considering hosting a shoot this spring

[N_K_1984]

What all, if any, are the legalities of hosting an event? I'm considering hosting a shoot this spring, rim fire and possibly some large bore, up to 500 yards. Being a new member, i think it would be a great way to meet some fellow members, make some contacts, and learn from other shooters.

All said, I'm still just on the brain storming stage...

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Not sure what you mean by "legalities"...

If it's legal for YOU to fire on your own property (IE, not inside town/city limits), then it'd be legal for anyone you allow to fire on your property.

-J-

 

[360]

Just make some ground rules.

 

[N_K_1984]

If it's legal for YOU to fire on your own property (IE, not inside town/city limits), then it'd be legal for anyone you allow to fire on your property.

this is definitely not an issue, the property is WAY out of city limits.

just asking, I've never held any sort of event, so I'm fishing for any advice early in the game.

Just make some ground rules.

Check.

 

[gmviso]

I would be concerned about liability. Might want to have some kind of waiver for people to sign.

 

[N_K_1984]

Not sure what you mean by "legalities"...

I would be concerned about liability. Might want to have some kind of waiver for people to sign.

this would be a concern of mine as well, falling under that umbrella of "legalities."

has anyone else who has hosted an event (an individual) done anything similar to this? is there a generic form out there that you can have people sign?

 

[opus1776]

N_K_1984,

PM or email lovemywoods about hosting an event. He has hosted several events on his property in brown county and could give you some pointers.....

======================================

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" K. Moss

You can NEVER be too rich or too thin.

 

[DougBarnes101]

I am something of a worry wart so I would want to check with my insurance company and see what they said. Also I was told at one time that a waiver wasn't worth the paper it is printed on but I am not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV so I would check with a lawyer and get his take on it.

Just my

Doug

 

[slow1911s]

You should be able to get a $1 million or larger liability umbrella for the day of the event. And, it shouldn't be expensive.

 

[N_K_1984]

PM or email lovemywoods about hosting an event. He has hosted several events on his property in brown county and could give you some pointers.....

PM sent to lovemywoods thanks Opus.

 

[lovemywoods]

My thoughts....

PM sent to lovemywoods thanks Opus.

N_K_1984 contacted me and asked for my thoughts about hosting live fire events on private property. I decided to post my ideas in the open forum in case they may be of help to others who have considered doing something similar.
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N_K_1984, I'd like to encourage your support of the shooting sports by helping others be active in shooting. Believe me, if you have your own range available, you're very blessed.

At times, the political battle waged around the Second Amendment seems almost too large for one person to influence. However, you are in a position to make a change, one person at a time. By hosting shooting events and by bringing people to your range, you have an opportunity to teach new shooters and encourage existing shooters to stay in the sport. They will also vote for local, state, and national policies that support continued firearms freedoms.

I have a pistol range on my property that my son and I created. In the last two years, we've hosted two NFA Weekends and one class by a shooting school out of Michigan (Steve Fisher). In 2010, we're planning on hosting two days of training and 2 days of NFA shooting.

We also have had many occasions to have a friend or two come by and shoot. My comments below aren’t about the casual trip to the range; they are about planning a more structured event.

Safety
Safe practices must be followed; particularly when the group gets larger (We had 14-28 people at our activities). By stressing safe gun handling, you’re greatly reducing the chance of serious problems. We designate Range Officers and we have a medical plan in case of serious injury. There has to be a clear chain of command during times of active shooting. I have been highly impressed by the way our guests have conducted themselves at our range. We have fun, but everyone practices safety. I believe that working within the INGO community has also helped us to find mature, safety-minded shooters.

Insurance
I haven’t purchased any event-specific coverage. My insurance agent is aware of the events we have. Since I’m not operating as a business, my personal homeowners insurance would cover on-site injuries if necessary.

Waivers
The class conducted by Steve Fisher had people sign waivers. We didn’t have waivers for the NFA Day participants. They are of questionable value, but if you desire, I imagine you could find some stock wording for waivers on the internet.

