I was at Tri-County range yesterday to put some rounds over a chrony. As I was signing in, I observed the sole occupant of the range at the 10 yrd shelter turning around with pistol still in hand with no regard to the muzzle direction (down range, toward the cars, at his own shoulder at one point, all over the place). I said something to the DNR employee and went to the 50 yard shelter. Mr. 10 started shooting again and seemed to be doing great. I had placed my gear in the shelter and stepped back a little bit to have a smoke and got "painted" 3 times. He was holding his gun in hand as he twisted and dug through his range bag for ammo, a magazine, or Lord knows what.
I asked Mr 10 to keep his muzzle pointed toward the berm loud enough for him to hear, but not in a demeaning tone. (Was it a jam, had he put in a fresh mag and not chambered yet, was he just too engrossed in his own thought to realize what was going on? Just put it down. It is not difficult. There are freaking benches so you don't have to get your precious dirty or scratched.) I guess the range worker heard me and came out and said something to the guy. All I heard was "I've been shooting for 30 years and don't need this. This is why I don't come here." Mr 10 then approached me and began yelling at me. Oh boy.....I deal with ranges for several military posts so this s where I almost lost it on him. I kept my cool and will not go into it further than needs to. He pointed out that I am not perfect. NEWS FLASH - NOBODY IS! I almost went in front of the firing line when it was live that same day to adjust my chrony. I am glad I caught myself. It made me double check on others to see if they wanted to walk in front of the line when I was taking a break, and turned into some good conversations.
Point: Take a second to think about what needs done and how to do it safely. If you are ever reminded of safety rules, correct yourself quickly and be thankful there wasn't an accident. Always pay attention to yourself and those around you. Be humble and honest with yourself.
I asked Mr 10 to keep his muzzle pointed toward the berm loud enough for him to hear, but not in a demeaning tone. (Was it a jam, had he put in a fresh mag and not chambered yet, was he just too engrossed in his own thought to realize what was going on? Just put it down. It is not difficult. There are freaking benches so you don't have to get your precious dirty or scratched.) I guess the range worker heard me and came out and said something to the guy. All I heard was "I've been shooting for 30 years and don't need this. This is why I don't come here." Mr 10 then approached me and began yelling at me. Oh boy.....I deal with ranges for several military posts so this s where I almost lost it on him. I kept my cool and will not go into it further than needs to. He pointed out that I am not perfect. NEWS FLASH - NOBODY IS! I almost went in front of the firing line when it was live that same day to adjust my chrony. I am glad I caught myself. It made me double check on others to see if they wanted to walk in front of the line when I was taking a break, and turned into some good conversations.
Point: Take a second to think about what needs done and how to do it safely. If you are ever reminded of safety rules, correct yourself quickly and be thankful there wasn't an accident. Always pay attention to yourself and those around you. Be humble and honest with yourself.