Range Safety Rules briefing for Guests

[EastCoaster]

My gun club will be instituting a range safety form for guests to be briefed upon range safety, based upon established range rules. Both the guest and sponsoring member will acknowledge the same by their signature.

It is presumed that members are already familiar the Range Safety Rules from their explanation of such at their membership range orientation. However, due to a recent incident of a guest NG when the line was cold, concerns for both safety and liability have been brought to the forefront.

The arguments are how such will be instituted. Should the range safety rules be:

• Quote safety passages directly from the Range Rules that assure that there is absolutely no ambiguety, to encompass 2 pages of reading, or;
• Summarized to 1 page in a manner to facilitate a wide range of ages, educational background, and/or prevent eyes to glaze over with boredom?

[Bad Andy]

Rules are rules. No legal point in summarizing. I think you have to quote exactly. In my opinion summarizing the rules removes the point for having rules. It is worth the extra few minutes for a guest to go over all of them.

In reality, most guests will just skim over the rules and sign at the bottom. For signing, it must be word-for-word, but you can summarize the rules verbally.

[Dvrjon]

Signing papers doesn't stop people from being stupid.

Get your RSOs to control the cold line.

[dozer wright]

Big signs be better . Signing paper work when just getting ready to shoot most will skim if read at all . Big sign while standing in line or behind the firing line . Stuff to do durning down time . Signing paper work is a lawyer thing . So when dumb **** runs down range durning live fire it's not the Ranges fault .
Which yes I have seen happen twice .

[jstert]

at least your club is creating a procedure to allow guests. mine forbids guests but then has a big sign exhorting current members to recruit new members--go figure. the only way to reinforce our 2nd amendment is to give more newbies a safe and fun experience. my limited experience introducing newbies is positive, even if they dont go out to buy a gun they seem to understand better.


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[EastCoaster]

Signing papers doesn't stop people from being stupid.

Get your RSOs to control the cold line.

The purpose of a gun safety acknowledgement is supposed to be for education and prevention, taking personal responsibility, and to mitigate a degree of liability. It is not to halt stupidity.

I imagine its easier to blame a RSO for any safety occurrence, despite properly doing their job. Even the best RSO has had a safety incident occur during their shift. Anyone who claims otherwise, doesn't have a lot of time on the line, or is just a liar.

Please try to not indict someone's conduct without all the facts.

[Kowan]

Quote directly. Casual questions session after for those needing terms explained.

[2761377]

Member to be 100% responsible for the actions of the guest. any sanctions for safety violations applied to the member.

[dieselpower]

From a fellow Instructor...it doesnt matter, stupid is stupid and even after a 1 hour safety briefing we always managed to have one idiot every few weeks or so who would do something completely stupid.

People who are not active in the use of Firearms dont apply what they do to what was told to them an hour before.

As Instructors, Range Masters, and Safety Cadre we must identify the person who isnt really getting it and monitor them more closely then others.

Wanna know what works, you have a form that requires a SIGNATURE that starts off;

YOU MUST READ THESE OUT LOUD TO THE ATTENDANT BEFORE ACCESS TO THIS RANGE.
1- I acknowledge AND understand the Firearms / Range safety Rules written here and Posted at the range wall ---sign here______________
2- I acknowledge violating these safety rules can result in a persons death, not just mine, but others around me as well? ---sign here _____________
3- The violation of firearm safety rules both purposeful and unknowing can result in MY BEING CONVICTED OF A CRIME UP TO AND INCLUDING LIFE IN PRISON.--- sign here______________

THIS FORM WILL BE USED AGAINST ME IN A COURT OF LAW, CIVIL AND CRIMINAL, SHOULD I VIOLATE A FIREARM / RANGE SAFETY RULE AND HURT ANOTHER PERSON.

SIGN HERE______________________________

When a person is forced to read a statement out loud and the threat of arrest or civil action is explained, they take things more serious.

[Capybara]

Best idea in this thread dieselpower. I just taught 56 Boy Scouts gun safety today and I tell them, if you are not a safe shooter or if you sweep me or anyone, you are done and you will leave the range. No violations today but I have had some in the past. And we have one instructor standing next to each student as they shoot, single loading the gun for the student. I also make them recite the rules back to me. Good group of Scouts today, had a lot of fun.

I always assume that most people, even "experienced" shooters, DO NOT know the rules of gun safety or if they do know them, they do not religiously practice them. If they did, there would be no accidental shootings and NDs.

From a fellow Instructor...it doesnt matter, stupid is stupid and even after a 1 hour safety briefing we always managed to have one idiot every few weeks or so who would do something completely stupid.

People who are not active in the use of Firearms dont apply what they do to what was told to them an hour before.

As Instructors, Range Masters, and Safety Cadre we must identify the person who isnt really getting it and monitor them more closely then others.

