Honey Island shooting range

[adjax65]

Can anyone tell me exactly what authority the range officers have at this range and where they derive that authority from?

I was there Saturday morning and watched one RO in particular berate a group nonstop about everything and twice heard him, during a cold range, tell the group that he was about to throw them off the range and ban them permanently. I watched the group myself for a while, and while their shooting may not have been Grand Master level, they were in fact safe, controlled, and proper. It was not a group of hooligans. It appeared to be a grandfather, son, wife, and grandson.

I have been shooting here for over 20 years. There have always been one or two "Range Nazis", but for the most part the RO's have been pretty good. Lately it does seem as if the good ones are no longer there and the new ones are, well, not as good.

Just to be clear this group was not me and mine

 

[Tulse Luper]

Probably complete and utter authority through LDWF enforcement division.

There's some nimrod ROs out there and there's some really good ROs.

This particular RO may have seen something you did not or simply didn't get any from his fat, diaphoretic wife the night before. Frankly, I don't really know what you can do but report the RO through a letter or email. It's a voluntary position, I believe.

 

[SirIsaacNewton]

Can anyone tell me exactly what authority the range officers have at this range and where they derive that authority from?

I was there Saturday morning and watched one RO in particular berate a group nonstop about everything and twice heard him, during a cold range, tell the group that he was about to throw them off the range and ban them permanently. I watched the group myself for a while, and while their shooting may not have been Grand Master level, they were in fact safe, controlled, and proper. It was not a group of hooligans. It appeared to be a grandfather, son, wife, and grandson.

I have been shooting here for over 20 years. There have always been one or two "Range Nazis", but for the most part the RO's have been pretty good. Lately it does seem as if the good ones are no longer there and the new ones are, well, not as good.

Just to be clear this group was not me and mine

I have never had a bad experience at Honey Island. Those guys are volunteers and do a wonderful job of keeping that range safe which is difficult with a public range. Maybe a guy just had an off day however safety is a serious topic and sometimes individuals have to shown just how serious......

 

[Bearco]

Welcome to BS.

I hate to hear that you had a bad experience, but I guess it can happen anywhere. The ROs are volunteers of SELFS, which is the non-profit that holds the lease to that range.

He does have the authority to throw people off of the range as long as he is following the SOPs. Repeated attempts to correct safety could definitely fall in to that category. Maybe he saw something you didn't; or maybe he was being nimrod.

Did you get his name or RO number from his badge? I would send an email. Make sure you include the date, time, and whether it was on the rifle or pistol line so that it can be narrowed down to a few RSOs. The contact us link on http://honeyisland.org/ goes directly to one of the board members. Use that link and feel free to ask him to have the range master contact you if you would like to talk more about it.

 

[aard3]

Can anyone tell me exactly what authority the range officers have at this range and where they derive that authority from?

I was there Saturday morning and watched one RO in particular berate a group nonstop about everything and twice heard him, during a cold range, tell the group that he was about to throw them off the range and ban them permanently. I watched the group myself for a while, and while their shooting may not have been Grand Master level, they were in fact safe, controlled, and proper. It was not a group of hooligans. It appeared to be a grandfather, son, wife, and grandson.

I have been shooting here for over 20 years. There have always been one or two "Range Nazis", but for the most part the RO's have been pretty good. Lately it does seem as if the good ones are no longer there and the new ones are, well, not as good.

Just to be clear this group was not me and mine

To address your question:
It is my understanding that the land is leased from the state to them though an agreement, and they do have the authority to throw people off the range.

On another though...
I see people do incredibly stupid stuff at ranges all the time... and those people always think they are "safe, controlled, and proper"... plus you couldn't see everything the RO did... so you might give him the benefit of the doubt. Especially since you failed to mention what the RO was "berating" them about... if you don't know then is it really fair for you to be casting judgement? I find it very hard to believe an RO out there just went off the handle on a group of people for no reason at all...

Was this on the pistol or rifle line?

