Range Report: Honey Island Shooting Range

Peacemaker · Mar 8, 2015

Kraut said:
Although the following experience was at Honey Island (at least 4 years ago if not more), my particular range officer gripe applies across the board, wherever one might go:

I went to Honey Island with another police officer, and they allow marked units to pull up and park in view near the check in table (One of our officers had all four tires slashed when parked out of sight in the general parking area, they have graciously extended a courtesy to prevent this in the future), so we pulled up in a marked Crown Vic and began unloading what we brought, to include duty belts which we carried up slung over our shoulders. No one questioned this at the table or mentioned any issues related to drawing from a holster, there was barely anyone there on the pistol line, but upon arriving to the line and beginning to set up, the range officer approaches and tells us that we can't do any shooting drawing from a holster, following with: "We know y'all know what you're doing and all, but we can't just let everybody draw from a holster. Some of these idiots that come out here'd be blowin' their toes off."

Here's my beef with that: You're a range officer. Your job is to watch for safety issues and address them. If I draw from a holster and appropriately address my target and safely re-holster, yay for me. If I muzzle-sweep everyone or start some 'Doc Holiday' twirlin' with my iron, call me on it and disperse me from the range if need be. If you legitimately 'know I know what I'm doing' then step out of the way and let me do it. If you see an idiot, take action.

Why not go to a sheriff's office range if you want to practice from the draw?

DBMJR1 · Mar 8, 2015

Rhandhali said:
. . .
Has anyone seen them actually kick someone off of the range for bad behavior?

Yes. Yes I have. They were grown men too. Numerous safety infractions caused them all to be asked to leave. Upon leaving, they set up camp in the parking lot with a case of beer. They had to be told to leave there by a peace officer.

HI is generally a very safe place to shoot. In all my years there, I've seen one accident, and heard of another.

The one I heard of, was a fellow with the wrong sized muzzle brake installed. Spaghetti barrel.

The one I witnessed was a fellow on the pistol line aiming a pistol griped shotgun. Busted his chops.

You are neither allowed to carry in a holster, nor are you allowed to draw from a holster at Honey Island. It's the rules. Rules are rules.

I was there today, and saw a young man with a BS tee shirt on, teaching an even younger man to shoot. They were shooting what appeared to be a 9mm AR, and a .22 cal AR.

Warmed my heart to see such a young fellow being taught the shooting discipline. If you read this post, Good On Ya!

Rhandhali · Mar 8, 2015

DBMJR1 said:
Yes. Yes I have. They were grown men too. Numerous safety infractions caused them all to be asked to leave. Upon leaving, they set up camp in the parking lot with a case of beer. They had to be told to leave there by a peace officer.
You are neither allowed to carry in a holster, nor are you allowed to draw from a holster at Honey Island. It's the rules. Rules are rules.
!

Yup. I wear my gun belt just to reload mags, though they have let me carry my pistol in the holster after it was checked in once. It's a public range and I completely understand having to write rules for the lowest common denominator. It's the price for having a range where the only qualifications are "has a gun" and "wants to shoot".

DAVE_M · Mar 8, 2015

I have not been back to Honey Island since the incident, mostly due to the weather and how bad that road gets. It's a shame that people are too stupid to drive properly. The budget for the range gets blown fixing the road, when it could go to getting proper RO's and better equipment.

DBMJR1 · Mar 8, 2015

DAVE_M said:
I have not been back to Honey Island since the incident, mostly due to the weather and how bad that road gets. It's a shame that people are too stupid to drive properly. The budget for the range gets blown fixing the road, when it could go to getting proper RO's and better equipment.

Really? Are you sure about that?

DAVE_M · Mar 8, 2015

DBMJR1 said:
Really? Are you sure about that?

That's what I was told by a friend who RO's out there. It supposedly cost them $2,000 last time it had to be filled/graded.

Kraut · Mar 9, 2015

Peacemaker said:
Why not go to a sheriff's office range if you want to practice from the draw?

The St. Tammany Sheriff's Office range isn't open to the public, and I don't work for them. The range utilized by my agency, due to sharing with other agencies leading to schedule issues as well as some issues with LANG going back and forth regarding usage without agency ROs present, is more often than not a more difficult proposition than just going to a paid range.

Range Report: Honey Island Shooting Range

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