Dumb accident at the range

[timlt]

I observed an accident at the pistol range on Saturday that should have been totally avoidable. A guy was there with what appeared to be his teenage son. It was apparent that neither of them knew anything about firearms, and yet the guy had gone out and bought his son a .357 revolver!!! MAYBE that would make sense, IF one of them already knew something about firearms and what a .357 is like and used for, but in their case, it definitely did NOT make sense. I felt sorry for them, but also a little bit angry that folks can be so dumb and subject their kids to safety violations like that. The poor kid was shooting up the place (it's a 25-yard outdoor range, no ability to pull the target in closer), hitting the wood standards, shooting over the backstop, into the ground, etc. He could not control that gun. His dad should have had enough sense to stop it, but he didn't. The rangemaster, a nice older gentleman, was trying to help him get it on paper, but he just couldn't.

Then came the ultimate mistake. Trying to control it better, the kid reached around the front of the cylinder with his off hand and held it that way, and fired. Needless to say, it split the top of his thumb open in several directions like a peeled banana. It looked bad.

So that was the end of his first experience with a revolver. It's too bad. He'll probably be scared to shoot for years to come, now. What a totally avoidable mistake. I really blame the Dad more than the kid, for not having more sense and getting something he could control, and getting a basic pistol safety class or something since he didn't know anything himself. Grrrr!!!

[kkina]

That's damned unfortunate. It's the rangemaster's fault, too, for not shutting them down. He should have assessed the young man's discomfort, required them to not shoot any more that day, and directed both of them to one of the Firearm Safety Classes I'm sure the range offered.

At properly-supervised ranges, the first hit on a target hanger should be a warning, the second gets you off the range.

And why the hell were they not shooting .38's for his first time?

[Mrblackguns]

Why would this know nothing fool buy a 15 y.o. a .357 mag pistol in the first place!?
This is the stupid, "I'm your buddy not your dad" type of parenting that leads to the crazy spoiled brats that flip out and shoot up their schools!

What an idiot:angry:

[Snapping Twig]

The smallest amount of guidance and a box of .38 special could have changed the entire completion of the event.

Some think poorly of me for doing so, but typically when something like this (unsafe condition) takes place in my proximity, be it the range or daily life, I try my best to gently insert myself into the debacle prior to the expected bad ending.

There have been more times than not where I have been able to guide folks away from a bad decision without being ham fisted about it and allowing them to become part of the solution - letting them think THEY figured it out.

Too bad someone had to get hurt, but firearms are no joke and mistakes with them can be permanent.

[Boonies]

Why would this know nothing fool buy a 15 y.o. a .357 mag pistol in the first place!?
This is the stupid, "I'm your buddy not your dad" type of parenting that leads to the crazy spoiled brats that flip out and shoot up their schools!

What an idiot:angry:

I dont't think the problem is the man buying his 15 y/o son a .357mag my parents bought me quite a few guns before I was 18, I also had access to all the guns in the house and I knew where the ammo was also. The difference is niether this guy or his son knew a damn thing about guns, a child can be just as safe as an adult(sometimes more so) if they are taught properly from day one as I was.

[G17owner]

A man in riverside at my indoor range 'accidentially shot himself in the head last saturday. Appearantly he was trying to load the weapn when his .40cal pistol discharged killing him instantly. Its unfortunate but i hope someone doesnt take this out on the range. http://cbs2.com/local/local_story_327222751.html

[stevekaw]

A man in riverside at my indoor range 'accidentially shot himself in the head last saturday. Appearantly he was trying to load the weapn when his .40cal pistol discharged killing him instantly. Its unfortunate but i hope someone doesnt take this out on the range. http://cbs2.com/local/local_story_327222751.html

I'm trying to visualize how this would happen, and I can only surmise that it was either incredible carelessness, or a bizarre weapon malfunction. Either way, what a tragedy!

:(

[69Rocket-Joe]

My Boy is about 16 mo. old and I am already looking for a .22 rifle for him to learn on. I think about 10 he can start to learn. After he gets the hang of that I'll move him to a .22 revolver and then a .22 semi so he can learn the differences between all of them.

Until that time I am trying to get to the range weekly to get better myself so I can teach him. No one in my family EVER owned a gun before me and I have had to teach myself everything.

Safety should ALWAYS come first and the guy was a dummy for not bringing some .38 spc. with him. Hope the kid is alright, the whole opposable thumb thing is what separates man from most beasts after all...

-Joe

[Give 'em Hell®]

That's damned unfortunate. It's the rangemaster's fault, too, for not shutting them down.

There's more to this. I currently work at an indoor shooting range and it's policy that we allow EXPERIENCED shooters in the firing line. Now, if they own their own firearm, they are allowed in ONLY if EXPERIENCED. This is to insure the safety of other shooters as well.

Once shooters are appropriately screened, then they sign a waiver. Basically, states that they cannot sue the range if anything bad happens. Once they sign, that's it; it's on them.

If that rangemaster kept a better view on the firing line, this incident would've been prevented. Also, range officers SHOULDN'T teach newbies while at the firing line...that's why we have a Basic Firearms Course available to the public.

Lord knows how many times I've had to holler at those in the lines who don't know what they're doing. Bottomline: Listen to your local rangemaster and tell them if you see unsafe handling. It could save someone's life.

[6clicks]

There's a set of pictures circulating on the web of a man that blew the tip of his left thumb clean off with one of those 460 S&W beasts. Gotta stay clear of the front of that cyllinder.

[planeflyer21]

http://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php?p=7767070&postcount=54

Good way to keep your fingernails trimmed. NOT!!

Jon

[collegeb]

Alright I just realized i'm a bit squeamish. And I also had no conception that injuries happen at ranges. I've never seen one, never heard of one. I'll have to be careful with friends when we are out shootin' wherever we are. Thanks guys you just made me more cautious.

