With more new shooters joining the community each year and ranges busier than ever, following range etiquette and safety rules has never been more important. An estimated 5.4 million first-time gun buyers in 2021—nearly 30 percent of all firearms purchases that year, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF)—means many people are fairly new to the shooting sports and might be unfamiliar with proper range protocols.
Whether you’re a beginner or a long-time shooter, it’s essential to approach the range responsibly and confidently. For those new to shooting, signing up for a basic skills class can be an excellent starting point. Understanding and practicing range etiquette can help ensure a positive—and above all safe—experience for everyone, from the staff to the other shooters.
For new shooters to the fold, Shoot United, a website that strives to serve as a resource to those joining the gun ownership ranks, they offer these “range etiquette” tips:
BASIC RANGE ETIQUETTE RULES
SAFETY FIRST – UNDERSTAND AND ALWAYS FOLLOW THESE FOUR KEY RULES OF FIREARM SAFETY:
- Treat every firearm as if it loaded. Doing this ensures you treat every gun with the utmost care.
- Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, at a range, this will always mean pointed down range unless otherwise instructed by a range safety officer (RSO).
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Until you are aiming at the target downrange and are ready to fire the gun, your finger should never touch the trigger in order to prevent an accidental or unintentional discharge.
- Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. The only thing that should be behind your target when a range is hot, and you are ready to shoot is a good backstop.
LISTEN TO AND FOLLOW RANGE RULES
Aside from the basic firearms safety rules, which should always be followed no matter where you shoot, each range may have specific rules that you need to learn and follow. This can include things like where to place your firearm when not in use, how to signal that you’re ready to shoot, how to properly uncase your firearm in preparation to shoot, types of firearms that can be used at the range and any other range-specific safety procedures. Be sure to listen carefully to the range staff and follow all posted rules. Most ranges will require you to watch or participate in a short safety briefing the first time you visit the range. Arrive early your first time to account for the time needed to take the briefing and pay attention. These rules are designed to keep you and those around you safe.
BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS
Pay attention to what’s always happening around you. Be aware of other shooters, and be sure to ask for permission before entering or exiting a shooting bay. Be aware of any changes in the range environment that could affect your safety, particularly when an RSO declares the range “cold,” “cease fire” at which time you should immediately stop shooting, open the chamber (if shooting a semi-auto firearm, remove the magazine first), place the gun on the shooting bench and step back.
BE COURTEOUS TO OTHERS
Be respectful of other shooters and their space. Don’t talk or distract others while they are shooting. Wait until they are finished shooting before approaching them. If you need to communicate with others, do so in a polite and respectful manner. If you are an experienced shooter and see somebody having difficulty, offer to help or to get the attention of the RSO or other staff who can also provide assistance.
CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF
When you are finished pick up all spent casings (unless they are in front of the firing line, most ranges will not allow casings in front of the line to be picked up for obvious safety reasons), trash, and other debris from your shooting area. Case your firearm keeping it always pointed downrange, and leave the area clean for the next shooter.
The primary reasons for following these rules are safety and respect. Safety is the most important consideration at any shooting range, and following these rules will help ensure that everyone can shoot safely and enjoyably.
Whether you’re new to shooting or simply looking to learn more about other aspects of the shooting sports, Shoot United, has a lot of great information for gun owners. It’s not just for beginners.
Not an exciting article, but one that needs to be dusted off once in awhile. Because things can get exciting on a range if attention is not paid. Ask me how I know. I’ve been on military, LE and public ranges. An instructor on more than one. I’ve seen the worst, and best, firearms handling on all of the above. The only range I feel safe on is the one I’m on by myself.
If in doubt, ASK.
Always keep your gun pointed downrange.
If you need assistance, put the gun down (pointed downrange) and get the attention of the range officer, but not by being a nuisance.
Yamhill County Judge Ladd Wiles has adjudicated that you can ignore all of the Four Rules of Gun Safety as long as you have your Oregon Medical Marijuana Program patient card and you always load your politically correct, 12 gauge shotgun with “harmless buckshot.”. Of course this adjudication bit Judge Wiles as well as the entire community of MacMinniville in the ass when Dillan Cashman went on a rampage firing some 243 rounds.
If there are holes in the ceiling, I suggest you find another range.
That would be 100% of ranges.
And don’t be ‘That’ guy.
Any proud graduates of the Alec Baldwin school of gun safety will assure you that you can ignore all Four Rules of Gun Safety if you are just shooting a property gun.
Range rules.
If the bucks shoulder to flank fits inside the duplex he is two hundredfity yards away
And a few rules of the range safety tips from democrat politician Lucas Kunce for shooting steel at 10 yards with your AR…
1. Always make sure there is no backstop so you don’t need to be bothered about whats beyond that 10 yard steel target.
2. Bring a reporter to catch the shrapnel for you so no one else gets hit with it.
3. Remember to always wear your eye protection on top of your head to protect the top of your head in case the reporter misses catching some of that shrapnel.
4. Select a proper range safety expert felon to supply the firearms and assure you that shooting steel at 10 yards with an AR is completely OK with him.
Dem’s Gun Publicity Stunt Just Got Worse.
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZW8DoSIp3w
With regard to the first rule, when I did a training course for a youth group, I would emphasize the first thing you do with a gun when you pick it up, besides keep it safely pointed, is to clear it. To illustrate, I would clear a rifle, and while still holding it, show it to one of my students and say “satisfy yourself that this weapon is unloaded.” When they gave me the thumbs up, I would close the action and hand it to them. The first thing they were supposed to do is clear it. It didn’t matter that I know it was unloaded when I handed it to him. It didn’t matter that they knew it was unloaded when it was handed to them. YOU ALWAYS CHECK.
Blowing smoke from the muzzle after emptying a cylinder or barrel is a must as is twirling the pistol before reholstering … why ranges ban/discourage those important skills is beyond me.
Substitute “magazine” for barrel.
Beware the high capacity moron at the range. One could be standing right next to you.
To illustrate, I would clear a rifle, and while still holding it, show it to one of my students and say “satisfy yourself that this weapon is unloaded.” When they gave me the thumbs up, I would close the action and hand it to them. The first thing they were supposed to do is clear it
What has happened with “Range Rules” is a continuing effort to impose safety at every step, to the point of micromanagement.
Are you there to practice unholstering, drawing to aim, then firing? Good luck with that, yet it SHOULD be part of what we do. Most ranges not only disallow it, they are frightened with the possibility someone could even shoot themselves in the leg.
Worst of all is when range safety officers are the culprits, as demonstrated in one pointing a shotgun at a shooter on the range and discharging it. Staff is NOT immune to mistakes yet they are usually the ones with the worst attitudes.
Like driving a car, the sooner a new firearms owner realizes that there are a lot of others out there making the exact same mistakes, the better. Most streets are two way, we don’t need to make ranges that way, but it would likely improve new shooters awareness if they were practicing where everybody is armed. The sooner they gain a sense of mutual safety among a crowd of gun carriers the better.
We do that in the military but service to our country has dropped from one in ten to one in one hundred.
Comments are closed.