strange occurance at the gun range

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:what: ... 45-minutes

I would have re-holstered and been there within 30-seconds telling them to move along ... and

... yes ... after the 'free country' statement I would have asked them "Who here has a gun?"

... but ... then I am gray haired over 60 and would not take any smart a** comment like that.
 
after the 'free country' statement I would have asked them "Who here has a gun?"
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Why would they care if you have a gun? Are you planning to shoot them for standing next to your vehicle in a public parking lot?
 
FWIW......I catch people stealing for a living, (loss Prevention) and your gut feeling or first impression is usually correct. They were probably up to no good.
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I'd be willing to bet certainly they were up to no good.

Most criminals are looking for an 'easy' take.

Just simply moving your vehicle, locking your firearms inside (It's your responsibility if someone gets hurt with them anyway, right?) or otherwise making it clear that you're 'aware' of them, can go a long way to discourage any criminal behavior on their part.

On the contrary, approaching them with any measure of hostility or disrespect 'can' be very dangerous though. If they're gang members, even if their prize is taken out of the equation, they will sometimes react with pack mentality and jump somebody just for the heck of it.

But as long as you make them aware that you're aware of their possible intentions and you're not gonna give in without a fight, even if it's a 'little' fight, most often they will move on to easier, less effort-involved ventures.

Good call for the most part.
 
I don't leave anything of value laying out behind me. I don't even do that at the indoor range unless a friend is there to stand next to it. I don't trust people I don't know.

Hard to say if they were going to steal your guns. I think they were trying to work up the courage or find the right timing when you and your group were completely distracted.

I'm sure your gut was right. I'm glad you acted on it, so those two unsavory individuals aren't going to hurt or rob anybody with your guns.
 
by the back of our truck where we had all the weapons we wernt shooting
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Step 1: Don't leave firearms in the back of a truck unattended. The rest of the scenario would be irrelevant had you not dangled a steak in front of a starving man.
 
/\ +1

Weak men will always be tempted by that which is easily attained. You could have infused some humor by asking if they were interested in your truck, since they were admiring it for so long. "Hell, yes, it's for sale! Make me an offer!"
 
Platt and Maddox, the infamous Miami-Dade murderers did more than just kill two FBI agents in 1986. Prior to their spree, they each apparently murdered previous spouses, and would go to gravel pit shooting areas, find people shooting alone, kill them and take their guns. This type of crime at unsupervised informal shooting areas and lightly supervised or unsupervised ranges seems to be on the increase.
You were right to confront these people to see what they were up to. If I find myself positioned too close to something I'm watching for someone's comfort, a polite word is all I'd need to move along, but then again, I'm an honest man with no agenda.
 
Calmness denotes control

KsThumper:
I would have re-holstered and been there within 30-seconds telling them to move along ... and

... yes ... after the 'free country' statement I would have asked them "Who here has a gun?"

... but ... then I am gray haired over 60 and would not take any smart a** comment like that.
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Well, I'm also gray-haired and over 60.

Even though I'm well past my prime, I'm still clearly no pushover. But I'd much rather give an impression of being older, wiser and calmer (and knowing something they don't know) than to let a mere smart-a** remark make me surrender my control of the situation or, worse, escalate it.
 
Can't imagine saying "I am armed" to anyone other than a policeman/trooper during a traffic stop...

Nothing to gain. :confused:
 
If I go somewhere to shoot alone like the local dirt pits I always keep a loaded Charter Arms .44 Special in my back pocket just in case.
 
I would have politely pointed out that I have a loaded gun and you don't.Some people have to have things explained to them! Lightman
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That could easily be construed as a threat. There's nothing illegal about them standing there and you can't shoot them for making you uncomfortable.

In think the OP handled it well. A polite request. Sure they lashed out, but in the end, nobody was hurt, nothing was stolen, and more importantly - he got them to leave. All is well.

If I go somewhere to shoot alone like the local dirt pits I always keep a loaded Charter Arms .44 Special in my back pocket just in case.
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Absolutely. I occasionally drive down to the local range after dark to collect brass. It's empty, and it's a public range so DNR doesn't mind you taking the brass (as far as they're concerned you're picking up trash). You can bet that I ALWAYS have something on me, even though I'm not there to shoot at the time. It's just too remote to take chances.
 
My range has a simple policy

ONLY SHOOTERS ON THE LINE
and by that, they mean the range, I've seen them ask people who are NOT invited guest or paying guest to leave.

If you want to watch, you are welcome stand behind the line of cars, or under the cover next to the range shack, but you won't see much.
 
Ringolevio said:
The trick, I believe, is not to let on that they make you uncomfortable, but rather to make them uncomfortable.
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Likewise you could have all just stopped shooting, turned around with your clearly loaded rifles and stared at them for an uncomfortable period of time. Why even bother putting yourself in unfavorable tactical position of walking up to speak to them? Of course, it is polite <shrug>

But I have to agree with the general consensus here. They don't have to explain themselves, but if the best they can do is "its a free country" then whatever they were actually doing there wasn't any favor to you.
 
I have heard stories of people being robbed of their guns at gun ranges. EVERY time I go to the range, I too carry a concealed weapon that I don't produce to shoot on the line. Just knowing that I have it makes me feel a little more at ease that I won't be too much of an easy target.
 
i didnt state it very clear our truck was backed in at our spot. Our guns were in eye view 10 feet away. my fealing was how odd there body language was it wasnt like they were just watching us shoot more like they were up to something. i am near deaf and i read body language verry well. If they had been friendly with a warm demeaner they might have been able to join us at some point. Thanks for all the great comments : )
 
I'll bet if you and your group would have started taking pictures of them and their vehicle with your phones they would have left even sooner. :D
 
food for thought

So here is a scenario....you are at a private busy range and you are shooting your rifle out to 300yrds. You shoot a couple of times and decide to go check the target. You start to walk out to the target openly carrying your pistol. Someone hops out of a car and grabs your rifle. By law you cant shoot them for stealing your rifle so i guess the only thing protecting your rifle/property while you walk down to the target is to take it w/ you. I used to leave my rifle on the bench while checking targets but unless its under 100 yrds the rifle is gonna take a walk w/ me!
 
Johnny Lightning said:
... I used to leave my rifle on the bench while checking targets but unless its under 100 yrds the rifle is gonna take a walk w/ me!
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Not at the range I go to.

You can't go downrange unless the range is cold. If the range is cold no one may touch a gun in any way (holstered and concealed carry weapons excepted). There's too much danger to having people handling guns while other people are downrange.
 
Precisely why I wear my Schofield on my Hip while shooting other guns.

It's more of a habit from shooting in the woods for years, but you're standing there with your back exposed, wearing hearing protection. All it takes is someone waiting for you to be disarmed when you finish your current magazine off.

At the Indoor range however, I'll admit to lowering my guard, and not worrying about carrying a backup gun. Tthere is usually no staff on site, but it's keycard access. I've only had to shoo one person away, that by greeting them warmly as they started looking around the lobby in a furtive manner, and offering them the membership paperwork and the phone numbers of the proprietors.

Shady people hate big booming friendly hellos.
 
Half the time one sees people up to no good, or to what appears to be no good, those folks have been in trouble before. Anyone on probation or parole is not allowed to be around firearms. A call to the cops and and the ID check that would've resulted may have gotten one or both of them in trouble for simply being there.
 
I belong to a private gun club and I've never met another member that made me feel uncomfortable. We use cards to swipe in and the RO's do a good monitoring on the outdoor ranges. The gates are open during daylight hours but you have to swipe to get in after dark. You have to swipe when you fill out the logbook for a lane.

Our indoor range is open 24/7 and you have to swipe to gain entry to the club and then swipe again to gain entry to the clubhouse/range. It would be extremely hard for someone who is not a member to gain entry to any area without being asked by numerous people if they can be helped. The only time non-members have access is when we open the property up to local Boy Scouts. They have had to be corrected on the rifle range for unsafe behavior but that is the only incident I can think of.

I think you were correct in being suspicious, especially since they weren't shooting. Hopefully the range will have electronic surveillance in case something does go down. Our public ranges severely limited their hours and days of operation because of vandals and suspicious behavior.
 
I haven't had that happen but I have had situations where I come out of a store and see people leaning on my truck. Last time that happened I just got in and drove off while the punk was still leaning against it. It's kinda hard to lean on thin air.
 
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