Shooting range turned me away - said i'm a suicide risk!

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JonF

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So the scoop is i'm out here in the Seattle area on a business trip for a little while and I'm all by myself in terms of representing my company so i have no other collegues to drag along with me after work duties are done for the day. Due to obligations, travel and such, it has been a couple weeks since i was last was able to head to my local range back home for a shooting session. I decided i'd like to check out what this great state has to offer since Washington state is much more gun friendly than my local home state so i checked to see if there were any local ranges. It turns out that there is one 5 minutes from my hotel - score! I headed over to this indoor shooting range after work and the place looked nicely lit with plenty of stalls, a fairly large retail section and more guns to rent then my local gun shop sells (plus they rent a FN P2000)! I mean, they had every Glock in the catalog, several 1911's from the major manufacturers and so many more completely filling three glass counter cases.

I walk up to the gentleman at the counter and tell him i'd like to rent some stall time. He asks me if i have my own stuff and inform him i do no as my stuff is back at home on the other coast. He then tells me in a very nonchalant manner, sorry, i cannot rent to you as you are a suicide risk and we've had too many people walk in lately and blow thier brains out in the range. :eek: Say what? I make a Mr. Spock perplexed look with one crooked eyebrow and regain my composure. I try to politely impress on him i'm not a gun n00b or anything by talking shop with him but he wasn't budging and i wasn't going to stand there and beg this man. He then asks me if there is anyone i can bring with me to vouch for me but it's really not the case since i'm just here for a conference. I understand he has every right to turn away anyone he chooses for whatever reason but to tell he he believes i would just put one through my skull was bizarre to me. Meanwhile, several other folks had walked in in the mean time and were clearly not equipped with any personal firearms and they were served.

Oh well, I guess i might just have to try the other one in the next town but its a shame since this one was so convenient.
 
Wade's.


They've had at least two people commit suicide there. I've been turned away by a couple ranges in the SF Bay area for the same reason.

For what it's worth, I'll be back home in Seattle tomorrow night. I'm planning on heading there on Friday (have a couple free range passes to use). PM me if you're interested in shooting.

James
 
^^^ That's the place. Appreciate the offer fishy but alas i'm gone on friday afternoon.
 
The guy at the counter doesn't sound too bright.

Who in Hades would fly all the way from Jersey to Washington to commit suicide?!

"Oh gee, I think I'll fly cross country to Wade's and commit suicide this week." :rolleyes: :p
 
I've heard that if you're alone, and especially if you want to rent a gun, they will turn you away as a suicide risk. Nothing personal i guess, just policy
 
They have had something like 2 or 3 people in just the last couple years off themselves with rented guns at that range. Couple years ago they had two people die there within the same week. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/shot083.shtml

There are all of two indoor ranges serving the millions of people in the Seattle area, and plenty of people wanting to close them down. Can't blame them for avoiding risks, even if it is a bit excessive.
 
Is Minnesota different than Washington and California?? I've gone to many indoor ranges by myself and rented guns. No one has ever mentioned that I looked like a suicidal maniac..... which is strange since my name is Harry Carrie.
 
i don't see how restricting rentals will do anything, they'll just go to wall mart and buy a gun, or find a bridge
 
While I would hate that policy if it were applied to me, I can actually understand it somewhat.

There's a local range that has had two (or three?) gun rental suicides in the last few years. Each time it was a person shooting alone, who they didn't know from previous visits, and who rented a gun without having any of their own with them.

Granted, none of them were from out of state, but from the range's point of view they need to do *something* to reduce the chance of renting to someone who plans to off themselves at the range. Since range employees aren't mental health profesionals and can't really "screen for suicide" a simple rule like "You must have your own gun or shoot with a friend" seems to work to cut down on the incidences.

Yes, if you have your own gun, you could still use that to kill yourself. And yes, you could still commit suicide in front of a buddy with a rental gun. But, of all the range suicides I've read about, all were done with rental guns and in every instance the person came in alone.

That indicates, to me at least, that requiring the person either have their own gun or shoot with a buddy will decrease the likelihood of a range having a customer commit suicide with a rental guns.

It just sucks because this policy also obviously screens out "regular" shooters who just happen to be alone and not have there own gun.

Oh, and as to why the range should "do something" to prevent suicides, if nothing else they need to protect their own self interest. There's always the chance for a lawsuit by the family for the rental and they do have to do with the emotional aftermath of having a suicide on the premises. (Not to mention the clean up, expenses related to closing for the day, etc)
 
j-easy said:
i don't see how restricting rentals will do anything, they'll just go to wall mart and buy a gun, or find a bridge
Click to expand...