[marlinspike]

What's so hard about firing a .357? That was the gun my dad kept for home defense. He taught me the dangers of firearms and how to stay safe as soon as I was old enough to get to it (he kept it up high until I was older) and once I was ~10 years old he took me to the range and taught me how to shoot it. Of course, he had the good sense to start me out on .38 specials, but once he saw that the kick wasn't a problem he swapped it to the .357mag.

I don't think there's anything about a .357 that teenage shouldn't shoot it, but rather the father and his kid are both too dumb to be shooting at all.

[mnottfam]

Unfortunately, there's no real set age that can be used to say, "this kid is old enough to handle a firearm at." It varies too much from person to person. I would say the real problem is that people are trying to concentrate on an age number instead of looking at it from an individual standpoint of, "is this individual MATURE enough to be RESPONSIBLE for handling a firearm." I've witnessed 8 year olds who were more mature in firearms handling than some adults. Then, sometimes it's the adults who have provided p!ss-poor examples for the kids to begin with, or perhaps their only example in "how to handle" firearms comes from ye ole idiot box. Regardless, the bottom line here is responsibility, for without it, too many more peoples' private property, or public property (highway signs, etc.) get shot up, and you get left-wingers saying, "yeah, I agree with gun-control."

[hawkeye36]

mnottfam:

I think you hit the nail on the head. Maturity rather than chronological age is the answer. I have 5 grandsons. The youngest is 7. I haven't taken him to the range yet. Too immature. Too incapable of taking instructions on some things. The others are 10, 11, 13, and 19. I've taken movie pictures of them when they first started and put them on YouTube. They were slow. I didnt' want any quick actions while they were learning. I received a lot of advise about their stance, arm posture, etc., but I was teaching them how to hold the gun, aim, and squeeze the trigger while staying safe. They have shot my 45, 40, 38, 9mm, 380 and 22 pistols. When I introduced them to the 223 Ranch Rifle, the pistol shooting was all over though. They still have some lessons to learn, but I am trying to teach them to always practice good fun safety.

[hawkeye36]

mnottfam:

I think you hit the nail on the head. Maturity rather than chronological age is the answer. I have 5 grandsons. The youngest is 7. I haven't taken him to the range yet. Too immature. Too incapable of taking instructions on some things. The others are 10, 11, 13, and 19. I've taken movie pictures of them when they first started and put them on YouTube. They were slow. I didnt' want any quick actions while they were learning. I received a lot of advise about their stance, arm posture, etc., but I was teaching them how to hold the gun, aim, and squeeze the trigger while staying safe. They have shot my 45, 40, 38, 9mm, 380 and 22 pistols. When I introduced them to the 223 Ranch Rifle, the pistol shooting was all over though. They still have some lessons to learn, but I am trying to teach them to always practice good gun safety.

[Mrblackguns]

I'm trying to visualize how this would happen, and I can only surmise that it was either incredible carelessness, or a bizarre weapon malfunction. Either way, what a tragedy!

:(

Agreed, I can't quite understand how a person could shoot themself in the head while trying to load a gun.:huh:

[mbott]

There's more to this. I currently work at an indoor shooting range and it's policy that we allow EXPERIENCED shooters in the firing line. Now, if they own their own firearm, they are allowed in ONLY if EXPERIENCED. This is to insure the safety of other shooters as well.


Just curious. How does one prove experience at your range?

--
Mike

[planeflyer21]

Just curious. How does one prove experience at your range?

--
Mike

I don't know how so there but some of the local ranges are tired of dangerous folks.

One way to show experience is a competency test. Rather time consuming for busy range masters. Another way is to require evidence of training, such as a Certificate of Completion from NRA Basic Shooting Course-_________ (whatever type gun).

Jon

[mbott]

I'm curious to hear from how they do it at the range he works at.

--
Mike

[Khyber]

HI, a few months ago I actually witnessed the aftermath of a guy that literally shot himself in the foot(ankle) at a firing range. It was a .22LR revolver that "accidentally" went off, seems like bull to me, but he was having some mechanical trouble with it prior to the "misfire". What a bloody mess.

[Give 'em Hell®]

I'm curious to hear from how they do it at the range he works at.

--
Mike

In order for people to come in a shoot with our guns, they have to show me a practical safety handgun test. If they can safely show me how to handle a gun-such as loading and unloading, then they're good to go. If they show me the improper way of handling a gun-like pointing the muzzle at me or others, then I IMMEDIATELY take the gun away and I recommend to bring someone more experienced or take one of our course.

This benefits them more than me.

[tsellati]

That's damned unfortunate. It's the rangemaster's fault, too, for not shutting them down. He should have assessed the young man's discomfort, required them to not shoot any more that day, and directed both of them to one of the Firearm Safety Classes I'm sure the range offered.

At properly-supervised ranges, the first hit on a target hanger should be a warning, the second gets you off the range.

And why the hell were they not shooting .38's for his first time?

+1

Tim

[hawkeye36]

Amen, brother. Preach on!

[3GUNNAH]

Gun safety is everyones business!! I think one of the best things you can teach a child is proper gun safety. Teach them to give the gun the respect it deserves. It is never to early to start. NEVER assume just because someone owns a gun that they have even the slightest knowlege of even basic gun safety! We shoot USPSA at our club and have a faimly of 5 that all come and shoot our matches. Ages 11 to 47 and the 11 year old boy has better gun handling skills than many of our other shooters. :o On a side note many of you have mentioned range masters in your posts. These guys with the 357 mag were at a match of some type? Other wise why would there be a rangemaster. I go to clubs all over new england and only see them at matches. Pardon my ingnorance but this is something I don't quite get.:blink: