What the Heck is Wrong with People?

[Andrewsky]

I went to the range today. It's an unsupervised range open to the public. Every bench was being used.

I was sighting in my .308. The ground is concrete and the roof is corrugated metal. It wasn't loud for me but I was wearing ear plugs plus ear muffs over them.

4 kids about 11 or 12 years of age showed up. That's great. Two of them had hearing protection on, just ear plugs. There was a guy 150 yards out posting targets. One of them fired his .22LR rifle downrange and the parent with them told him to be more careful.

I waited 3 minutes for them to put on hearing protection and went ahead and fired my .308. That surprised them so they all put their ear plugs in.

Then later a dad showed up with his hunting rifle to sight it in and 3 of his daughters, aged probably 7-14. None of them had any kind of hearing protection. The dad just stood there like there were no high-powered rifles being fired, and all the kids were wincing and covering their ears.

Then there was another guy (no hearing protection) with his 5 or 6 year old granddaugher with his 10/22. She had ear plugs but was wincing from the gun shots.

Sorry this is a boring post but I just can't believe people bring their kids to the range who have probably not shot a gun before with little or no hearing protection. What a great way to turn them into anti-gunners when they get older.

On another note, I met some really nice kids who let me fire off a 10 round clip from their Yugo SKS. I had never fired an SKS before. It had a fair amount of recoil and the open sights were tough, but it was fun to shoot.

 

[Bartkowski]

I went to a range a few days ago, shooting my yugo sks and 30-06, I was the only one there until another truck pulls up. A man and son step out. I wait for them to get to the bench set up targets, I put up a new target, and ask what they are shooting. We get back I put on ear muffs, and wait for them to do the same. He pulls out a .308 and his son, some 9mm, and they just start shooting. I double checked, no ear protection. I figured they didn't care and kept shooting. I don't know how that mans could hear me.

The weird thing was they had ear muffs the whole time. The son pulled them out about half way through their session.

 

[Phelptwan]

It's worse when you go down range and set up your target to sight in and then somebody else starts shooting at it while you are setting up...

 

[Black Adder LXX]

People just don't parent their kids anymore. Those who do are usually the exception, not the rule. I work with teens and college folks at my church and it's amazing how many people just don't seem to have a clue these days. It reminds me of that quote, "Why is it called 'common sense' when so few posess it?".

There's a lot of unsafe gun owners around here in my area, too. It drives me nuts, but there's no place else to go...

 

[James T Thomas]

It's part of the price of individual freedom; otherwise "there ought to be a law." Regulations, rules, statutes, etc.

You know, seat belts -for your good. Motorcycle helmets are mandatory, and that kind of thing.

 

[Zoogster]

People just don't parent their kids anymore. Those who do are usually the exception, not the rule. I work with teens and college folks at my church and it's amazing how many people just don't seem to have a clue these days.

Yeah people just don't parent as much anymore. Modern "good parenting" consists of putting the kid in so many activities they have no free time throughout a given day, not actualy teaching them morals or raising them themselves. Modern "bad parenting" is the ones that don't put them in so many things they actualy have free time to go out and get in trouble with thier lack of morals.

 

[Andrewsky]

[It's part of the price of individual freedom; otherwise "there ought to be a law." Regulations, rules, statutes, etc.

You know, seat belts -for your good. Motorcycle helmets are mandatory, and that kind of thing.

I think getting kicked off the range for firing when someone is downrange would be a good rule, don't you?

I just marvel at some people's stupidity for bringing their kids to the range and not giving them hearing protection.

 

[Justin]

Stuff like this is why I have memberships at two private shooting ranges.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Sounds like they are doing their part to turn young folks off to shooting. They'll think back about how loud it was and not want to return.

It happens everywhere. The first time I went to a top fuel drag race after the first pass I realized why everyone was wearing ear plugs. There were people with young kids/babies/dogs that didn't have hearing protection or make an attempt to protect their kids hearing (ear plugs were available). Something that vibrates your eyeballs and thumps your chest when it goes by isn't good for your eardrums.

 

[tkarter]

I have shot a lot of time in the years that it took me to gain the age of 50.

Ear plugs for indoor ranges.

Never used them myself from childhood to my present age at an outdoor range.

Does that mean I shouldn't have a right to shoot?

Shot a lot of magnum rifles and such without problems or even thinking about my ears.

First 44 magnum handgun yeah that rings your ears right proper.

Not saying one shouldn't wear hearing protection at all. Just saying there are quite a few that never consider it until it hurts. Everyone doesn't hang out with gun nuts all the time on the internet to find these things out.



tk

 

[highfive]

Because of stuff like that I'm always extra careful when people wants to do stupid things at the range.

I had a guy one day told me that i should go and shoot my gun somewhere else because it was too loud, he wasn't wearing any ear protection. I got kind of mad and I was like excuse me you should be wearing ear muffs or something. The guy gets pissed why, I don't know, lol and begins shooting at my target and his. I guess I can tell you guys that the owner throw him out and told him don't come back.

