Don’t try to argue with me about range safety

I was having a really good day at the Inland Fish and Game range today. I shot about six 10-round strings of fire, slow fire standing, for practice.

I was shooting a point above average, a few 97s, a couple 96s, and a nice 99-3x that was a basically a clean string until the last (10th) shot:

I decide to call it quits for the day so I go out and grab my targets and on my way back, some guy who I’ve seen at the range before and his son or grandson were sitting at a firing point just lounging on the chairs at the firing bench. Just for reference, the firing line has a red line, and you’re supposed to be behind it during ceasefire conditions.

So as I’m walking back and still in the firing area, I get within earshot of the firing line I yell out the words to get off the firing line. The guy just sits there and I yell out the command again. I’m continuing walking and I yell out to get off the firing line a third time and finally the range officer gets on the loudspeaker to give a general announcement to drop all firearms and get behind the red line (because of the ceasefire). The person in question and the child with him finally get up from the shooting bench and get behind the red line.

A few minutes later as firing resumes, the man walks over and literally asks me what I was ‘motor-mouthing’ about. I told him that I was telling him that he needed to get off the firing line and get behind the red line. Then he proceeds to argue that he didn’t have any ‘weapons’ on the bench and therefore, it was fine for him to be sitting there. I countered that the presence of firearms is irrelevant and that all persons are supposed to remain behind the red line during a general ceasefire condition. He then proceeds to argue with me and tell me to stay ‘fucking cool’. At that point he pretty much pissed me off because he was basically saying that he didn’t care for me telling him that he’s not following the range safety rules. He obviously knew that the rule existed, but that he didn’t care. If he didn’t know the rule existed, he wouldn’t have tried to argue with me about how not having ‘weapons’ on the bench exempted him from not having to stay behind the red line.

Also, his use of profanity to tell me to essentially to let him go about his business basically got me boiling since I didn’t speak to him in a profane or condescending manner.

What is more disappointing about this person is that he had a young child with him, either a son or grandson. This guy should be setting a good example, but instead, he’s basically teaching this child that it’s fine to violate range safety rules when you think it’s safe to do so.

The next time I run into this guy at the range, and I’m sure I will soon, I’m probably going to end up getting into an argument with him again. I’m 99% sure he’ll commit some sort of range safety violation and I always tell people about it when they’re doing it.

The fact of the matter is that there are range safety rules. If you are in the act of violating one, if someone sees you, whether it be the range officer or another range patron, they’re going to tell you that you are in violation of it.