Some hard and fast rules
I’m not nagatious. Really. There are times when just anyone would give a gentle reminder. Or two. Or even three.
But nag? No. Nagging implies frustration and a certain tone of voice. “Henry! If I told you once, I told you a thousand times, wipe your feet when you come in and Don’t Slam the screen door!”
Now that’s nagging.
But when I’m at the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range with a person new to shooting, there are a few hard and fast rules Newbie wants to know. These rules are for Newbie’s safety and for the safety of everyone else at the range.
There is no fudge factor here. Yes, Matilda can tell Henry to wipe his feet two or ten times. If he doesn’t, the most it will do is irritate Matilda, but it won’t physically harm either of them. At the range? A few rules are absolute.
Take “hot” and “cold.”
When the range is cold, that means nobody touches a gun. Since handguns don’t magically fire by themselves, that means that no one will get shot by accident.
The pistol range has a red line painted in the concrete floor. The line is located between the seating bench and the shooting bench. The shooting bench is really like a counter. It’s the spot where you load and shoot.
When the range is cold, you stand between the low seating bench and the red line. Your gun(s) are on the higher shooting bench. What? You can’t reach your guns from behind that red line when the range is cold? Great! And nobody else can, either.
Everyone on the pistol range cooperates when the range is cold. All put down their guns and step back behind the red line.
What if someone absentmindedly fumbles with his gun when the range is cold?
Then, everyone else at the range must be sure to remind him in no uncertain terms that the range is cold, because the life of everyone is at stake should someone shoot when the range is cold. Once in a blue moon it happens that someone accidentally crosses that red line, and another shooter will yell: “Frederick! The range is Cold!” and that’s enough to have him put his gun right back down and step behind the line. Cold is an absolute.
When the range is declared “hot,” your “eyes” and “ears” must be in place. Eyes are ANSI-rated protective eyeglasses. These are inexpensive and can be purchased at department, hardware, gun stores and in many other places.
You’d think casings coming from the right-side ejection port would fly to the right. And that’s true.
Most of the time.
But casings can fly in many directions. If they should fly back towards your face, the glasses will help to keep your eyes safe from the hot metal. This is why you always have your eyes on when the range is hot.
Ears means protective hearing. The least expensive ears are squishy cushiony plugs you squeeze and place in your ear canals. Then they expand and reduce the noise around you. Loud sounds of shooting can damage your hearing. Who wants that?
Most of the time, you’ll see shooters with something that looks like cold weather ear muffs. These are also ears. They reduce noise, as well. If you really want to protect your ears from loud noises, you can wear those squishy ear plugs at the same time as ear muffs. Together, they do a very good job.
Some of the muffs are electronic. They can muffle loud sounds and still allow you to hear people speaking nearby.
When you’re at the WCSO range, you must wear both eyes and ears. Okay, it does happen that people may forget to put either eyes or ears back on after the range has been cold, but quick reminders and the shooter puts them right back on. Eyes and ears go on when the range is hot, but may be taken off when the range is cold.
When the range is “hot,” you can move in front of the red line and place your guns and ammunition on the high shooting bench. It’s called a shooting bench, but it looks like a counter with divisions in each stall. Your gun stays in its pouch until you reach the shooting bench, so you’re never carrying around a “naked” gun. You bring your gun in a gun pouch here and you can shoot now only at the target in front of you.
“Hot” and “cold” are absolutes. The range is either hot or it’s cold. I’d put these concepts at the top of the list of things Newbie must internalize.
Next, eyes and ears are necessary at the WCSO range. It’s true that some ranges don’t make you wear eye and ear protection. Guess they don’t care if you lose an eye or if your hearing goes bad. But at the WCSO range, you gotta wear them. They care.
Hot, cold, eyes and ears are four concepts Newbie will want to learn right away. Learning these thoughts even before visiting the WCSO range is a fine idea. The Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office is all about safety.
Two other concepts help with range safety. One is to remember to keep the muzzle of the gun pointed downrange at all times. Whether you’re taking it out of its pouch or placing a magazine into the gun, make sure the muzzle stays pointing downrange.
The other? It’s natural to slide your index finger onto the trigger. Don’t do it! Until you are actually ready to shoot, your index finger is placed along the frame of the gun; not on the trigger. This prevents an accidental firing.
You can see that these two concepts, muzzle downrange and finger off the trigger, are for the safety of everyone.
And for the sake of Newbie shooting a semi-automatic?
Watch that Newbie doesn’t cross thumbs at the rear of the gun. When the slide flies backward, Newbie can get a very painful gash from the force of the slide. This can be avoided when Newbie places both thumbs on the same side of the gun. Unfortunately, it just feels natural to cross your thumbs when shooting. It takes a while before Newbie remembers and puts those thumbs on the same side.
I doubt this last one is a life-or-death issue, but we try to avoid any harm at the WCSO range.
So, today, for all those residents who found a handgun under the Christmas tree, remember “hot,” “cold,” “eyes,” “ears,” “muzzle downrange,” “finger off trigger,” and “don’t cross thumbs.”
If you hear those words, Newbie, we’re not nagging.
We’re helping you be safe.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.
