What would you have done?

[jj1962hemi]

I think the OP was right, but s/h/b more civil. I can't say whether I would have been able to keep my cool either.

The issue of the uninitiated spending more time on the firing line is actually a good thing. I think it means more people are buying guns and getting versed in shooting. My concern is that in much less dangerous situations (e.g. the gun with slide open is on a table at a 45 degree angle) when ROs (or worse, self-appointed ROs) read somebody the riot act, they turn them off from guns and "gun people." I agree it's a fine line.

I was at a public skeet range a few years back while a father sent his kids out in the skeet field, while I was shooting 100' to their left, to pick up unbroken targets. I packed up and left. It was a forest preserve range that is unmanned.

 

[psyshack]

OP did good!

But I would never go to a range where you go down range to shoot at shorter distances. Thats flat out retarded!!!!!

Firing line is established. Shooting distance changes.

Find a new range or club!

 

[HOOfan_1]

What would I have done?

"there are people down range, please do not point firearms down range"

if he said "we are taking pictures"

"the rule applies at all times, when people are down range you do not point firearms down range for any reason"

If he apologized...I leave it at that. If he got surly then yeah I might have talked to the range authorities.

 

[Warp]

This reply is generalized toward the all comments like the one above:

It ain't about hurt feelings. It's about not creating/escalating a situation. You scream profanities at the guy, and maybe he is surprised and embarrassed. That's the best possible outome. However, and possibly more likely, he'll react aggressively-maybe just words, maybe not. I've been on plenty of public ranges where I've seen characters that it would not surprise me one bit if they would have walked over and assaulted or even threatened with the gun someone who yelled at them like that. Yep, they're now in the wrong twice-but it's a bad situation for you all the same.

If you want to engage armed people you don't know with hostility, that's your perogative. But it's not a smart thing to do.

Excellent, and timely, post.

 

[buck460XVR]

This reply is generalized toward the all comments like the one above:

It ain't about hurt feelings. It's about not creating/escalating a situation. You scream profanities at the guy, and maybe he is surprised and embarrassed. That's the best possible outome. However, and possibly more likely, he'll react aggressively-maybe just words, maybe not. I've been on plenty of public ranges where I've seen characters that it would not surprise me one bit if they would have walked over and assaulted or even threatened with the gun someone who yelled at them like that. Yep, they're now in the wrong twice-but it's a bad situation for you all the same.

If you want to engage armed people you don't know with hostility, that's your perogative. But it's not a smart thing to do.

Excellent, and timely, post.

I tend to agree. Altho it's easy to sit back and be an arm chair quarterback. I tend to get excited pretty quickly also and words I'd rather not hear my grand-daughters' mouths speak tend to come outta mine. I think it's one of those "you had to be there" things.

 

[Warp]

For me it isn't a "had to be there", it's just a matter of "I would respond differently". I say this based on experience, by the way. I've been swept by loaded guns at the range before. Being firm but not overly rude, and not swearing, IMO works better. Although if at first it doesn't work, things change...

 

[EddieNFL]

But I would never go to a range where you go down range to shoot at shorter distances. Thats flat out retarded!!!!!

Avoid NRA high power matches. We're really retarded.

 

[Douglas34474]

So someone pointing a firearm at me is "being polite?"

We have a public range in the Ocala Forest. It is unmanned. When I go there, if no one else is doing so, I become the "Range Nazi" and see that the safety rules are adhered to. Although the Range Rules are posted on two 4'x8' bill boards, 90% of the shooters don't even stop to read them.

After we had a gent who refused to leave the firing line until several of us got on his case I called the Sheriff. I asked that if we called a "COLD RANGE" and we had someone continue to handle there firearm, could I consider that an "ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON."

His reply was "No. There is on intent." "So I can go into down town Ocala and point my 1911 at people as long as I have no intent?" I asked. "Let me call you back" was his reply.

About 5 minutes he called back and said, "We prefer you call the Sheriff, but yes, that would be an assault with a deadly weapon."

When I go to the range I always wear my 1911 in my shoulder rig. I go with my shooting buddy and one of us always stays on and watches the firing line when the range is cold. We are never without a firearm on us. When someone violates the rules I let them know about it real clear and real quick. After I have their undivided attention I simply ask, "Do you want ME handling my firearm while YOU are down range?" I also inform them that if they sweep me again I will not be so polite.

I get the "It's not loaded" BS all the time. I just look them straight in the eye and tell them I don't give a dam if it's "unloaded" or not, then ask they how many people have been killed with "unloaded" firearms.

I work on the basic safety rule; Everyone goes home with the same number of holes in them that they came with.