Yeah, but it won't be their gun or their bridge, their name in the paper, their liability insurance shooting way up, their reputation being questioned or their business being hurt...
 
It's never happened to me as I've never gone alone and I always bring my own stuff even if I rent, but I've heard of it happening before. The range I go to has recently gotten a little stricter with their rules and I think it's because about a month ago a guy accidentally shot himself (not fatally).
 
Yeah - it's a frustrating rule. Either bring someone or bring your own gun will get you in the door. (bringing a gun, any gun, means you could have off'd yourself at home, so why bother going to the range for a rental...)

They need to do a better job of advising people about this policy. When it first went into effect, I called to see if they had a gun I wanted to rent, drove across from Seattle.... and, nope, sorry, can't rent you a gun if you're on your own. Would have brought another gun (or person) with me had I known. Oh well.
 
Tell them you want to buy a gun. Say that you've narrowed it down to two specific models but want to shoot them both to decide. Ask if one rental price would cover both or whether you have to pay a rental fee for each one. Might work, might not. But, it seems less potentially suicidey(?) and has profit potential for them.
 
This is now the policy at every indoor range I can think of in my area. And just about every indoor range in my area has had at least 1 suicide over the years. One has had like at least like maybe 7.

I once operated a range and saw it happen 1st hand. Bring your own gun or a buddy though and they will rent. 1 guy off the street with no guns, no way.

What was funny though a range by my house I really don't like did or does let you rent immediately if you buy an annual membership. Gee, if I was going to kill myself I doubt spending an extra $2-300 to do it would bother me.
 
The guy at the counter doesn't sound too bright.

Who in Hades would fly all the way from Jersey to Washington to commit suicide?!

"Oh gee, I think I'll fly cross country to Wade's and commit suicide this week.
Click to expand...

No, the view could easily be that the guy moved from Jersey to Washington and never changed his DL, then his luck run out and he has no options. We used to see people all the time in the pawn business from out of state who came to Texas for work and then their situation went sour.
 
Couldn't the gun store lobby the local government for a new law that would make it illegal to rent a gun for the purpose of committing suicide? Place a really stiff fine and perhaps 30 days in jail on it, and it may cut it down some.
 
I wonder what is happening in Seattle to create so much despondence among the pro-gun crowd? Or, perhaps it's a ploy by the antis to try and shut down shooting ranges?

Maybe you shouldn't have worn the "Just Shoot Me" t-shirt!
 
Gee, if I was going to kill myself I doubt spending an extra $2-300 to do it would bother me.
Click to expand...

No, but if you had an extra few hundred dollars, you could just go to a gun shop and buy yourself a gun with which to off yourself. There's no question on any of the forms that asks you if you're going to kill yourself (yet).
 
I but rarely go to a shooting range. Commercial shooting range that is.

I buddy up to the local farmers, and have places to shoot, places to fish, and places to hunt.

Only problem with that is like last week, went to go shoot however the farmer was working at my new favorite spot. Would have been safe to shoot, but I try disturb no one. We drove back to an alternate spot thats pure sugar sand to shoot.

I just don't like the sand getting in everything.

Seems as if going to the range these days is a pain! I much prefer my private shooting spots.
 
Would YOU want to mop up the mess?

Once, I received a call from the local PD. It turns out that I was the last person on the range before a guy killed himself. The detective asked me if I had seen anything weird...the guy just shot at some targets, like anyone else.
 
I wonder what is happening in Seattle to create so much despondence among the pro-gun crowd?
Click to expand...

It happens all over the country, not just Seattle.

Or, perhaps it's a ploy by the antis to try and shut down shooting ranges?
Click to expand...
You can't actually be this naive and paranoid, can you? It sort of reminds me of the silly comments about NDs at gun shows being caused by antis sneaking in and loading guns...and then you find out it is often the dealers that have the NDs. Gimme a break. The antis aren't at the root of suicides and gun negligent discharges.
 
He then tells me in a very nonchalant manner, sorry, i cannot rent to you as you are a suicide risk and we've had too many people walk in lately and blow thier brains out in the range.
Click to expand...

I run into ranges all over the country that have this same rule for the same reasons.

I don't think I'd single this place out as being something special.

Maybe something like a concealed handgun permit or NRA credentials?
Click to expand...

Concealed handgun carriers commit suicide too.

When I'm traveling for any length of time I usually bring a gun with me, most of the ranges are OK with you shooting solo if you have your own gun.
 
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