Suicides at the range

[GIJOEL]

I've been shooting at this range for nearly 15 years....

Second suicide in a week occurs at Badger Guns
By John Diedrich of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: May 1, 2010

A man committed suicide on the shooting range at Badger Guns on Saturday - the second such incident at the West Milwaukee store in less than a week.

In both instances, the victims shot themselves with firearms they rented from Badger Guns, police said. Two people killed themselves in a similar manner with rented guns at a range in Racine County in the past year.

On Saturday, police were called to Badger Guns at 4:30 p.m. and found a 50-year-old man dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said West Milwaukee police Lt. Robert Bennett. One other person was on the range but was not injured. The shooting was captured on store video, he said.

Police identified the victim as Bruce P. Bethke of Oak Creek.

On Tuesday, Curtis M. Brown shot himself in the head with a gun on Badger Guns' shooting range, according to a report from the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office. Brown's mother told investigators that he had attempted to commit suicide a week earlier by overdosing on pills, the report says.

Bennett said the last suicide he recalled at Badger Guns or its predecessor, Badger Outdoors, was 12 years ago. Bennett said the range at Badger Guns was closed to replace carpeting from Tuesday until it reopened late Friday. Now, the range will be closed again, he said.

A message on the phone at Badger Guns on Saturday said the store was closed.

Two people committed suicide on the range at Shooters Sport Center in Caledonia in the past 14 months - the most recently on March 27. Both men killed themselves with guns rented from the store, according to reports from the Racine County medical examiner's office.

Wisconsin is not the only place where such suicides have occurred.

Last year in Florida, two people killed themselves within a month at a range with guns rented from a Seminole County gun store, according to news reports.

Over two years in the mid-1990s, seven people committed suicide on ranges with rented guns in California.

 

[Gunfighter123]

There was one at the indoor range in McHenry IL. about 12 years ago ---- it is a shame but there is no way to stop someone from killing themself IF THEY REALLY WANT TO.

 

[Rembrandt]

Sad but true.....many dispondent people out there, some choose jumping off bridges, pills, or other means. Unfortunately the antis never go after banning those items....it doesn't fit their purpose.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Anyone truly intent on leaving this cruel world will find some way to do it. Unfortunately - and unfairly - this reflects badly on the gun range and could provide an excuse to ban them from renting firearms, or even banning ranges altogether.

 

[Artiz]

Two guys already blew their brains out this year at a very popular and known canadian range.

 

[zombienerd]

It's this type of story that caused my local range to change their rules not too far back. If you're alone, you can't rent a gun unless you've gone through a safety course at the range. If you're with someone else, it's all good.

If you bring your own gun, it's also good.

I've seen ranged is other places that have similar rules for the same reason, they don't want suicides on their watch. One range I went to in Oregon wouldn't rent me a gun because I was alone, they said I needed to come with a buddy next time.

Ticked me off

 

[buck460XVR]

Sad but true.....many dispondent people out there, some choose jumping off bridges, pills, or other means. Unfortunately the antis never go after banning those items....it doesn't fit their purpose.

I agree. The truly unfortunate part is because most of these suicides are the result of range rental guns, those ranges that rent guns will be pressured either by the anti's or insurance companies to reconsider their policies on renting firearms.

 

[bigfatdave]

You can't prevent suicide without putting every citizen in a Nerf environment while keeping them sedated and restrained.

Most rental ranges have non-liability waivers for this very reason, they must assume that someone walking in is planning to be responsible and prudent, and to assume otherwise makes them nanny-state asshats in the eyes of many (including me).

Bummer that it happened on new carpet, though.

 

[sonier]

wow, you cant stop them, but there going to ruin things for people like us, its a shame.

 

[LRS_Ranger]

What a selfish way to take yourself out..

 

[Onward Allusion]

One of the ranges I used to go to had a policy that if you are alone and do not have a gun with you, you cannot rent anything - period.

Had a friend who visited the store and they wouldn't rent him a pistol because he was by himself and didn't have any guns with him. There was no negotiation with them. The sad thing was that he was a newbie and just wanted to try out different pistols before he purchased one.

 

[rideandcarry]

We lost a guy who killed himself at a range during my Army Basic Training ten years ago. Can't see the anti's banning those ranges or weapons.

 

[kostyanj]

Happened at a range I used to shoot at a few weeks ago. They were open the next day at noon and it's an indoor range.

 

[General Geoff]

I'm not sure I understand the problem.

You have a right to your own life; that means you also have the right to end it. It might be selfish but it's still your right. If someone is dead-set (no pun intended) on killing themselves, then I don't see any reason why there should be any hangup on method or location, long as it didn't harm anyone else physically.

The only problem with suicides at the range is inconvenience. This could actually be solved by the institution of suicide booths (no I'm not kidding). Instead of interrupting the day to day business of a shooting/rental range, you could simply enter a booth and off yourself quietly. That way the police wouldn't have to shut down the range to investigate; they could simply watch the video logs inside the booth. Then again, those who would be considerate enough to utilize a suicide booth, would likely just commit suicide in their bathtub at home anyway.

 

[rondog]

People that want to do it are gonna do it. A few years ago here in Denver, there was a lady that went into a pawn shop and asked to look at a .38 revolver. When the salesman was distracted, she took a live round out of her pocket, loaded the gun and capped herself right there.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Threads about suicides at gun ranges pretty much always turn bad and/or wander off-topic. This one is already on it's way there.