No matter what is always good to have your guard up all the time because been familiar with a place doesn't mean that you are safe, is not the same thing. have fun everybody and shoot safe

 

[RancidSumo]

Thats why I usually take extra plugs to the range. They are inexpensive and I don't use them (I have muffs) Last time I went I ended up giving 2 kids and their dad plugs because they didn't have any.

 

[telomerase]

Private ranges are worth supporting anyway... (plus you'll live longer )

 

[Eyesac]

Yikes!

Sounds scary. I've packed up and left in a hurry before, after a pack of youngsters show up and break the "4 rules" in about 30sec and kept it up... Swinging their rifles all over as they talked. Sometimes it's just annyoying, some times it's just plain dangerous.

 

[jerkface11]

Last time I was at the range and someone wasn't wearing plugs krochus started blasting away with his 300 weatherby with a brake on it. The no plugs guy quickly found something else to do.

 

[GRB]

For the life of me, I do not understand why anyone would use an unsupervised range open to the public. You are asking for trouble.

IO also have to wonder, did you say anything to these less than safe shooters and bystanders - or did you just turn around and shoot as you described? If you did not chime in on their unsafe, very dangerous actions, I am sorry to say you are almost as bad as are they, in my opinion. I do not mean that to belittle you, so please do not take it incorrectly. I do mean to say you stayed there and alowed yourself to remain at risk, and others to remain at risk, if you did not speak up to correct them.

I can assure you they would have heard it from me, loud and clear, in no uncertain terms. Then they would have gotten safe, or I would have either left the range or reported them to authorities - maybe both. There is no room for unsafe behavior with firearms, one shot is all it takes to kill or maim.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

[kurtmax]

I use an unsupervised public range. It's the only range around. There are no private ranges.....

I generally go during the week at sunrise or sunset to try and avoid other people.

 

[GlowinPontiac]

I mainly use an unoffical unsupervised range that is the floodplain for the CT river. a few times nimrods on atv's came out and rode directly between the shooters and targets without even pausing to think about what they were doing. Luckily we saw/heard them coming and stopped firing but left soon after as they seemed to think they owned the place and had absoloutely no respect for the fact that they were riding throug our impromptu range.

but thats not normal. most of the time if somebody is shootning when the atv/4x4 guys come out they have no problems and the atv/4x4 guys sit back and watch until we leave. a few showed interest and we actually showed them how to shoot and they loved it!

 

[Notch]

Mandating my safety as an adult and mandating the safety of a child are two completely different things.

 

[Bogart]

I know just what you mean thus there are probably 20-30 sets of foam ear plugs in my range kit (free at work) between Kids whose parents don't think & my buddies forgetting there muffs at home.

Hell I was working on the car the other day had to break in a new cam so I'm in my buddies garage we both have plugs in & his daughter whom is 3 & follows me every ware had to put on muffs if she wanted to be outside with us.Those were the rules she put them on.

 

[CNYCacher]

This is why I buy earplugs by the 200-pack. I hand them out to kids about every other range trip.

 

[Andrewsky]

Well, I didn't really need to say anything. They pretty much all got there, one fired his gun, realized the mistake, and that was it. I never got swept by a muzzle the entire time I was there. Their gun safety other than that part was actually pretty good.

The hearing protection part has nothing to do with my safety so I really don't care. I think a lot of people see guns only in movies and on tv and think they're not loud in real life.

 

[crankshop1000]

As simple as posting and enforcing rules. "Hearing and eye protection are mandatory" Believe it or not the range owners can be held liable for eye or hearing damage.

 

[hksw]

I had encountered a similar situation a few years ago. A younger guy (mid/late 20's I'm guessing) rrived at the (private) range I was shooting at. IIRC, I was shooting a .22 or .17 HMR. He hd with him three kids no more thn 7 y/o by my estimation. I wasn't watching them too closely but did notice tht he was handling the firearms relatively safely. I was taking a break and was fiddling with my rifle waiting for them to ask for a cease fire so they can hng targets. They did so and was about to start shooting (he may have shot a few rounds of .22 at the start) when I noticed none of them had hearing protection. I quickly scooped up a few spare ear plugs and went over there to give to them. He had also brought a 12 or 20 gauge.

 

[scurtis_34471]

My public range is downright dangerous, which is the main reason I joined a private club. Two people have died there since 2000 due to nothing short of pure stupidity.

As for kids, I take my 9 year-old daughter with me every time I go shooting. She wears plugs, muffs and safety glasses. She knows the 4 Rules cold and knows the range protocols. When the range goes cold, she drops her magazine and racks the bolt before putting her rifle down. I usually set her up in her own lane and just let her shoot. I have gotten a lot of compliments from other shooters at the range on how mature and careful she is, which makes me a proud papa.

I think parenting means spending time with your kids, knowing them, guiding them, shaping them and remembering that you are their parent and not their buddy. I am very big on respect. I don't mind disagreement, but I won't tolerate disrespect or disobedience. The nice thing is that its seldom an issue with my oldest (the 2 year-old is still a challenge) and we usually just have a great time hanging out together shooting, playing video games, playing board games, kicking a ball around, going for walks or whatever. Parents who over-schedule their kids miss out on a lot.