Announce new shooter at range?

Okay i got a good one for you guys! Grew up without a father (passed away), wanted to hunt, shoot, etc. Brother and brother in law took me when i was like 12yo and i took a hunter safety class on my own. Went hunting with BIL and mentioned about him swiping me with the gun and was told the safety is on. Ill always remember that. Took nephew to hunter safety class and by this time i had a state peace officer firearm training under my belt, many years of hunting and shooting so safety was pounded in my head severally. I take the kid pheasant hunting figuring it would be a blast, let him carry a single shot, went over don't shoot unless your 100% sure, stay next to me and no shooting to the left which was towards me! I was maybe 20yards from him. Taught the kid how to cradle carry the shotgun and gave him the single shot on purpose cause it had to be cocked to fire. He swipes me and i said hey, watch the gun! Kid does it again and i said look, what's rule #1 always watch where that guns pointed. His response was my dad said if the safety is on it wont go off unless i take the safety off and pull the trigger. I said what did the hunter safety guy who is also a PD instructor tell you? It then dawned on me that he was told the same thing i was when i was his age. He did it again and i went ape crap on him. I said come here! You just shot me! He says what? I said you just shot your uncle! No i didn't! Yes you did! What do you do? He says IDK! I said look if i have to tell you again we are going home! He again said well my dad said. I said look i don't care what your dad said he is wrong! He got mad, told his dad, bla, bla, bla. I took him out again and said rule #1? He says watch where i point the gun cause you'll freak out on me like a lunatic and smiles! I would walk behind him on his right if the gun was carried cradled muzzle to the right and just say watch that muzzle and he would flip the other way. I did that to him several times until we jumped a rabbit and the kid cocked the hammer and went to swing and i yelled. He got upset and we walked some more and then we sat down and he asked if he could go kick some bushes and i said yes but remember i'm behind you do not shoot. Gun went off when he seen a rabbit or a squirrel and i checked for it and said which way did you shoot? He says this way and points and i said that was towards me! He says no it wasn't! I said are you sure and he says yes you were behind me and the animal was to my right. Good answer kid!

Now some may have reacted a little harsher, some think i was too harsh but each time i took him out i had to tell him we are far from home, you cant drive, etc be careful. I took him deer hunting a few years later and we are talking to a group of hunters and he cradle carried it and turned and the guy never noticed and i said hey! watch that muzzle! He apologized and the guy said no biggi. I asked him what he did wrong and he realized it and then his little buddy goes and drops his single shot slug gun and sends everyone running. He tells me well at least i didn't drop it! LOL. Its bad to yell, freakout, etc cause it could ruin them or make them more nervous. Im not a fan of taking newbies either but they just need molded and reminded. When i deal with newbies i constantly ask them questions so see if they are on the A game.

old lady new shooter said:

My range doesn't let anyone who doesn't bring their own gun shoot alone. The reason was suicides but I think it also addresses the new shooter issue.

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Never heard of a suicide issue around here.

Jack B. said:

Never heard of a suicide issue around here.

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In bygone times it happened more than once at my range, also at another one about the same distance from me in the opposite direction. Both of them adopted the no-unaccompanied-shooter-without-his/her-own-firearm rule.

If you think about it, it's a great way for someone to commit suicide... they don't have to pass a background check and don't have to spend money on a gun of their own, just the rental fee and the price of a bag of ammo, and if they shoot themselves between the eyes they will definitely be dead.

Two weeks ago and a large group of people from Ireland showed up at an indoor range I was at. They had all the proper paper work on hand to make it legal to rent range guns and go shooting. Must have been some kind of tour. They rented nearly all the guns the range had for rent and were itching to go shooting. Needless to say it was hectic.
I gave up the lane I was shooting in and tried to help as much as I could. The were very polite and fun to work with but they knew nothing and could have been very dangerous but all of them waited for instructions from the four RO's that were there. Was a good experience for them and me both. Taught me that some people want and need a little help. I left before they were done , but I'd be willing to bet they are all left there shooting enthusiast's.

I didn't need anyone telling me who the new shooters were today at the range. I had a whole line full of them!

Sauer Grapes said:

I didn't need anyone telling me who the new shooters were today at the range. I had a whole line full of them!

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That's a good thing!

From my experience, most "new" shooters are safer than many of those old dudes who have shot for years and gotten complacent about gun safety, i.e., if they have been shown proper and safe gun handling procedures before going to the range(which they should have). The issue "new" shooters have is when something goes wrong, like a squib, jam or FTE. If there is someone there to help them and show them proper technique to resolve the issue, I see no reason to single them out to the RO other than to introduce them.