 

[kris7047th]

I think your reaction was a poor one. That kind of behavior can easily be the catalyst for an altercation. Firm but polite is the way to handle it. If he'd fired a round in your direction, different story. But he didn't.

I disagree. How was he to know if that AR wasn't loaded doing a video. Those guys should have taken the time and courteousness to tell the guys down range what they were doing BEFORE pointing a gun in their direction. He had every right to be hot under the collar.

 

[MistWolf]

Someone points a firearm at me, fight or flight kicks in. I would have hollered at the guy in a very commanding voice. If an expletive or two had slipped out, tough. Notice I said an expletive or two, not a whole string. In a dangerous situation it's best not to waste any words.

I have gotten after folks for pointing firearms at me. I do not apologize for doing so. I have had people get after me for my slip ups. I took it on the chin and corrected my behavior. My slip ups are now very rare as I take this seriously.

Co-workers of my father went rabbit hunting with us. Once. After having to throw my uncle into the dirt and pinning him down to keep him from getting up into the line of fire and low crawling out of the area, I had no trouble letting them know exactly how I felt about being shot at and to emphasize to them that it would never happen again and why, although one was my father's boss.

exbrit49, you handled it well. In a deadly situation such as this, there is no time to politely walk over and explain yourself. That can wait until after the weapons are put down

 

[skt239]

People have a problem with the OP's cursing but forgot what lead to it. The guy had no regard for anyone else but himself and the immediate need to pose with his AR. What the dummy did was completely irresponsible, selfish and dangerous. To add insult to injury he continued to push the "it's unloaded" line even with the president of the club in front of him, rather than own up to his foolishness and immediately apologize. He deserved far more than to be cursed at.

 

[Warp]

skt239: I am fairly certain that nobody is forgetting what lead up to it.

I am also fairly certain that nobody is saying it was called for/deserved.

What people are saying, is that swearing probably isn't the best way to handle it due to the chance that it'll turn into a peeing match (or whatever you want to call it)

Nobody is saying that hurt feelings are more important than safety or anything else, people are saying that hurting the feelings of the idiot pointing a rifle at you, if you don't have to do so, should probably be avoided, at least for moment while in that position.


---
This reminds me of when my younger brother was learning to drive. He came to a four way stop (stop signs), stopped, and then proceeded. We told him very quickly NOT to keep going, or that pickup that was coming at speed might hit us. His response? "But they have a stop sign, they are supposed to stop! It would be their fault!" And he was right. They had a stop sign. And it would be their fault. And he totally legally had the right of way. But you know what? Waiting for the pickup to run the stop sign was still the better choice.

 

[BSA1]

As I understand the description of the range you move forward of the firing line in order to shoot at closer distances. This is a very poor range design and you do no mention how the 100 yard line is shut down when shooters are downrange.

I am unclear about where the offender was pointing his gun. Your post says "in our direction." Was he at the other end of the line pointing his gun downrange for the photo shoot or was he on the line pointing the gun at you?
You do not mention how wide the line is. The first may be poor judgement. The second may call for return fire.

You made a big issue of safety and apparently are not still satisified with how it was handled. I would ask you to consider you attitude about safety by using a range that does not have a procedure in place to close the 100 yard line when you are downrange.

Oh you mention it was a AR-15. Did that make a difference in your reaction?

 

[MachIVshooter]

Old argument used by the antis. I remember the outcry when Florida passed CC. "The streets will run red with blood. Be careful how you look at another person or what you say." Same thing again when Stand Your Ground passed.

Have you ever been on a public range? Especially one in an urban area? Not all of the people using it are good, law-abiding citizens. Many of them probably can't legally possess a firearm at all. Some ranges are better about excluding these characters than others, but I've seen the gangsta types at just about every public range I've been to. Hardly an anti point of view to believe it unwise to antagonize a situation you don't have to, especially when deadly weapons are involved. Try to paint my comments with that brush all you want, it doesn't change the fact that acting brashly toward young men in a testosterone-charged environment has a very good chance of creating an undesireable situation.

I never said the OP should have just remained silent. Just as I don't believe in aggravating a situation, I also don't believe in letting bad (or unsafe) behavior go unchecked. But I do know there are ways to handle those situations in which the likelihood of an altercation can be kept to a minimum; Erupting and screaming profanities is not one of them.

it seems many here have never fired on a military controlled range. You violate a safety rule and you're gonna hear barking...probably from multiple directions. In today's kinder, gentler society I guess that is considered politically un-correct. My favorite part of The Pacific series was the Gunny disarming the lackadaisical lieutenant.

Political correctness is beside the point. If you can't understand the difference between dealing with an out-of-line soldier in a very controlled environment and dealing with a member of the general public, there's no point in arguing with you about this.

 

[Robert]

And we are done. You live, you learn.