Alcohol on a rifle range

[Vlad the Impaler]

Personally, I wouldn't want to participate at a shooting range that allows alcohol consumption while shooting. This would be for the safety of myself and whomever I choose to bring. There is bound to be an idiot that will ruin the fun, or go full ass-hat and kill someone.
Secondly, from a health standpoint, I don't and don't condone handling food or drinks on the line. Between sessions after a hand washing, fine. I'm surprised that had not been mentioned yet, unless I missed it.

I also outright refuse to have any alcoholic drinks while motorcycling and find the people I like to ride with have the same attitude.

 

[bwframe]

The reason there are laws and rules in relation to alcohol consumption and equipment operation is that as a whole people have shown that they have no personal responsibility.

 

[looney2ns]

No alcohol on the range property. Nada, nothing.
I have a relative that turns into a raving know it all wack job after 1.5 beers.

I've been to a night skeet shoot before as a viewer, so I was behind the firing line. Some of the participants thought it was ok, to walk under the very prominently displayed NO ALCHOL sign to the trunks of their cars to imbibe on the sly in the dark. It was soon apparent how unsafe it was to be behind the line with idiots in front of me. I don't enjoy being muzzled with loaded 12 gauges every 30 seconds. Never went back.

 

[Thegeek]

I do trackdays. Most tracks have a policy of no alcohol consumed until the track goes cold for the day. It's pretty nice to have a cold one while you're packing up though.....

 

[LP1]

My preference would be to allow it as a personal freedom issue. That being said; the person who needs to be told guns and booze don't mix is the guy you don't want shooting near sober or not.

If allowing someone to mix alcohol and firearms in the presence of others is "personal freedom", then I guess I hate freedom.

 

[Dale1320]

My personal opinion is that alcohol at a range is a bad idea that will eventually lead to a even worse consequences. Regardless of whether it's before, during or after I see it all the same. I like a cold beer just as much as the next guy, but not enough to risk the well being of myself or anyone else. I personally wouldn't be a part of a range that allowed any alcohol consumption on their property. Like I said tho, this is my personal opinion and to each there own.

 

[tbhausen]

As soon as booze is brought up, it automatically follows that someone will start griping that 'we're gonna have a buncha wild drunks out there shooting the weather vane on top of the clubhouse! No, no, no!' We hear the same thing if anyone on INGO mentions they've had even so much as a sip of liquor while carrying. It's ludicrous, ridiculous, and beyond hypocritical.

This is the same type of rhetoric that libtards always use, and it's just as dumb: 'If you let some guy just starting carrying a gun around at the shopping center or restaurant, we'll have a bunch of vigilante psychos shooting up the place! No, no, no!'

"Accident waiting to happen"? That's EXACTLY the same thing the left-loon, anti-gun, libtards say about YOU carrying a firearm in public.

Even worse, these same 'nay-sayers' will fervently post their absolute endorsement of legalizing and smoking pot. Would they, then, accept someone smoking pot while at the range? Or will they be hypocrites about that, as well?

It's more than 'ironic', it's a libtard mindset.

IF you can't expect and envision members / attendees being as responsible with imbibing as they are with their firearms, WHY would you allow that person (or persons) on the range to begin with?

We should expect (and 'demand') that folks be responsible in their composure at all times, in every manner. With their firearms, and with their choice of beverage. Everyone is accountable for their actions, at all times.

Either you're in favor of personal choices, and responsible behavior with those choices, or your not. Period.

How 'bout this: Act responsibly.

Reps inbound to you, sir. I could not have said it better myself.

 

[Snapdragon]

Absolutely no drinking at the range, IMO. I can't imagine anyone even thinking that it's a good idea.

 

[BiscuitNaBasket]

​No Booze.........None...........Nada.................Period.

This. Don't mix the two if you plan on doing some shooting. Afterward is fine, but only when evrryone is done shooting and guns are put up safely.

 

[Slider]

 

[tbhausen]

Hypothetical: Joe Six Pack arrives home from work and cracks open a beer. Five minutes later an intruder breaks his door down. Should his weapon be locked in his safe?