The last time I took a new shooter to the range, my best friend was visiting from NJ. Being from that state he is very unaccustomed to firearms in general. One of the firearms I brought for him to fire was a Taurus M327, revolver in 327 Magnum. He knows enough about firearms to keep them pointed in the general direction of targets, and not waving the muzzle at anyone beside or behind him. I had looked down at the table to load a magazine for the next firearm when I heard a loud bang and got a small dirt shower. My friend had cocked the hammer back on the revolver and sent a round into the dirt a couple feet in front of him. Apparently he was trying to imitate the movies where they always thumb the hammer back before firing. I got one heck of a dirty look from the RO, and I am surprised we didn't get kicked off the range for good.

Didn't need any announcement who the new shooter was on that line.

OilyPablo said:

That's a good thing!

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I agree. My only point was, nobody needs to point out the novice/new shooters to me. It's pretty easy to tell. As acting RO at that time, I just watched to make sure everybody was safe.
I actually spent some time helping a couple guys with grip, stance and sight alignment. Happy to help when I can.

When I take anyone to the range for the 1st time, even if they claim to have experience, I go over the basics of safety, and I DON'T shoot, but rather spend my time focused on instruction and what the newb is doing.

When all of my boys were little, 5-7 years old, I started them out with the basics of the gun parts and purposes. Then we moved on to handling unloaded guns, then some with dummy rounds to show function. We covered the 4 rules and after a week or so, they were competent enough to go to the range for live fire. One of them got on to a gent in the next lane twice before he even fired his first shot, but did so politely. I was impressed and very proud. The 2 oldest have moved out and away, but I still have a 10 year old son and 6 year old daughter to work with. My son is doing well, the girl isn’t really interested most of the time.

Couple weeks ago I took my son to a new training facility that is opening soon to try out. It has G17’s with lasers in them and a computer scores you. He did very well and beat more than a few adults that carry. The owner was impressed with his handling skills and accuracy.

My point to all this is, with a little bit of guidance, anyone can be taught to be safe and responsible with a firearm, it is up to us to help them out when the opportunity arises. The problem is we don’t know who they are till they show up at the range, and they don’t know to seek us out. I have met many people over the years at the gun store/show buying a gun, or at whatever store looking for ammo, and that is a good time to feel them out and see if they are new to our addiction and willing to have some help. I have taken many to the range, showed them how their gun works and comes apart, and how to shoot it. A few have even hung around long enough to learn how to reload.

if i notice that somebody that obviously hasn't shot before is on the lane next to me. i watch them for a while and see how they handle the firearm. if it looks ok i leave them alone for the range officer but if they are using pocket pistols I'll ask the ro to keep an eye on them but by then theyll be watching them closely even without me telling them.

pocket pistols and new shooters are not a great match.

I haven't read everyone's comments, but I'll say this, if you have friends at the range, or you know the folks running it fairly well, then introducing them isn't a bad idea. It can make a new shooter feel very welcomed. What you don't want to do is make it an announcement of some kind, or intentionally point out that they are a new shooter. That will be obvious when people see you instructing that individual.

Some people really hate being the center of attention, and pointing out that they are a new shooter will only enhance feelings of nervousness they probably already have.

The ranges I have been to are all indoors and on your first visit they require you to watch a video on gun safety and items specific to their range. Their range officers watch the bays closely and react quickly at all the ranges. I usually go with my son or a friend and have never been uncomfortable with any adjacent shooters. I was impressed by one lady who'd taken a handgun course at one range and came back and shot every day. She was shooting an HK VP9 and there was only one hole in the target. It was where the black X had been.

In many cases a new shooter properly supervised is far safer than a lot of yahoos who have been shooting for years.

Yes! That's definitely a good point, some new shooters (first timers) may be more careful while shooting than the other people.
I remember taking two guys (first timers) to a gun range once and neither of them knew how to hold a gun properly!
They thought that you had to hold the gun straight out in front of you. They both expected a BIG recoil. (We were shooting a .22)
The only problem that we had was that the young guy (16yr.) was having so much fun that he wouldn't give the other guy a chance to shoot.

I took my daughter to a range just before Christmas so she could shoot several different pistols and decide which one she wanted for Christmas.
The guy at the desk asked her how much she had shot and she told him she had her carry permit.
No more questions after that.
Problem with that is Washington has no training requirement to get a permit.
In fact she had her permit for almost a year before I took her shooting.
She has now had a 2 day training class and we have shot together several time so I know she is safe.

I would never announce a new shooter. Before going, I'd already have talked to the new shooter, gone over the safety and safe handling of what we were going to shoot. At the range, new or experienced, the safety procedures are the same.