Being swept at Range

[9MMare]

I just posted in the 'hobby' thread and wrote down cowboy mounted shooting. Made me think of this thread again.

You want to talk about 'swept!' Wow, it takes some getting used to. The .45 cal loads are small blackpowder loads and only go 10-20 feet. Many people who get into the sport arent experienced shooters. Safety is taught, but not to the same extent.

You see guns pointed all over the place! People do shout reminders and such....because you can hurt yourself or your horse.... but still...sometimes it gives me a good start.

 

[frankge]

I agree IPDA/IPSC is some of the best training, I really see it in my kid who I would trust more than most adults. What got him to the range was too much Airsoft which I thought (IMHO) was detaching him from the reality of firearms and since I have a case full of them it was that time. He does look a bit down on his friends that play with "toys" now

 

[doc540]

Indoor range also has a gun sales counter.

While shooting down the range, I turned and looked over my shoulder through the glass (not bulletproof) and a customer was aiming an AR-15 at me.

Maybe he wasn't aiming it directly at me, but from 25 feet away I sure couldn't tell that.

I spoke with the range owners about it, and they shrugged it off, saying "You're right, but since we handle them all the time and know they're not loaded get used to it."

I politely but firmly told them I didn't get "used to it" and, framing my argument toward their interests, reminded them that it created a huge liability for their business.

 

[Walkalong]

I get on their a** when they do it to me. They can get their panties in a wad if they want to, but I bet they are more careful afterwards. Anyway, they need to hear it, even if the only ones learning from it are the other shooters around listening and thinking, gee, what an idiot, I don't want to be that guy. (No, not me, the idiot who swept me. )

 

[springmom]

I have no problem at all in giving somebody instruction on that. It happens, sometimes totally innocently and if so, often they're embarrassed and apologetic. Sometimes they don't get it or don't care. In that case I head for the range officer. Given that I know them all and the usual suspects in such a behavior are NOT regulars over there, I get an ear. They're not big on tossing people out, but they almost always get people's attention and it's enough.

Jan

 

[fase3]

I'm old and and have lasted this long by caring about gun safety. Two yrs ago with nothing else to do went to a state(W&F) range to shoot some of my varmint rifles. No range oficer(Budget Cuts!). The yahoos that showed up there you would no believe. The person that finished it had a SKS with 30 shot clip (no russian stuff at home but have M1A,CETME,AR15, etc.). He turned to the bacl of the firing line and inserted a loaded 30 rd clip in turned and swept me with the rifle. He was 3 benches down from e so I said in a not unfriendly voice to remove the clip -clear the action- put the rifle on the bench pointed downrange. I told him at that point he was free to load and shoot as long as the line was "HOT". He then turned and swept me with the loaded rifle again without doing what I had asked. At that point I asked him if he intended to shoot me. He responded "no". I then told him that I had been shot once and did not care to be shot again and if he swept me one more time with a loaded weapon I would respond in kind with a loaded varmint rifle with 4 oz of trigger pull. Who knew what kind of horrible accident could happen? It was a radical display from a old man (68 then) but I just tired of people who show no concern for their fellow man. RANT OVER!

 

[45Fan]

Evidently the instructors that teach our service members have many varying methods to teach muzle dicipline. I distinctly remeber a guy sweeping a sargent while in MCT, and the next thing that Pvt knew, he was staring at the sky with a screaming headache. NDs/ADs happen, and by deffinition NOT when expected/wanted. Any time the business end of a firearm is involved, it is imperative that attention be payed to where it is pointed. I would definatly say something if somebody was being careless/unsafe with guns in hand. Any sort of irrisponsible activities that an anti can doccumant is just one more thing that can be used against gun ownership.

 

[jonmerritt]

spend 30 minutes in the office with a few plain clothed detectives, then realize you have been swept over a dozen times with loaded guns, more if they carry a backup. or the people that cc with a shoulder holster...paranoid yet? you should be. I was swept hundreds if not thousands of times on the fields of battle, by more friendlies than I can count. If I notice the sweep, I move if I can. If there are to many people at the range, I leave. I don't expect everyone to know what the %^$$ they are doing with a firearm. How many times has my neighbor swept me with a loaded firearm from within his house? I will quit now, I am scaring myself.

 

[zxcvbob]

Did I miss something? I thought at one time there was a list of board members at Gpal. I cannot find any reference to it now when I visit the gpal site. Can someone please provide a link?

I don't think it counts if the gun is secured in a holster (that covers the trigger) or a case at the time.

 

[Mudinyeri]

I attended an outdoor expo at a state park here in Nebraska this past weekend. One of the attractions was a trap range. Everything was free so we jumped in line to shoot a few clays. While we were at the front of the line one of the "range officers" placed one of the shotguns in the crook of his arm, barrel up. He let the barrel droop pointing it straight at everyone standing in line. Since we were at the front of the line both my uncle and I made fairly loud comments about pointing the gun in another direction and having a little muzzle discipline. None of the other range officers seemed to take note.

We shot our clays and began to walk away. As we were doing so, I looked back and watched the same guy lean over the barrel of one of the shotguns as he pulled it out of the rack. Unfortunately, Darwin wasn't at the expo that day.

 

[orionengnr]

If it was murder, someone would have been charged, but no, someone accidentally shot him because of carelessness.

Murder requires intent. An accident, no matter how negligent, is not murder.

Many of us have had loved ones killed by someone else's negligence or stupidity. Today's society deems that it is no big deal. Trust me, it's a big deal to me..but I appear to be in the minority.

 

[LoonWulf]

The only ranges i have access to here are actually hunting areas that DLNR, turns a blind eye too (for the most part). So far pretty much everyone ive met has been quite safe, even the folks youd expect to be idiots have tended to keep there guns down range and practice safe handling (checking chambers not withstanding). Maybe ive just been lucky, or maybe its the fact that there ARE no range officers here so every one has to take care of there own.

 

[52grain]

Getting swept at the range is nothing compared to having someone turn off the cease fire light while you're still downrange.