Neighbors
I have good neighbors and have never had a problem with noise. As a courtesy, I still contact the closest neighbors before a weekend where there will be lots of gunfire.

Get Help
When planning our first NFA gathering, we enlisted the help of three other INGO members who are experts on NFA items. They also knew how to run a safe range. I strongly suggest you get others to help you plan and conduct your range sessions. Those three gentlemen gave me lots of good advice on range layout, steel target safety, and medical planning. The range layout that works well for your personal shooting may not be to best for hosting a class of 14 shooters. The additional helpers were also a good sounding board as we got questions about what people could bring, what they could shoot, etc.

Planning
Give yourself plenty of time to plan your event. We started planning last year’s NFA Day in February, more than seven months ahead. I certainly think you should have 3 months planning time minimum. And here’s a key part of planning…Just as ‘mission drives equipment,’ the purpose of an event drives how it’s put together. Early in your planning process, make sure you identify what you want to accomplish with the activity. Is it educational? Is it intended to improve skills? Is it for new or experienced shooters? Once you determine the purpose of the event, many subsequent decisions are more easily made.


Good luck to you and thank you again for sharing with your fellow shooters!

 

[Eddie]

I am something of a worry wart so I would want to check with my insurance company and see what they said. Also I was told at one time that a waiver wasn't worth the paper it is printed on but I am not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV so I would check with a lawyer and get his take on it.

Just my

Doug

The problem with a waiver is that you often get sued anyway and then need to assert the waiver as a defense, so in spite of the fact that you are holding a wiaver you end up racking up attorneys' fees while the lawyers wrangle over the validity of the waiver. Waivers can be useful if you already have a pool of money for defense costs, less useful for the average guy.

 

[OutaAmmo]

Appleseed

Why not host an Appleseed event? They provide the insurance. Great way to meet and promote shooting sports and the Appleseed folks are the nicest people. They only leave footprints.

 

[smileytrucker]

What we do here is just have a good ol' fashoned get together and do some shootin and make videos of it all. Still just as fun as calling it an event.

 

[pinshooter45]

Legalities

What all, if any, are the legalities of hosting an event? I'm considering hosting a shoot this spring, rim fire and possibly some large bore, up to 500 yards. Being a new member, i think it would be a great way to meet some fellow members, make some contacts, and learn from other shooters.

All said, I'm still just on the brain storming stage...

Even If your on your own property, Neighbors can still call for disturbing the Peace. My Brother in law in Owen County has had that happen even though he has no one real close. You would have to consider what might happen in the event of a stray bullet or accidental discharge and the results and possible consequences. But I'd love to try my luck at 500 yrds. If you have a range or club that has those facilities your task will be Easier! I' not a lawyer but I play one on line.

 

[BillD]

Why not host an Appleseed event? They provide the insurance. Great way to meet and promote shooting sports and the Appleseed folks are the nicest people. They only leave footprints.

Aren't those rifles only?

 

[IndyMonkey]

You cant LIVE your life worrying about what ifs.

Be responsible and have fun. We are looking for a house in the country now. If we find one I would have a group of like minded gun people in a heart beat.

The people on here are different than any ******* that shows up at a range on any given day.

 

[hawkhavn]

in re: Appleseeds

Yes, Appleseeds are rifle only instructional events. We do use host ranges wherever we can, whether they are private land or existing gun clubs. All we need is about 90' of relatively flat ground and a backstop. Longer ranges are a plus but not required.

Appleseed provides the instructors, builds a firing/target line(if needed) and provides insurance and a nationally known and extremely safe course of instruction.

Any questions, ask me or one of the other Appleseed Instructors that are on INGO(Techres, Bill of Rights, Mudcat, DaveD, yellowhousejake (who isn't a snob), Bill 3, ATM, DHolder, sloughfoot or 17chap) and I apologize if I forgot anybody.

Hawkhavn