Well, the 10-shot-a-year guys are back at the range...

[LouisianaCarry]

It's October. Our range is lonely if you go at the right times most of the year, and we keep things pretty clean and safe, but...

I go out there today, and there are shells all over the ground (you are supposed to police yourself), people have moved wooden tables/benches forward of the firing line and shot them up, they are shooting targets mid-range (we have a rule that you are supposed to move yourself closer to the berm, not move the targets closer to the covers- we have like 20 50yd bays- you can have one to yourself and not be worried about being downrange of someone else), etc.

Hopefully they get their safe queens sighted in and leave the regulars in peace again soon.



Oh, and I could tell they were looking at me funny for dumping a couple hundred rds out of my AR while prone, kneeling, utilizing cover etc. I only use the tables to set my gear on.

 

[bigdaddyb]

Yea...it was crowded at the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Range also.

Fortunately, they 'police' that range VERY tightly. Folks were well behaved. Of course, if they don't behave, they get thrown out. It's a REALLY low tolerance range. That being said, the old guys who run the range are VERY helpful. They're the reason I go to that range. They're really easy to work with and are good with my kids. I particularly enjoy being there when it's just us and 'the old boys'.

I did get a chuckle. I saw one of the '10 round crowd' proudly showing his buddy that he'd nicked the 'X' AT 25 YARDS, with his scoped rifle. Sometimes I really feel for the deer, considering the lack of shooting commitment I see in many hunters.

brianb

 

[gunz4me]

Okay, this is where I am going to gripe about the hunters so here I go getting on my soap box:

Why, oh why, do these hunters insist on having a customized rifle, with a scope costing $1,000 OR MORE, yet they DO NOT OWN A SPOTTING SCOPE? It pisses me off every time I go to Sherburne and encounter a guy who wants to walk out to the 100 yard line to check his target AFTER EVERY SHOT. I can't count the times I was made out to be the range unfriendly person because I was taking my sweet ole time with a 30 round magazine on my AR-15 OR asked why I needed my FAL. My answer every single time I am asked that is "Why should I have a need for something that is protected by the Bill of Rights?" Now I will admit that I have been an a$$hole about my answers some times because I was once asked "What do you need that for?" in reference to my AR-15 and my answer was "Nosy people who ask too many questions". I was just joking, and said so, but the hunter who asked the question did not get my sense of humour.

Okay, I will step down from the soapbox and end the rant.

 

[LACamper]

Gunz, I can't blame you. I guess you saw the post I put up about the AD at Nick's a few weeks ago. But on the other hand, these are the voters that are protecting our 1911's and AR's and AK's. Their attitude is 'why do you need one of those?' Next time try saying 'cause its fun! what? you've never shot one of these???? here try half a mag! and maybe convert some of the uneducated...

 

[LouisianaCarry]

I do that with people who are not being jerks. I am always up for giving people BRD.

 

[gunz4me]

Gunz, I can't blame you. I guess you saw the post I put up about the AD at Nick's a few weeks ago. But on the other hand, these are the voters that are protecting our 1911's and AR's and AK's. Their attitude is 'why do you need one of those?' Next time try saying 'cause its fun! what? you've never shot one of these???? here try half a mag! and maybe convert some of the uneducated...

Sadly, these are the same people who will also vote to limit magazine capacity to 5 rounds because it does not impact them. What they don't realize is that as soon as the gun grabbers get our "Assault Rifles", they will be coming for those hunting "Sniper Rifles" next!

As for the guy I was somewhat joking to regarding my answer of nosy people who ask too many questions, he was being an utter dick to me saying that NO ONE should be allowed to own an AR-15. I should have handled it differently, but at the time my wife was in the hospital (which she eventually died) and I had no tolerance for ******** from others trying to tell me what I should and should not be able to have.

Fast forward to today, I would say the following to a hunter or other liberal who thinks their hunting rifles are "safe". Basically I would say "After they finish taking our "assault rifles" from us, they are coming for your "sniper rifle" next! Wake up and get a clue before it is too late!" If you want history, look at what Hitler did in Germany. In fact, look at any country where ultra harsh gun control was invoked.... The crime rate goes up because the criminals know that chances are they will not encounter an armed resistance, unless they happen to run into another criminal.

 

[LACamper]

The solution to that is to convert them from hunters only to shooters. Lets face it, shooting that 7mm mag that kicks so hard is not fun, if that's all you have to shoot. Show them that going to the range can be fun. That's mainly why we go, right? Sighting in a hard kicking rifle is a chore for them. Make them want to come back. Tell them about IPSC matches, encourage them to come watch. Some of us were born loving to shoot, others have to be encouraged.

 

[Narco]

I do that with people who are not being jerks. I am always up for giving people BRD.

Thats not all you give them...!

 

[LACamper]

No argument from me if they're being jerks. Some are just curious though, and that should be encouraged. They're either with us or against us, so better with us.

 

[LouisianaCarry]

I am all for it. I would not spend countless hours on LA Carry if I was not all for turning people on to the real 2A.

 

[chaosrages]

I hate that one of my first posts will be one that will not flow well with the masses but there is another side of the story. I would think there are enough people fighting against the gun culture that there shouldn't be fighting between each other.

We could look at this in a different light. Atleast the hunters are responsible enough to make sure there rifle is sighted well as to not make a poor shot to wound an animal enough so it can sit and suffer to death and never be found.

Them questioning your decision to send numerous rounds downrange in a weapon that you will likely never for anything other than this one function is no less ignorant than anyone questioning their right to sight their guns. Also, in this thread people have mentioned folks taking our guns, etc. Yet we have the nerve to ask why do they need a particular rifle or optic. Simple answer, they are law abiding citizens and at the current time they are legally allowed to own such. Who the hell are we to question why?

I am not a hunter, I have no plans to shoot at a deer unless he shoots first. I am however a fair person. Now I am curious to see how well this is received.

 

[LouisianaCarry]

Original topic poster here. Glad to have you. Thank you for your input, and for the courage to try to point out that we should have as much solidarity as possible. That is certainly good thinking (to a point, of course).

I have never derided anyone for the amount that they shoot. I personally feel that we should all train as much as possible, as I believe it is our civic duty to be proficient in long arms and side arms, as well as tactics, first aid, etc. However, I did not always realize this, and I understand that not everyone else realizes this. My goal is to bring that understanding to more people. I spend ALOT of time toward that end.

You may notice I did not call anyone 'Fudds,' nor did I fault them for their weapons or proficiency. I have no problem with any of that. What I took exception to was that four out of five of them were blatantly disregarding rules that they voluntarily agreed to in writing. They also walked by these rules when they came in. Every member with an email address has also gotten electronic reminders of said rules. We have safety rules, not only for the obvious desire not to see anyone get hurt, but also so that the range does not get shut down. Our range is one of the largest in the country, and it is a blessing that it is here. I do not want to see that get shut down because some people are not taking a dangerous weapon seriously.

My thread title was just an observation. Certainly we have AR shooters that ignore some rules, as well. I fault that as well. I talk to anyone I see about being safe. That is my job, not only as one of the range safety officers for my club, but also as a gun owner and a person. That said, though, when you have 1 out of 5 AR owners ignoring rules, and 4 out of 5 '10-shot-a-year guys' doing it (and add to that that the 10/yr guys all want to come at once), and naturally the frustration level for someone who is concerned about range safety is going to rise. I don't think that is divisive, in and of itself. When I speak to these people, I do it very respectfully and politely. I apologize for interrupting their shooting and barging in. I mention the rule and explain why we have it. I tell them that 'we probably don't need that rule for me and you, who know how to hit where we shoot, but we need to set a consistent example, so the less proficient don't copy our methods and cause harm.' You get the idea.

I have been to the public range in my area. The walls, ceilings, target stands, everything is full of holes. If people shoot however they want with little practice or training, that [can be] the result. We have rules to avoid that, and people sign them and see them. I do not think it is unfair for me to be frustrated when they ignore them. Again, I do treat everyone with respect unless they give me a GOOD reason not to. (I have a pretty high tolerance level for most things- it is usually child abusers or JBTs that succeed in actually pissing me off)

Anyway, I hope that all makes sense, and I hope you continue to post. I have several more thoughts about what you posted, but I don't want to write a book in one post.

 

[LACamper]

LACarry, you pretty much did write a book
Welcome to the site! I put up a post about 2 weeks ago where one of the occasional shooters almost shot one of my clients at Nick's in Garyville by not following the rules.
I found my self questioning someone's gun ownership the last trip to the range. Someone had a full auto AR pistol with a drum mag. They blasted probably 500 rounds downrange. Before I said anything I answered myself with "They think its fun, and its not dangerous to anyone else, so leave it alone." While their taste in firearms is not mine that's their business. On the other extreme I've seen guys shooting blackpowder rifles on the range. 10 shots in 4 hours isn't my idea of fun either. We shifted them to the end of the range due to the smoke but again, if that's what they enjoy...

 

[gunz4me]

Aha... I knew it.

Actually, chaosrages, I know what he's talking about in regards to hunters who go to the range once a year to "sight in" their rifles. Truth be told, very few of these guys truly hunt. Most of them sit in a tree stand and wait for a deer to walk by so they can assassinate it. That is not hunting to me, but no sense in opening up THAT can of worms...

The average Lousyana "hunter" displays a near-total lack of gun savvy, and many are a genuine hazard to those around them. For this reason, when the sheriff opens our range for hunter sight-in, the instructors shoot the weapons. We learned the hard way NOT to let them shoot their own rifles; for several reasons.

I too could write a book on this phenomena. I understand your position, chaosrages; but there is a line between tolerance and safety.

.

Uh oh, prepare for flame material here!

I once witnessed a hunter at Sherburne who sighted his rifle in, then proceeded to shoot the legs off of every target stand thinking he was a badass and showing off for his buddies. Lucky for us, one of the Dept of Wildlife guys was there, saw what happened, and the hunter was given the option to pay for the target stands or get fined for their destruction. For what it is worth, he didn't say jack about my rifles. In fact, he didn't want to shoot my FAL because when I offered he started whining that .308 kicked harder than his .243... ARGH.

Sorry, but the mentality of some of those "hunter" types is about that of a 3 year old, and those guys really **** me off!

 

[3wbdriver]

During my Kel-tec group's first get together at Sherburne last Thanksgiving weekend, we didn't think about the fact that there would be so many hunters there. The camping area was full of trailers and tents, and there were a couple dozen people waiting for the range to open so they could verify their sights, and head into the woods. There were only 6 of us. We took the last 2 lanes/tables on the south end, and setup shop for the next 6 hours. I think the only bolt actions we had were my M44, and a 1898 Krag Jorgensen .30-40. We had 2 AK's, a couple pistol caliber carbines, and an SU-16. We kept getting some interesting looks from the hunters for the entire day, but none of them ever actually came down to confront us. Of course we all had on matching shirts and they may have figured we were some kind of gang or something. Second trip in February was better. Most of the other shooters not in our group had AR's, and one guy even had his brand new Barrett .50 BMG there. Aside from the heat this last shoot in August was the best so far. Almost nobody else there, and 10 shooters from as far away as New York and Kansas. We kept the water flowing, and thankfully there was plenty of shade, so the heat wasn't as bad as I had feared, but it was a big point of discussion by the out of staters.

 

[scubasteve]

I'm a hunter and a "black" gun owner. Both sides have their bad apples. Be careful of what you say and what you do.

 

[LouisianaCarry]

LACarry, you pretty much did write a book
"They think its fun, and its not dangerous to anyone else, so leave it alone." While their taste in firearms is not mine that's their business.

And that is the essence of liberty. Good job, LACamper!