Gunsnrovers
Member
Long rant. Sorry.
I tend to use LAX Range in Inglewood, CA because they are 8 miles away and it's an easy run for a quick range session. As I can't currently stand for more then 1 hour before my back starts spasming, driving an hour to the other ranges just doesn't make sense.
Anyway, today I went in and expressed interest in a Springfield GI they had for $369. Sorry sir. We sell to LEO only. ***?!?!?!
Then, as I was signing in, a young guy came in with a think Carribean accent. He wanted to rent a guy. Guy behind the counter cops an attitude and his tone is VERY condecending. What kind? The customer looks a bit lost and points at the wall. Do you have any Berettas? I get checked in at this point and don't hear the rest. A few minutes later, in walks the Carribean guy with a compact Glock and a box of ammo. I shoot for about 20 minutes aware that he is in the next lane (I'm worried because it seemed he was clueless). I notice he has not shot once yet. Peeking around the corner, I see him struggling to load the magazine. Then I see him shoot 3 rounds and then he went silent for another 15 minutes. I turn the corner and I ask if he is OK, and he looks up with a lost puppy look. I ask if he would like some help and he smiled, "Yes! Please." I show him how to load and give him a very basic run down of range safety, sighting, etc. He explains that he is visiting family and that he is a crew member on rental yachts in the Carribean. With all the pirates and violence, he wants to know how to shoot when he gets back to work. After helping him out for an hour, he is putting holes roughly where he wants at 7 yards.
I realize the range doesn't and should not screen customers, but at the same time, what they did smacks of sheer negligence. If I had not spoken to him, there is a good chance an accident would have occured. Of the three rounds he fired, one went into the floor. One the wall to his right, and one on paper. He was afraid to look down the slide (he thought the casings would come right back at him). Giving a guy who has obviously never handled a pistol a compact Glock when there is a wall full of rental full sized pistols just seems wrong too. I think it's obvious the clerk did it
out of spite. I sent the guy back into the range shop to ask to switch to a full size Glock, which he did.
Anyway, I'm thinking the convience of LAX Range isn't nearly as attractive as it used to be.
Sorry, but it was lousy first range experience of 2005.
I tend to use LAX Range in Inglewood, CA because they are 8 miles away and it's an easy run for a quick range session. As I can't currently stand for more then 1 hour before my back starts spasming, driving an hour to the other ranges just doesn't make sense.
Anyway, today I went in and expressed interest in a Springfield GI they had for $369. Sorry sir. We sell to LEO only. ***?!?!?!
Then, as I was signing in, a young guy came in with a think Carribean accent. He wanted to rent a guy. Guy behind the counter cops an attitude and his tone is VERY condecending. What kind? The customer looks a bit lost and points at the wall. Do you have any Berettas? I get checked in at this point and don't hear the rest. A few minutes later, in walks the Carribean guy with a compact Glock and a box of ammo. I shoot for about 20 minutes aware that he is in the next lane (I'm worried because it seemed he was clueless). I notice he has not shot once yet. Peeking around the corner, I see him struggling to load the magazine. Then I see him shoot 3 rounds and then he went silent for another 15 minutes. I turn the corner and I ask if he is OK, and he looks up with a lost puppy look. I ask if he would like some help and he smiled, "Yes! Please." I show him how to load and give him a very basic run down of range safety, sighting, etc. He explains that he is visiting family and that he is a crew member on rental yachts in the Carribean. With all the pirates and violence, he wants to know how to shoot when he gets back to work. After helping him out for an hour, he is putting holes roughly where he wants at 7 yards.
I realize the range doesn't and should not screen customers, but at the same time, what they did smacks of sheer negligence. If I had not spoken to him, there is a good chance an accident would have occured. Of the three rounds he fired, one went into the floor. One the wall to his right, and one on paper. He was afraid to look down the slide (he thought the casings would come right back at him). Giving a guy who has obviously never handled a pistol a compact Glock when there is a wall full of rental full sized pistols just seems wrong too. I think it's obvious the clerk did it
out of spite. I sent the guy back into the range shop to ask to switch to a full size Glock, which he did.
Anyway, I'm thinking the convience of LAX Range isn't nearly as attractive as it used to be.
Sorry, but it was lousy first range experience of 2005.