I make this admittedly extreme example not to imply support for being able to drink while shooting at a range, but to make a point about absolutes. I understand the differences (home vs. private property, SD vs. practice or competition or training, one vs. potentially multiple drinking shooters, public perception, legal issues, etc.)... I think it would be great to have a beer with the boys after the guns were put up or the range had closed. The fact that this concept is so taboo only points up the fact that none of us are trusted to be responsible for our own actions due to the irresponsibility of the few, and many of us not only willingly concede, but offer overt support of such regulation. To my way of thinking, that's only a short step away, conceptually, from banning firearms entirely by the same justification.

Many people aren't nearly aware and protective enough of their own freedom IMHO.

 

[Snapdragon]

As soon as booze is brought up, it automatically follows that someone will start griping that 'we're gonna have a buncha wild drunks out there shooting the weather vane on top of the clubhouse! No, no, no!' We hear the same thing if anyone on INGO mentions they've had even so much as a sip of liquor while carrying. It's ludicrous, ridiculous, and beyond hypocritical.

This is the same type of rhetoric that libtards always use, and it's just as dumb: 'If you let some guy just starting carrying a gun around at the shopping center or restaurant, we'll have a bunch of vigilante psychos shooting up the place! No, no, no!'

"Accident waiting to happen"? That's EXACTLY the same thing the left-loon, anti-gun, libtards say about YOU carrying a firearm in public.

Even worse, these same 'nay-sayers' will fervently post their absolute endorsement of legalizing and smoking pot. Would they, then, accept someone smoking pot while at the range? Or will they be hypocrites about that, as well?

It's more than 'ironic', it's a libtard mindset.

IF you can't expect and envision members / attendees being as responsible with imbibing as they are with their firearms, WHY would you allow that person (or persons) on the range to begin with?

We should expect (and 'demand') that folks be responsible in their composure at all times, in every manner. With their firearms, and with their choice of beverage. Everyone is accountable for their actions, at all times.

Either you're in favor of personal choices, and responsible behavior with those choices, or your not. Period.

How 'bout this: Act responsibly.

You're not comparing apples and apples. Use of firearms does not degrade your judgment and impair your motor skills. Use of alcohol can/does. Before drinking anything, we can assume that people do have the capability to behave safely and responsibly. After consuming alcohol (or anything that impairs mental or physical processes) that capability becomes unreliable. It's different for everyone. Some can handle it; some can't. How do we make that determination?

Oh, and "Libtard", really? That word just screams "My opinion is not strong enough to stand on its own, so I'm going to resort to namecalling." No matter where you are on the political spectrum, using terms like that weakens your position rather than strengthening it.

 

[bradmedic04]

I think the alcohol-at-a-gun-range is different from what I do when I'm carrying. But, I have to admit, it is very much a function of, "I trust myself, its the rest of you I'm not too sure about."

Most Sundays, we have dinner at my in-laws. Most of the time, I'm CC'ing. Because that's how I roll. I have a beer with dinner. One beer. If we're over there for a Colts game and I know we'll be there a long time, maybe 2. Over several hours. But, I know I'm not going to be intoxicated. And the chance of "needing" my firearm is a number approaching zero.

At a range, though, where there are people I don't know, doing things I can't always see, I think alcohol is a bad idea. If I saw someone partaking in it, I would leave, and carefully consider whether to go back.

"After" shooting is also different to me. Having a beer while cleaning guns after a range trip/hunting excursion just makes sense to me.

Yep. I've seen so much idiocy/lack of safety on ranges (and done plenty of educating about unsafe practices) that I simply won't just grant people I don't know the benefit of the doubt to mix alcohol and guns and remain safe.

If a range allowed someone to drink while shooting, or to retire for cocktails between rounds of shooting, I'd simply choose another range. It's the choice of the range to set those rules and it's my personal choice not to be around it. Liberties remain intact all around.

Still, between the practices I've seen on public ranges and the behavior I've seen in bars, it seems like a particularly volatile combination that has no place for me and mine.

