Protecting yourself at a firing range

[preyn2]

Just like being anywhere else in public: keep your head on a swivel, recognize potential threats early, and be ready to avoid or counter the threat.

There is no perfect answer to the question. At some time, every one of us has had every magazine empty or every gun disassembled or all our attention on a specific issue. The only difference a range brings is that we expect people to be handling and firing weapons in public at the range.

 

[Shotgun Jeremy]

The poster stated, "First time I have ever heard that one. I have heard of people suiciding, but not bein' murdered."
So I provided him an instance with someone being murder to show it has happened, since he had never heard of it before. It was not intended to suggest odds of it being you, whether you should be more worried or extra vigilant. Just to give him a factual data point about something he was unaware of.

Fair enough. I had your comment mixed up with something else as I was posting from my phone.

Precisely. Pretty shitty comments to make about good people being murdered especially at a hobby we all enjoy.

Anyone have ideas on how to protect yourself during this activity as opposed to snarky comments?

If you took something I said as snarky or shitty, then I don't really know what to say. I wasn't intending them that way. I'm just saying-my way of being vigilant at the range isn't really any different than anywhere else in town. The majority of the time, I feel safer at the range than I do if I were somewhere like the mall.

So my way of protecting myself is keeping my head on a swivel when I'm not shooting, and keeping my valuables (guns, ammo, etc) in my blazer where it will set off an alarm if I see someone standing around it. Also, anytime a new vehicle pulls in, I'm usually trying to keep an eye on it and size up who's getting out. 99.9% of the time, it's just joe shmoe. I've only once ever had a car pull up that I was watching the occupants until they loaded up and rolled out.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Greetings, Professor Falcon.

Do you want to play a game.....

 

[TX69]

Police: Suspect in Pa. lawyer's killing at range says he stole guns to help overthrow US gov't | Fox News

 

[RACER X]

I now carry a BUG, other then what I'm shooting.

You're more likely to get followed home from the range IMO

sent from my cell phone, far far away but still monitored by the NSA now Free

 

[Moonpie]

Keep a loaded CHL weapon on you.
Concealed means concealed.

 

[Younggun]

Buy some property, push up a berm, be very picky with who you let come out to shoot.


You will never be 100% safe. Any attempt to obtain that leads to progressive liberalism. Go to the range and have a good time taking the same precautions you would take at a movie theater or grocery store.

 

[Charlie]

Or................... (sarcasm button = "On") you can show up at the rock pit range with your "operator" uniform on (to scare away potential "tangos") to include the black polo shirt, dark earth 6 pocket cargo pants and desert boots. Also include a high-end AR15 name on a black "gimmie" cap and paracord bracelets. Black wrap around sunglasses are also required. (sarcasm button = off)

 

[breakingcontact]

Solutions are going to vary widely. My range...no one is near me. So unless they shoot me with a rifle from 200 yards im safe. I check my six occasional or more accurately walk back to the table for more ammo.

I do always have a loaded pistol on my hip.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

 

[Southpaw]

You're more likely to get followed home from the range IMO

My thought as well... You beat me to it!!!

 

[benenglish]

I picked your post to reply to, even though this is really meant as a reply to the original post. However, you make so many good points to riff off on, I couldn't resist.

I think statistically you're pretty safe.

Big Bingo. "Statistically you're pretty safe" applies to everything we do, all day long. Even jobs that are truly dangerous when done in dangerous locations are still pretty safe. If pizza delivery drivers in bad neighborhoods (i.e., people who spend time in bad neighborhoods, are known to carry at least a little cash, and spend a lot of time driving) are still making a rational decision to continue to do their jobs, then those of us who don't put ourselves deliberately in harms way have, statistically, very little to worry about. More generally, statistically speaking, the number of deaths on the job per 100,000 workers has fallen from 37 in 1933 to 3.5 in 2011.

However, as every CCW will tell you, it's not about the risk, it's about the stakes.

Trying to ambush someone at a gun range where they are sure to be armed is not a recipe for success ... It takes a level of balls ...

Yes, it does. I've heard of it happening in more than just the two cases cited up-thread.

So, if it does happen, what's going on? The crooks may just be stupid but if they're pulling off this sort of brazen action, I think I'm justified in assuming the worst: they want my guns and are willing to take immediate, decisive action to secure them. That means a fast, lethal attack. Statistically, very unlikely but the stakes are the highest.

