Range Commando How Polite Is Too Polite?

[Treo]

This isn't a what if its an After Action Review, here's what happened . First time at our gun club/ range. A member of the gun club is out there showing of his Kimber super .38, ok that doesn't strike me as odd. We start a conversation & W/in minutes he flips up his shirt to show me his CCW. I can see he's gaging my reaction , gettin' a little uneasy now. Guy then informs me that as a LEO of 12 years he's killed 1 guy & been involved in 3 officer involved shootings , something is definetely not right. He answers a question about my weapon then starts talking about close range shooting tactics and informs me that he could disarm me at will and pokes my chest and stomach ( in imitation of a bullet striking me). At this point I disengage & get as far as I can from him, definetely on full alert. The guy then finds another person to impress/ intimidate. Later, he asks me very politely if I would like to try his super .38, I did it was a nice gun I thanked him & left. The next time I saw him at the range I avoided him. Honestly I don't think he wanted to do any more than look important and intimidate the newbie at the range. The only thing hurt was my pride , but I just couldn't see any good coming from getting indignant W/ an armed stranger. Especially since I was armed as well.
Here are my questions
1 What ( if anything) did I do right?

2. What ( if anything) did I do wrong ?

3. What could I have done better?

 

[Finch]

3. What could I have done better?

Use more periods...

Nah but seriously, the minute he poked me I would have snapped his finger and judo chopped him in the throat.

Nah but seriously, I think you were right to distance yourself. These type of guys are hungry for attention and the best thing you could do is starve them.

 

[Treo]

periods

Sorry, I'm posting from a smart phone no spell check.

 

[boalex207]

Act interested in his job/shift
Find out what his days off are
Avoid the range on those days in the future

 

[Floppy_D]

We gun onwers can't all be winners.

 

[Logan5]

Well, I'd like a little more of a range report on the Kimber .38 super.

Really though, what were you supposed to do? Maybe burn through more of his ammo so he'd avoid you in the future? I don't like it when King Commando pokes me in my post holiday turkey belly either, but what can you do but humor them? Maybe you can dine out on the foolish stories you collect.

 

[.38 Special]

We probably all know that guy. I tend to see how much subtle fun I can make of that sort before they start to catch on, but I don't have many friends either. The two may be related.

So if you're not the type to have some fun at his expense, what else can you do but just walk away? I mean, the world is full of people you wouldn't invite to your tea party. C'est la vie, non?

 

[Pax Jordana]

Where'd my story chair go? ahh (squeeeeak)

There's a kid at the gym where I lift. He's a little weird, got a thing for steven segal movies and a bit of a stutter. Loves to talk, too. Thing is, you don't talk to a guy when he's got weight on - he needs to focus. But this guy didn't pick up on it til one day, a guy said to him, "hold on a second. I'm gonna do another set."

All that kid wanted was to make friends at the gym, and he wasn't picking up the social cues. Someone set a boundary for him, and he figured out the lesson once it became obvious enough.

Are you catching what I'm throwing out? I love metaphor, it makes me sound pithy.

On the range, armed society is polite society. I'd have shot the bull with him (hey, a range trip without a bull session is called 'short') right up to the point he started about disarming and poking. From there, you need to assert yourself ("Heh, ok, listen. Don't touch me."), and from there you will find out if he's a weirdo (humor him, you'll get points with your deity of choice) or just a full-grown bully (stop talking to him, it's hard to bully a man with a gun..)

But from the offer to shoot his 38, I'd bet he's just inept.

 

[bsf]

1. What (if anything) did I do right? Retained your composure; did not insult him; and swallowed your pride. The guy may have been annoying but does not appear to be a threat.

2. What (if anything) did I do wrong? Maybe nothing. If anything, it would be failing to tell the guy that you do not like being poked.

3. What could I have done better? It probably would have been ok to politely tell the guy that you feel uncomfortable with him poking you and you would be appreciative if he did not do it any more.

You did fine. This is “small potatoes”. Ask us how you did after facing down 3 hostage-holding terrorists armed w/ automatic weapons, grenades, and rpg’s. That would be a situation to be concerned about.

P.S.
I had a supposed Vietnam vet “master of death” pull the same thing on me once, and I handled it the same way you did.

 

[Treo]

I'm working on a variation of " Excuse me, but I'm just not comfortable being touched by people I don't know. "

 

[MostlyGenius]

Seriously, I would avoid that bozo like the plague. The last thing you want is for somebody to think that he is your buddy.

Option 0: Leave.
Option 1: Say 'excuse me' and find somewhere else to be until he makes friends with somebody else.
Option 2: Introduce him to somebody you don't like. "Hey Bob has a Kimber too. Bob this guy is the real deal. You guys should talk."
Option 3: Tell him politely that you don't want to talk to him, or don't have time to talk to him.
Option 4: Shoot up all of his ammo. Compliment him on his gun, and ask if he has any more ammo.

 

[plexreticle]

I like option 4, if you do that he'll avoid you next time.

 

[Sunray]

"...informs me that as...he's killed 1 guy & been involved in 3 officer involved shootings..." He's lying. He's very likely not nor ever has been a copper either. Nobody who has seen any kind of combat talks about it. Certainly not to people they don't know.
"...look important and intimidate..." Extremely likely. BS artists do that.
1) You didn't laugh at the twit and you didn't hurt him. You could have grabbed his finger and bent it back or otherwise broken it. You didn't. And you got to shoot his pistol at his expense. Well done.
2) Nothing. Think in terms of a belligerent drunk in a bar. Same idea. Think paragraphs too. Snicker.
3) "...couldn't see any good coming from getting indignant ..." Exactly. Mind you, if you carry yourself like you own the place, the rectal orifi tend to leave you alone. Works in bars too.
Oh and your pride is very much intact.

