands in it. I don't know HOW he hid the money...it has to be here somewhere. I did NOT give him permission to go into my bag. I want to file a theft report."......................

lilguy said:

I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial.

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I'm an NRA trained CRSO and a BoD member of the local range. ANYONE caught going through another person's property will be escorted from the range.

I don't care what title someone has in front of their name, wrong is wrong.

Thank God my club's range is non-policed, or self-regulated or whatever it's called. There's lots of individual ranges there, and we can pretty much have one all to ourselves with no other shooters or any RSO's breathing down your necks. Now, for "events", where there's several people involved in competitions of some sort, sure, there's an RSO, usually a volunteer member. But we don't have Range Nazi's.

560 acres of shooting heaven. Kind of on the windy side of heaven though, sometimes.

Ask to see my ammo? No problem. Touch my property without my permission? BIG problem.

lilguy said:

I'm an NRA RSO and at my club the SOP states RSO's are not to be challenged, what we say goes when on duty. You got a problem ,write a letter to the BOD.
Too many folks try to push the envelope, his approach was coarse but not inappropriate. You get belligerent the Sheriff is on speed dial.

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