I don't let my guard down at the range.

That, and your comment about situational awareness, are spot on.

However, I'd like to take it a bit further. I'm no longer willing to shoot where my situational awareness is compromised by the way the range operates or is laid out.

To illustrate - There's a large commercial range near my home. There have been numerous reports of guns stolen there. I'm not surprised. Parking is right behind the line. They often are woefully understaffed. The arrangement of buildings makes it impossible for one RSO at one end of the line to see what's happening right behind the line some distance away.

Their procedures require that rifles be made safe and racked before walking 100 yards downrange to change targets. That's normal and there's no way around it.

All an observant thief has to do is pull into the parking lot behind the rifle line sometime when the crowd is light, decide which rifle he'd like to steal, lay low till the next cease fire, then walk up to the rifle racks and grab whatever he wants as everyone is walking downrange to change targets. The victim won't discover the theft for 10 minutes and the thief will be long gone.

The entire way that range is set up makes security a nightmare and pretty much makes it impossible to protect your stuff. I won't shoot there anymore.

So, to answer the question of the original poster, what I do to protect myself is:

• I avoid any place where the layout makes it impossible to be in control of my equipment unless I'm in a group and there will be someone left at the line to watch over our stuff.
• I avoid any place where the public is expected to be milling around immediately behind the firing line and, from there, can escape from the grounds in a matter of seconds.
• I do my solo pistol shooting at an indoor facility where I don't have to leave the firing line. Between the RSO and the range/shop staff, I expect I'd have plenty of warning if someone were robbing the place.
• I do my outdoor rifle shooting at a club where the layout of the place makes it impossible for someone to drive onto the range without being noticed. If that person follows procedure and signs in, I stop worrying. If they don't follow club procedure, I keep an eye on them until I know what's what. If I'm on the range alone, I lock the gate behind me when I enter. Club rules don't require that, however, so if anyone else is on the range it's highly likely the range gate will be open.
• Despite the previous bullet, someone could successfully drive quickly onto the club property while I'm 200 yards downrange, grab my rifle, and be gone before I could do anything. However, they would be disappointed to find, after they left, that they didn't get the bolt which goes in a holster or my pocket every time I go downrange.
• I do some outdoor pistol shooting at a club that is not open unless there's an RSO on the property. At that club, the RSO has a fairly small area to control and good sightlines over the entire property. There's also video surveillance. At that club, I am sufficiently confident that the RSO has my back and I can cede enough situational awareness to him to concentrate on my shooting.

 

[TX69]

73-year-old man shot, guns stolen at Wagoner County shooting range | News OK

 

[rls210]

Folks, I've been frequenting ranges, rock pits too, for 45 years without a problem. While anything can happen to anyone at any time, I've never felt threatened, especially at a busy range range. With the number of people shooting at ranges it would be a very stupid place for a bg to go to commit a crime. He would probably have a better chance of being shot then you would.

 

[breakingcontact]

This is one of the strangest threads ive been a part of. I am armed while at the range but i dont feel any more threatened than in the mall. I suppose bringing friends with you is the best way to have on site security while you shoot.
I also keep my gear with me, close by or locked in the vehicle.
Ill stop short of saying the OP needs a better range or to worry less because anything can happen. I will say if some of you go to a sketchy range, learn from some of the advice here.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

 

[Vaquero]

I was happy in my ignorance, prior to this thread.

 

[Charlie]

Is a weird thread, I agree!

 

[CrazedJava]

I was happy in my ignorance, prior to this thread.

Me to. Because of two things I never really considered -

Ranges that impair my situational awareness (not really a problem but something I'll now being thinking about when I try new places)

Someone following me home from the range. For two places, it would be difficult to do without me noticing but very easy to do from the range closest to my house!

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I was happy in my ignorance, prior to this thread.

I've always said "Ignorance is bliss", that's why I'm always so darn happy!

 

[txbikerman]

I was happy in my ignorance, prior to this thread.

i guess i need to be aware when i am a gun range

 

[Byrd666]

Go to the range during slow times. Usually during working hours. Constantly looking around and over my shoulder. Walk back to the truck fairly often to see if I've got new neighbors, or that they've left. Take a look around during reloading times. ALWAYS keep a loaded sidearm on me.