 

[churchmouse]

Hypothetical: Joe Six Pack arrives home from work and cracks open a beer. Five minutes later an intruder breaks his door down. Should his weapon be locked in his safe?

I make this admittedly extreme example not to imply support for being able to drink while shooting at a range, but to make a point about absolutes. I understand the differences (home vs. private property, SD vs. practice or competition or training, one vs. potentially multiple drinking shooters, public perception, legal issues, etc.)... I think it would be great to have a beer with the boys after the guns were put up or the range had closed. The fact that this concept is so taboo only points up the fact that none of us are trusted to be responsible for our own actions due to the irresponsibility of the few, and many of us not only willingly concede, but offer overt support of such regulation. To my way of thinking, that's only a short step away, conceptually, from banning firearms entirely by the same justification.

Many people aren't nearly aware and protective enough of their own freedom IMHO.

TB....not everyone is going to come unhinged after a beer or 2. We all know this. There will be one that always takes it to the extreme. That one is way more than enough to cause a serious problem. I have no trust in people I do not know these days. Sad, yes it is but so many just push the boundary's.
We used to have a few beers at the private range we shot at. On a friends property. Mainly towards the end of the session. Responsible adults. We knew each other and would hold each other accountable.

To say I want to be safe around a group of strangers wielding firearms is not a "Push" to remove freedoms. It just is not.

 

[Bsubtown]

If allowing someone to mix alcohol and firearms in the presence of others is "personal freedom", then I guess I hate freedom.

I guess you must.
Because my whole post is in your quote I think it is safe to say you willfully ignored the second sentence and chose to focus only on the first. Those that mix the two are not welcome around me. I just don't think there needs to be a rule in place to ban every stupid behavior. As I said in a previous post; lack of sleep can be problematic for keeping a clear mind. Does anyone shoot at a range where a requisite amount of sleep is required?

Maybe, alcohol is an easy target to explicitly ban because of how ubiquitous it is and how obviously it intersects with the manliness that is shooting guns.

For the record I shoot at a range that bans alcohol, I have no issues with it. Finally, maybe, as I often do, I am being generous with the ability of random people to make good decisions. I surround myself with people who constantly make good decisions and this probably clouds my worldview into thinking everyone is smart about this stuff.

 

[GNRPowdeR]

I think the alcohol-at-a-gun-range is different from what I do when I'm carrying. But, I have to admit, it is very much a function of, "I trust myself, its the rest of you I'm not too sure about."

Most Sundays, we have dinner at my in-laws. Most of the time, I'm CC'ing. Because that's how I roll. I have a beer with dinner. One beer. If we're over there for a Colts game and I know we'll be there a long time, maybe 2. Over several hours. But, I know I'm not going to be intoxicated. And the chance of "needing" my firearm is a number approaching zero.

At a range, though, where there are people I don't know, doing things I can't always see, I think alcohol is a bad idea. If I saw someone partaking in it, I would leave, and carefully consider whether to go back.

"After" shooting is also different to me. Having a beer while cleaning guns after a range trip/hunting excursion just makes sense to me.

Minus the last line, ...

When firearms are out, it is best that alcohol isn't, IMO. Just like when cleaning and dry fire practicing, ammo and alcohol should not be in the same room.

 

[bwframe]

[video=youtube;v-T0a1N-12k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-T0a1N-12k[/video]

 

[SteveM4A1]

Ruh roh, I just checked and my range doesn't explicitly ban alcohol anywhere but the trap section. I am going to die.

 

[T.Lex]

I am going to die.

Well... eventually.

No time like the present for some existential philosophizing.

But first, let's drink.

 

[Bigtanker]

Minus the last line, ...

When firearms are out, it is best that alcohol isn't, IMO. Just like when cleaning and dry fire practicing, ammo and alcohol should not be in the same room.

I beg to differ. Hoppe's #9 & a cold beer are like peanut butter and jelly, Sonny and Cher, Churchmouse and a 1911 or PaulF and the banhammer. Somethings are just made for each other.