 

[campbell]

"...informs me that as...he's killed 1 guy & been involved in 3 officer involved shootings..." He's lying. He's very likely not nor ever has been a copper either. Nobody who has seen any kind of combat talks about it. Certainly not to people they don't know.

+1. Also, that "I can disarm you at will" IME is also a sign of a delusional character.

I'll add "avoid" to the vote tally.

 

[Treo]

Give me a break I'm posting from a cell phone

When he started telling me about 4 shootings in 12 years ( given that most cops do 20 W/out firing a shot) my BS meter went off the scale. Add that to the fact that no one but a sociopath brags about killing people & I started to head for condition orange

 

[Fish828]

who actually wants to kill someone or thinks it's cool to "brag" about it? Like many others have said before me, steer clear of that b@stard.

 

[che_70b]

I have never met anyone who has been in combat, including one of my best friends, who ever talks about killing people. They may talk about the war itself, mention major fights they were a part of, or things they saw, but never about the killing.

 

[TAB]

walk away was the right thing...


Now other if for some reason I got a really bad vibe from the guy, I would ask around for his name and what agency he works for... then go let them know who you feel and what he said/ did. That info could be very important... of corese they could just sweep it under the rug too... Really sounds like small man syndrone to me( which is not uncommon in LEOs of all sizes) Thats not what we need in professional law enforcement.

One thing for sure I would avoid him in the future.

 

[Soybomb]

I think being polite goes a long way. You may be 100% he's full of crap when he starts talking about all the shootings he's been involved with but if you're polite, nod and smile for a second, and then excuse yourself from the conversation by putting your muffs on and getting to shooting (if the range is cold just go about your business and ignore him). If you let him know that you can smell his BS from the targets, he's only going to feel the need to prove himself to you and will keep running his mouth. I wouldn't hesitate to tell him to please not touch you anymore either. Don't encourage the range nuts by engaging in conversation, being interested in their stories, or shooting their guns and they'll get bored and wander off to practice their commando roll.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

lots of weirdo commando types are drawn to the macho strutting grounds of ranges, hunting sections at sporting goods stores, and motorcycle shops. Dealing with them is just part of being involved with these hobbies.
Not everyone does it with as much grace and tact as you.

You didn't make an enemy of the guy, so maybe next time you can give him some boundaries and he'll be receptive.

Some people are just socially awkward and need help understanding that they don't have to be a cartoon character version of a gunny to enjoy guns.

 

[woodybrighton]

sounds like he bestrides that range like a god
best avoided
in a sane world he'd be allowed all the guns he likes
but would have to go to his care worker to get any rounds

 

[fearless leader]

I don't understand why your pride was hurt, but it seems that every time I go to the range, I frequently run into someone who critiques my shooting technique saying, almost invariably, "I used to train FBI, Navy SEALs, DEA, etc. and......
Some people are not comfortable being regular or ordinary. They have to embellish their qualifications by associating themselves with some elite organization.

I have been shooting for 35+ years and I'm almost good at it. I have shot with and competed with "elite military personnel" and not all of them I have seen shoot as well as some IPSC shooters. Being fair to our elite teams, they could probably clean my clock with an SMG, because they use them more than we use them. (Lucky dogs!)
I ran across one of these non-ordinary guys when we were re-qualifying, practicing the "speed rock" drill. In the academy, I was taught to draw my weapon, plant the butt on the holster, close to the body and shift my hips onto the opponent's center line, placing my weak hand over my melon to protect it from bashing (this is a last ditch survival technique). You do not utilize sights in this drill, but hand-eye coordination.

He pointed out how I was off balance and how bad this position looked, but when the whistle blew, and the drill was over, his holes were all over the paper; mine were all K-5 zone.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Re: the finger poking



"You will not touch me in that manner. Ever." Then walk away. And be sure he doesn't follow you.

 

[JamisJockey]

Ignore him. or Give him one of these.

When he started telling me about 4 shootings in 12 years ( given that most cops do 20 W/out firing a shot) my BS meter went off the scale. Add that to the fact that no one but a sociopath brags about killing people & I started to head for condition orange

It's possible. Many cops work very, very bad neighborhoods, vice, etc. However, to brag about it would set off my alarm bells, too. Who brags about killing someone to a guy they don't know at the gun range? Either a liar or sociopath. Neither are people I want to associate with.

"You will not touch me in that manner. Ever." Then walk away. And be sure he doesn't follow you.

Yeah, the jackass certainly had no right touching you in that manner (or at all).

1 What ( if anything) did I do right?

2. What ( if anything) did I do wrong ?

3. What could I have done better?

The older I get, the less and less I like talking to strangers. I'm not at the range for social hour, but to shoot. If I know someone already, I'll let them introduce me to people they know and like. I make less friends this way, but I'm finding more and more that I meet less jackasses and weirdos.

 

[Treo]

My pride was hurt because I allowed him to put his hand on me W/out retaliating. But at the time it happened the skill set I had to stop it would have lead to a fight, I actually have some tact now. And if I give him a fingerspelling card he'll know what my wife and I are saying when I start talking (signing) smack abut him.