NYenthusiast
Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2005
- Messages
- 45
So I'm at my local public outdoor range about two weeks ago blasting off some rounds fom the 50yd line. Ive got 4 friends with me, and, most of my firearms. Stag AR, WASR AK, M1 carbine, mossy 12ga, 30-06 bolt action and 10/22. My friend had bought his 30-30 marlin levergun with him as well as his sks. So were occupying to benches on the 50 yd range and a group of young kids with an adult male who I assumed was one of their fathers pulls up. Now my friends and I are not old by any strecth of the imagination.Im 19 years old and the rest of my buddy's range in age from 18-23. These kids looked early teens.
Now Im always happy to see younger shooters on the range. They are the future and without them, our whole culture will die out. What I dont appreciate is when people who have no practice or instruction on safe firearm handling come to the range and put other people in danger. The guy who Im guessing is the father figure pulls a few cased rifles out of his trunk and places them on the tables they are useing. The kids pull out the guns which appear to be a 20 inch AR, a garand, a .22 and some shotgun I couldnt really indentify. They start loading and a few seconds later the first kid pops off two rounds with the shotgun in rapid sucession. None of them had ears or eyes on. The dad says nothing and the kids keep loading and soon enough all of them are putting rounds down range.
They're doing all kinds of stupid crap, dumping whole mags from the hip, trying to fire the shotgun one handed etc. I let it all go because they are really only at risk of hurting themselves at this point and not me or anyone else on the line. Then as Im changing mags for my AR I catch out of the corner of my eye what looks like one of these bozos drawing down on me with his rifle!! My immediate reaction was ***??!! and I turn to see that two of my friends have also noticed, and, that the kid is laughing and saying bang bang while pointing the .22 at my truck. His friends of course think its hillarious and are laughing like idiots. Trying to stay calm I walk over to the kid whos now put the rifle back on the side of the bench realizing Im not to happy.
In a polite but firm voice I said "Excuse me, Im not in the mood to get shot today so please do me a favor and keep the weapons pointed downrange". The kid looks at me and says "It was just a joke man, it was empty and I was just aiming at the car". I replied "It dosent matter, accidents do happen and Im not getting killed today because you wanna be funny". "Alright dude Im sorry, I wont do it again". I thanked him and returned to my bench.
Its maybe an hour or so later and things have been going fine since I spoke to the guy. My friend is shooting his sks, very involved in what he is doing not really in tune with whats going on around him. Im standing up against my truck taking a drink of water when I see two of the young guys screwing with their shotgun. Looks like they had some kind of jam or malfunction and are trying to clear it.
So one of them takes it off the line and stands to the side trying to clear it. Except again he now has the weapon upside down and pointed at me and my friends. Now Im just pissed because in all likleyhood the weapon is not empty and there is a good chance I could be shot. I alert my buddys and we all get clear of the muzzle and walk over towards these guys. My friend reaches them before I do and says "whats the problem guy's?". The one kid says "Idk its jammed I think". My friend asks to see it and says "Ok guys even when a weapon jams you need to make sure its pointed in a safe direction. Sure enough when my buddy clears it he is able to eject three shells before the thing is totally empty.
So one kid decides he dosent like us giving him advice and starts mouthing off. "look this is a public range, you guys have no right to tell us how to shoot". I was really upset at this point and replied " This beign a public range does not mean saftey rules dont apply, if you really want I can take this up with the range master and you guys can leave. An argument ensues and their dad who has not been present this whole time walks up and gets involved. Except instead of taking our side when the situation was explained he gets belligerent as well and starts telling us how we have no right to discipline his kids.I told him that when my life is concerened I have every right. Guy got very agressive and was trying to provoke a physical altercation. I walked away and got the range master,explained what had happened. They were asked to leave and drove off flipping us off as they went. Some people
Now Im always happy to see younger shooters on the range. They are the future and without them, our whole culture will die out. What I dont appreciate is when people who have no practice or instruction on safe firearm handling come to the range and put other people in danger. The guy who Im guessing is the father figure pulls a few cased rifles out of his trunk and places them on the tables they are useing. The kids pull out the guns which appear to be a 20 inch AR, a garand, a .22 and some shotgun I couldnt really indentify. They start loading and a few seconds later the first kid pops off two rounds with the shotgun in rapid sucession. None of them had ears or eyes on. The dad says nothing and the kids keep loading and soon enough all of them are putting rounds down range.
They're doing all kinds of stupid crap, dumping whole mags from the hip, trying to fire the shotgun one handed etc. I let it all go because they are really only at risk of hurting themselves at this point and not me or anyone else on the line. Then as Im changing mags for my AR I catch out of the corner of my eye what looks like one of these bozos drawing down on me with his rifle!! My immediate reaction was ***??!! and I turn to see that two of my friends have also noticed, and, that the kid is laughing and saying bang bang while pointing the .22 at my truck. His friends of course think its hillarious and are laughing like idiots. Trying to stay calm I walk over to the kid whos now put the rifle back on the side of the bench realizing Im not to happy.
In a polite but firm voice I said "Excuse me, Im not in the mood to get shot today so please do me a favor and keep the weapons pointed downrange". The kid looks at me and says "It was just a joke man, it was empty and I was just aiming at the car". I replied "It dosent matter, accidents do happen and Im not getting killed today because you wanna be funny". "Alright dude Im sorry, I wont do it again". I thanked him and returned to my bench.
Its maybe an hour or so later and things have been going fine since I spoke to the guy. My friend is shooting his sks, very involved in what he is doing not really in tune with whats going on around him. Im standing up against my truck taking a drink of water when I see two of the young guys screwing with their shotgun. Looks like they had some kind of jam or malfunction and are trying to clear it.
So one of them takes it off the line and stands to the side trying to clear it. Except again he now has the weapon upside down and pointed at me and my friends. Now Im just pissed because in all likleyhood the weapon is not empty and there is a good chance I could be shot. I alert my buddys and we all get clear of the muzzle and walk over towards these guys. My friend reaches them before I do and says "whats the problem guy's?". The one kid says "Idk its jammed I think". My friend asks to see it and says "Ok guys even when a weapon jams you need to make sure its pointed in a safe direction. Sure enough when my buddy clears it he is able to eject three shells before the thing is totally empty.
So one kid decides he dosent like us giving him advice and starts mouthing off. "look this is a public range, you guys have no right to tell us how to shoot". I was really upset at this point and replied " This beign a public range does not mean saftey rules dont apply, if you really want I can take this up with the range master and you guys can leave. An argument ensues and their dad who has not been present this whole time walks up and gets involved. Except instead of taking our side when the situation was explained he gets belligerent as well and starts telling us how we have no right to discipline his kids.I told him that when my life is concerened I have every right. Guy got very agressive and was trying to provoke a physical altercation. I walked away and got the range master,explained what had happened. They were asked to leave and drove off flipping us off as they went. Some people
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