Had an interesting thing happen while I was at the range yesterday. I was in serious need of some recoil therapy, so I'd grabbed my 1991A1 Compact, my Smith & Wesson Model 13, and my Ruger 10/22 (hey, I had a new scope and some new magazines to try out. Plus .45 ACP and .357 Magnum is expensive and hard-to-come by) and hit the pistol range at my club. When I got there, there was one other group - looked to be a guy, his girlfriend, and either a brother or mutual friend.
They were very friendly, saying hi and wandering over to gawk at my hardware ("old school" was the term that was bandied about, given that they were shooting polymer autos). They thoughtfully stopped shooting when they saw I was ready to bring my targets downrange, and even followed our club's strict rule about standing behind the red line (about 4' from the bench where all firearms are to be left when a cease-fire is called) without needing to be reminded. They were shooting a variety of handguns as well, mostly .357 Sig and 9mm, but the girlfriend was shooting a .22LR only - she didn't care for the recoil of the centerfire handguns.
We'd been shooting together for about a half hour or so when I heard an odd noise. I turned my head their way to see the girlfriend dancing about in a frenzy and the guy who was teaching her hurriedly pulling at his pant leg. Apparently she had gotten a hot piece of brass down her sweater, and had turned out of the stall with the loaded gun still in her hand. At some point she discharged the .22 into the floor of the range, causing a few small pieces of concrete (or perhaps lead from the bullet) to pepper her boyfriend's leg, causing him to think for a moment that she had shot him.
I ran out to my truck to grab my first aid kit when I heard him say "I think you shot me". Imagine my relief when I came back into the pistol house to find that assertion incorrect. I listened to him give a very pointed - but reassuring - lesson on safety ("This is why you always keep the gun pointed downrange!") and after a few minutes they had all calmed down and started packing up. All four of us inspected the range thoroughly, but could not find any evidence of a bullet leaving the pistol house itself - it most likely hit the concrete floor and embedded in the plywood wall, with no exit.
No one was hurt; a new shooter got a very dramatic lesson in both wearing the proper apparel and always obeying the four rules. I offered a few pointers as someone who'd taken a few new shooters to the range - like not wearing open clothing - and agreed that it was a scary few moments, but all worked out fine. I hope that the young woman in question isn't put off from shooting (she didn't seem to be), and I also hope that the man who brought her to the range realized what a big task it is bringing someone to the range that had never shot before.
It reinforced my decision to keep my shooting to a minimum when I bring a new shooter to the range. I'll generally take the first round of shots, just so they get a feel for the sound and concussion of the firearm they'll be shooting, but after that I'll let the new person take as many - or as few - shots as they'd like. I like to stand a little off to the side to observe, looking for things like hands/digits in front of cylinders when shooting revolvers or thumb webs too high when shooting semi-autos. Teaching someone to shoot is a lot of fun, but it's also a good deal of work. If we approach it too casually, bad things can happen.
It only takes a fraction of a second to turn a fun outing at the range into an ER visit - or worse. A moment's inattention, a seemingly harmless distraction, even something as simple as a shirt that's a little too low-cut - anything that takes the shooter's attention off the firearm in their hands can be a hazard. In this instance the only thing injured was the woman's pride and a small patch of concrete; in other cases, poor instruction can be tragic. We all assume a certain level of risk when we handle firearms, of course; however it can be mitigated quite nicely with the right attitude towards safety.
Make sure any new shooter you bring to the range knows the four rules, wears proper attire, and has your undivided attention and everything will be great.
That is all.
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13 comments:
Glad everything came out OK, and that's some incredibly good advice too, Jay. Taking a new shooter to the range is about THEM. I can't pay attention to what they are doing and teach them what they need to know if I'm concentrating on hitting my own target.
the wife and I were on the firing line and I saw one of the brass from my CZ-82 bounce down her shirt. The gun was immediately set down on the range, she took one step back and then began to futz with her shirt.
VERY good form.
I also like to teach all of these things at my HOME before we get to the club. The firing line might have other people on it, and gunshots and ear protection are not the best teaching tools. So get them familiar with the gun first in a controlled and quiet location, THEN go to where the smoke and noise is and be prepared to give refreshers.
