Observations of a part time Range Officer
I have long thought that the second amendment of the US Constitution was less about the right to carry and possess arms, and more about the responsibility to see to one’s own security. I rather imagine that the forefathers believed that a large army or a police force could be use by unscrupulous politicians to subdue the populace; and divert the intention of this grand experiment from liberty to subjugation. As I wrote this, maybe one has not happened…..yet……because the other hasn’t happened……yet.
Politics aside, it doesn’t take a genius to see that one so responsible- an armed and capable individual- will be far less likely to be victimized in his personal or public space by any variety of threat actor. If a fellow has accepted this responsibility to be self-determinant in respect to his own security, and does not need the police to save him, he is in fact the hard solid inside the space which scientifically prevents a vacuum from forming. I do not think it is too much to say that the security of this community, city, or nation ultimately resides in the individual so capable and determined, and I have long believed so.
The last few months I have been in a position to witness how prepared the gun owning Lexingtonian is in confronting this responsibility. My front row seat is courtesy of a part time job that I have accepted as a range officer/ trainer- at a shooting range here in town. What follows is something that I believe curious, and maybe impactful to that preparation, or general performance of the gun owning culture in the city.
- 90% of the people that use the range are shooting 9mm automatic pistols. I would think the next most common is the 380 ACP, which is likely about 5%. Once a day I’ll see a 45, and the rest of the calibers are scattered throughout the remainder. Men and women are shooting 9s, which I think adds to the ubiquity and the metro-sexual nature of the cartridge. As I am carrying a 9mm more often these days, and I would say actually more than anything else, I can’t criticize a bit- but I do think that these weapons are overestimated and glamourized beyond their own ability. ( See Tools of the Trade; Math Lesson/ why the 45 ACP is still Big Medicine ) Otherwise, the great debate about high capacity versus high caliber is over and will stay that way until high-capacity magazines are banned, again.
- 90% of the people do not shoot well, and it is obvious that they have never been trained to do so shoot properly. My sense is that most are satisfied with this, and this surprises me. Most will shoot 50-150 rounds at 7 yards a single 2 x 3 foot target sheet, and for the most part hit the sheet, but without any indication of consistency or pattern. Strangely, this is one of things easily and quickly fixed with proper instruction. Practice without this insight reinforces bad habits, reinforces impropriety, and frankly is wasteful of ammunition. Practice does not make perfect- proper practice is what generates perfection- or at least suitability.
- 90% of the “instructors” that come forward with the student also do to shoot or instruct well. I’ve observed a range of approaches here, from one’s “Shooting Uncle” to some “professional” instructors that were inexperienced, short tempered, egotistical, obnoxious, and defensive if questioned. It is important to select a trainer/ coach/ mentor that is a trusted agent, as a strong and rightful start is important.
- AR-15s are extremely common and generally are managed well. I have observed that those that run AR-15s are serious consumers, and individually customize the weapons to their own personality. As such, and likely because the consumer has not had to carry these weapons hundreds of miles in the hand while marching/ patrolling, they have decorated this weapon mightily. They have more lights, sirens, Swiss army knives, gadgets, and bobbles on these rifles than Carter has liver pills. Not my thing, but I would gain the sense that these rifles are common enough, and liked enough, that they will be tough to ban.
- Gross safety violations are very few, gladly. The range rules clearly stated and reinforced, and 99% follow them happily. All said, in a sterilized environment, safety is not an issue, but it is also clear that safe handling is not as strict with the great majority as is necessary. I am curious how well known the four universal safety rules are understood and/ or practiced within the general populace.
- Holsters are generally of poor quality, and the cheap ones on the range outnumber the quality ones by a large margin. The serious shooters carry their weapons in boxes to the range, in accordance with the institutional standards. But, if one carries the weapon in a holster to the range, presumably he is carrying the weapon on a daily basis in society, and one ought not carry a $600 gun in a $6 dollar holster. I also can’t figure the soft floppy (cheap) holsters for guns like the Glock or Sig 320. Seems a risk to shoot oneself in one’s own buttocks.
- I find it very interesting to observe the various subcultures which subtly form and this certainly is apparent in the gun culture. It is fairly easy to pick out a veteran or a police officer on the line, and a few other groups- here and there- that are conspicuous. The most interesting to me is there is one group, who on occasion its members have been denied service because the odor of marijuana was strongly detected; but when they do not smell thusly and are admitted to the range, always pay in cash. This group will peel the bills from a substantial bundle, are armed to the teeth, and shoot in groups of four or more. Hundreds of dollars of ammunition is frequently expended during a single session, and maybe a dozen or so manage to find the target. Armed with generally more than one weapon, many times as many as a half dozen, cash transactions, on occasion the strong and obvious odor of pharmaceuticals; I find this both interesting and alarming.
- Some people should not be armed, at least without some serious training. They either lack the physicality or the discipline to manage a firearm. Very few- but they do exist, and the expectation that the range officer can make you solvent in a few short moments on a public range isn’t realistic. I have seen exactly two, one that did not hold the weapon firm enough to manage the recoil, and thus function, and one that could not keep from pointing the weapon improperly. Neither would process nor perform when corrected. Bless their hearts.
All said, certainly a mixed bag on how well we are fulfilling our Constitutional obligations for self-determination in the security sense, and improvement as a whole is certainly needed. In the next article, it is my intention to frame a process of milestones for progress, and with their permission introduce as a few individuals that can help those interested.