Just my .02

 

[adjax65]

Thank you for your replies.
I am very familiar with the range, having been shooting there for many years. What I saw Saturday was not appropriate behavior by the RO. As they were shooting right next to me, I was very aware of what they were doing. If the RO was having a bad, it was a day for him to stay home. I realize they are all volunteers and perform an important function. i was just curious as to where and how they got control of a public range.

The RO in question was a shorter man( not meant to be offensive, he is just short), about 55. I will pay more attention the next time I see him and see if I am able to get his name and badge number.

 

[aard3]

Thank you for your replies.
I am very familiar with the range, having been shooting there for many years. What I saw Saturday was not appropriate behavior by the RO. As they were shooting right next to me, I was very aware of what they were doing. If the RO was having a bad, it was a day for him to stay home. I realize they are all volunteers and perform an important function. i was just curious as to where and how they got control of a public range.

The RO in question was a shorter man( not meant to be offensive, he is just short), about 55. I will pay more attention the next time I see him and see if I am able to get his name and badge number.

Now I'm really curious, if you were standing right next to them, then you must know what the RO was talking to them about....to me that would explain a lot here... also, did this happen on the pistol or rifle line?

 

[adjax65]

To address your question:
It is my understanding that the land is leased from the state to them though an agreement, and they do have the authority to throw people off the range.

On another though...
I see people do incredibly stupid stuff at ranges all the time... and those people always think they are "safe, controlled, and proper"... plus you couldn't see everything the RO did... so you might give him the benefit of the doubt. Especially since you failed to mention what the RO was "berating" them about... if you don't know then is it really fair for you to be casting judgement? I find it very hard to believe an RO out there just went off the handle on a group of people for no reason at all...

Was this on the pistol or rifle line?

Just my .02

Thanks for your answer. I did not know the SELF group held the range under a lease.

As I said though, I did watch the folks shooting myself. I did not fail to mention what he was on them about. I intentionally left it out as I did not want to seem to pick on someone not able to rebut what I said. If it lends credibility to the issue, the RO did offer ban them from the range because the young man was sitting on the bench, during the cold range, and swung his legs over to step out the back of the shelter to throw his Coke can in the garbage. No firearms or ammo involved.

I was in fact only 5 feet away from them so , yes I was able to see everyting the RO could see from much further away. After his first interaction with this group, I stepped back for a few minutes to see what they were doing to gain his attention. Their shooting was safe, controlled and proper.

This was on the pistol line at the far right.

Thanks again for the info about the lease.

 

[yamarider450]

I am a RO. And would like to have his name. There are some guys there that I think should give it up. I am probably one of the youngest there but I am also a weapons instructor and RO for the military. I treat everyone on the range with the same respect that I would like to be treated with. If I have a problem I will pull you to the side and do it in a discrete manor. I don't believe in making a scene in front of everyone.

 

[jmcrawf1]

I am a RO. And would like to have his name. There are some guys there that I think should give it up. I am probably one of the youngest there but I am also a weapons instructor and RO for the military. I treat everyone on the range with the same respect that I would like to be treated with. If I have a problem I will pull you to the side and do it in a discrete manor. I don't believe in making a scene in front of everyone.

Good on you man.

 

[adjax65]

I did not think to get his name, but he is about 55, dark hair, a shorter man, maybe 5'5"or 5"6". My posting here was out of curiosity about the ability of an RO to actually ban someone from a public range.

There have always been a few of the Ro's that probably should not be, but as a group the RO's do an excellent job.

Thank you for your service, both as an RO, more so for your military service.

 

[SirIsaacNewton]

I am a RO. And would like to have his name. There are some guys there that I think should give it up. I am probably one of the youngest there but I am also a weapons instructor and RO for the military. I treat everyone on the range with the same respect that I would like to be treated with. If I have a problem I will pull you to the side and do it in a discrete manor. I don't believe in making a scene in front of everyone.

Well we appreciate your professionalism and hard work. Like I said I have never had anything but positive experiences at Honey Island and the new clay throwing machines KICK BUTT keep up the great work!