So I was an RO at a Davis County range in UT.
One late afternoon a group of Boy Scouts and a couple of adult leaders show up to shoot everything in everyone's closet. There were no other shooters there just myself and one other RO. So the scouts want to shoot trap with a hand held clay thrower. Fine. They start doing that in front of the shooting tables. Everything good so far, until one of the leaders pulls an SKS out BEHIND them with a 30-rd mag already inserted in the rifle. I say, "sir, you must take the mag out of the rifle- see you are pointing the rifle at the scouts right now". "Oh, OK." He says, like it is really no big deal. He doesn't comply, keeps walking toward the kids with a rifle pointing at them. I start walking over to him, "hey, we need to get that muzzle pointed up- you are still pointing the rifle at the scouts." I speak with no alarm or agitation in my voice, want to keep everyone alive, you know. So I get to him and gently take the forend and raise it up and ask him to take out the mag. So he does, and yes, the rifle was fully loaded- one in the chamber, safety off.
Geez, I thought, what a knob. But that's what the ROs are supposed to do, keep people safe.
My second and most interesting is there's an idividual who shoots at this range who used to be an RO but got kicked out because of some serious violations of safety and policy. So in response, he made death threats to the board members and some other chilling remarks. So one day I am there as an RO and the range is closed for the day and this particular individual drives right past me and goes to the public range- I am shooting after hours in a pistol bay-doing some shotgun drills and the like. I am wondering as I am walking the 150 yds to the public range why this guy is shooting when he knows that we're closed and that he cannot shoot at all unless there is an RO present- he should know, he used to be an RO.
So I stop short, and remember the death threats, but keep going. I hear him shooting now, and get there and say, "Hey, we're closed, you know you can't shoot now". He says ok and and pretends to clean up. I walk off and get on my cell phone to one of the board members and tell him "you know who is here" and he tells me to be very careful because of him being a kook and all, and don't be afraid to call the sherriff. OK. So I get back to my guns and what do I hear, this clown start to shoot again. OK, I probably should of called the sherriff, but I thought I could handle this. So I load my 1187police and start walking back. When in doubt, carry a big stick. I kept my shotty pointing downward the whole time and asked him to pack up and leave or I am calling the sherriff. He was indignant, and pissed off, but packed up and left. I then called the sherriff, talked to a detective to cover my ass in case the nutjob called to say I brandished or pointed my shotty at him. I called the board member and told him the whole story, too.
That's about the most exitement I needed for the day.
john l.
One late afternoon a group of Boy Scouts and a couple of adult leaders show up to shoot everything in everyone's closet. There were no other shooters there just myself and one other RO. So the scouts want to shoot trap with a hand held clay thrower. Fine. They start doing that in front of the shooting tables. Everything good so far, until one of the leaders pulls an SKS out BEHIND them with a 30-rd mag already inserted in the rifle. I say, "sir, you must take the mag out of the rifle- see you are pointing the rifle at the scouts right now". "Oh, OK." He says, like it is really no big deal. He doesn't comply, keeps walking toward the kids with a rifle pointing at them. I start walking over to him, "hey, we need to get that muzzle pointed up- you are still pointing the rifle at the scouts." I speak with no alarm or agitation in my voice, want to keep everyone alive, you know. So I get to him and gently take the forend and raise it up and ask him to take out the mag. So he does, and yes, the rifle was fully loaded- one in the chamber, safety off.
Geez, I thought, what a knob. But that's what the ROs are supposed to do, keep people safe.
My second and most interesting is there's an idividual who shoots at this range who used to be an RO but got kicked out because of some serious violations of safety and policy. So in response, he made death threats to the board members and some other chilling remarks. So one day I am there as an RO and the range is closed for the day and this particular individual drives right past me and goes to the public range- I am shooting after hours in a pistol bay-doing some shotgun drills and the like. I am wondering as I am walking the 150 yds to the public range why this guy is shooting when he knows that we're closed and that he cannot shoot at all unless there is an RO present- he should know, he used to be an RO.
So I stop short, and remember the death threats, but keep going. I hear him shooting now, and get there and say, "Hey, we're closed, you know you can't shoot now". He says ok and and pretends to clean up. I walk off and get on my cell phone to one of the board members and tell him "you know who is here" and he tells me to be very careful because of him being a kook and all, and don't be afraid to call the sherriff. OK. So I get back to my guns and what do I hear, this clown start to shoot again. OK, I probably should of called the sherriff, but I thought I could handle this. So I load my 1187police and start walking back. When in doubt, carry a big stick. I kept my shotty pointing downward the whole time and asked him to pack up and leave or I am calling the sherriff. He was indignant, and pissed off, but packed up and left. I then called the sherriff, talked to a detective to cover my ass in case the nutjob called to say I brandished or pointed my shotty at him. I called the board member and told him the whole story, too.
That's about the most exitement I needed for the day.
john l.