Glad everybody was OK
I still have the scar where hot brass from my M1 carbine bounced off the mesh covering the window in our club's rifle house and went down the back of my pants. 2nd-3rd degree burns and I'm proud to say I still kept the rifle safe.
My wife and I recently took (and passed!) the NRA Pistol Instructor course. We took it for several reasons, but the main one was because like you we tend to take a fair amount of new shooters to the range. I suspect because is an active shooter and we're "out of the closet" as gunnies, we get a fair amount of woman who are interested but maybe not comfortable to walk into a gun store or range by themselves.
Anyway, the class we took was really more about HOW to teach then what to teach, and role playing was a huge part of the class. At one point I had 2 "students" on a hot range at the same time. NRA claims this is an acceptable ratio, and it sounded reasonable until I actually had to do it. The 2 people playing the students were instructed to (safely!) make typical newbie mistakes like turning with the gun to talk to you, or gripping above the slide. I did pretty good, but not one of us caught every issue; it was just impossible (at least at my current level of training) to pay that much attention to both shooters. While I'm adjusting the grip on one, the other is wandering over to look with his finger on the trigger of a (supposedly) loaded pistol.
I've already handled enough new shooters to know the class was taking things a bit to the extreme, I've never encountered that many issues in that short a time in real life. Still, it really reinforced that you the instructor are responsible for everyone's safety and you can't be distracted or complacent on the range for even a second.
Duh, left a few words out! Make that:
I suspect because my wife is an active shooter and we're "out of the closet" as gunnies, we get a fair amount of woman who are interested but maybe not comfortable to walk into a gun store or range by themselves.
When taking a new shooter to the range I plan to shoot each gun a maximum of twice. Once when introducing them to a new firearm (so they know what to expect), and once at the end of the day when they are done shooting and I still have magazines loaded with range ammo.
The rest of the time is spent within arms reach of them. Most new shooters are calmed knowing that there is someone right there to help them out if they need it.
Glad it all went okay, and luck prevailed that noone got hurt. Being there in that pistol house it is close quarters and someone unleaseing a round inside is very dangerous. Good thing no-one got hit!
Great post, Jay - great warning to all of us to be always vigilant when we have new shooters.
If you don't mind, I'm going to crosspost this on the AppleseedInfo.org forum.
I don't mind at all Ross (remember, I am a sales weasel *g*).
I figured it was a pretty timely reminder to us all that we play with some powerful toys, and that we need to pay attention at all times...
Yikes!! That kind of excitement is not really needed at any Range.
Whew!!!
I have an acquaintance whom moved here from Kalifornia and has become quite enamored with guns. He is good and careful with them now. But the first time at one of the ranges I go to, he started to turn back from the firing line gun in hand. I grabbed his hand and kept gun pointed downrange while shaking my head "NO!" he looked at me funny until he realized what he had done.
Heh...woulda got a talking to from Range Dood otherwise!
Safety should ever sleep!!
Keeping the muzzle downrange is the most important thing to ingrain. Even some old timers scare the crap out of me in that regard. When I take a new shooter, I always stay within arms reach ready to physically stop the gun from pointing uprange if a warning doesn't stop it or there isn't time to get one out.
Action pistol shooters tend to be extremely conscious of muzzle direction and safety. Of course there's always that guy that the ROs have to watch like a hawk, but most are very good. I've seen a few guys trip at a full run and face plant in the dirt and keep the gun safely down range the whole time, get up and finish a stage.
Any safety violation is an immediate disqualification, which tends to correct the few problems very quickly.
Close call, brother. Glad no one was hurt.
tweaker
I just took the Basic Pistol Course and was glad that my instructor instructed and didn't show off how good he was. I asked for help on positions and he was right there to explain. It was good.
curious if I'm the only one with a blow out kit attached to my range bag. It's a great idea for any frequent shooter. Mine has a huge red cross on it and in it a tourniquet, celox (powder & injectable), gloves, basic 1st aid etc. That kit and a first response class are two things many gunnies overlook, anybody can put a hole in somebody, can you keep 'em alive till the pro's get there or they get to the hospital..............
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