Wanna know what works, you have a form that requires a SIGNATURE that starts off;

YOU MUST READ THESE OUT LOUD TO THE ATTENDANT BEFORE ACCESS TO THIS RANGE.
1- I acknowledge AND understand the Firearms / Range safety Rules written here and Posted at the range wall ---sign here______________
2- I acknowledge violating these safety rules can result in a persons death, not just mine, but others around me as well? ---sign here _____________
3- The violation of firearm safety rules both purposeful and unknowing can result in MY BEING CONVICTED OF A CRIME UP TO AND INCLUDING LIFE IN PRISON.--- sign here______________

THIS FORM WILL BE USED AGAINST ME IN A COURT OF LAW, CIVIL AND CRIMINAL, SHOULD I VIOLATE A FIREARM / RANGE SAFETY RULE AND HURT ANOTHER PERSON.

SIGN HERE______________________________

When a person is forced to read a statement out loud and the threat of arrest or civil action is explained, they take things more serious.

[dieselpower]

Best idea in this thread dieselpower. I just taught 56 Boy Scouts gun safety today and I tell them, if you are not a safe shooter or if you sweep me or anyone, you are done and you will leave the range. No violations today but I have had some in the past. And we have one instructor standing next to each student as they shoot, single loading the gun for the student. I also make them recite the rules back to me. Good group of Scouts today, had a lot of fun.

I always assume that most people, even "experienced" shooters, DO NOT know the rules of gun safety or if they do know them, they do not religiously practice them. If they did, there would be no accidental shootings and NDs.

Thank you. It gets peoples attention and I have had people actually tell me they refuse to read it or sign it after reading it. They tell me they will use another Instructor who doesnt care about the safety rules so much that they would call the cops on a person who accidentally shoots someone. Not kidding you. That is what people have told me.

[Dvrjon]

The purpose of a gun safety acknowledgement is supposed to be for education and prevention, taking personal responsibility, and to mitigate a degree of liability. It is not to halt stupidity.

I imagine its easier to blame a RSO for any safety occurrence, despite properly doing their job. Even the best RSO has had a safety incident occur during their shift. Anyone who claims otherwise, doesn't have a lot of time on the line, or is just a liar.

Please try to not indict someone's conduct without all the facts.

No indictment meant. But your issue lacks sufficient facts to even begin to believe a form will solve your problem. Without more background, Occam's Rasor applies, and the obvious, simplest solution lies at point of control -- the RSO.

If your true concern is liability, then a detailed form requiring initialing of every rule and a signed indemnification and hold harmless clause at the end to protect your club would seem the best solution to providing that result. With that, it wouldn't matter what your RSO's do.

So, what does "success" look like to you? Ironclad liabilty waiver or "zero defect" quality control ("Never events" happen, that's why they have a name.) The answer is somewhere in between.

[ElDub1950]

.....

• Quote safety passages directly from the Range Rules that assure that there is absolutely no ambiguety, to encompass 2 pages of reading, or;
• Summarized to 1 page in a manner to facilitate a wide range of ages, educational background, and/or prevent eyes to glaze over with boredom?

While I agree it's important that guest acknowledge they understand the range rules, it seems to me that if you actually have two whole pages of range rules and at best you can summarize it to one page, you've set yourself up to have the form skimmed over at best and most likely have thrown in some legalese that creates some ambiguity.

Perhaps you should just require the member to do a range safety briefing for their guests and have the member sign the form that they're satisfied the guest understands the rules and the guest sign they do.

I'm still a little stuck on what range rules would require 2 pages but agree with the need to be sure the rules are understood by everyone.

[dwalker]

My "home range" in Denver is Cherry Creek Park Family Shooting Center. Their rules are posted behind the counter when you pay your range fees, in large print that is easy to read quickly. You have to sign the sign-in sheet that you have read the rules prior to paying. Once you go to the line the RO who assigns you your lane gives you a very standard and quick safety brief-
No rapid fire, uncase and recase in the window only, no uncased firearms allowed behind the safety line period, no drawing from holster or concealment, etc.

Works pretty good.

MEMBERS have a slightly larger set of rules, like who can use the action bay and when, guests, etc. that they have to sign before becoming a member and pass specific tests before using certian equipment.

I think these things work because they are simple, easy to remember.

[EastCoaster]

While I agree it's important that guest acknowledge they understand the range rules, it seems to me that if you actually have two whole pages of range rules and at best you can summarize it to one page, you've set yourself up to have the form skimmed over at best and most likely have thrown in some legalese that creates some ambiguity.

Perhaps you should just require the member to do a range safety briefing for their guests and have the member sign the form that they're satisfied the guest understands the rules and the guest sign they do.

I'm still a little stuck on what range rules would require 2 pages but agree with the need to be sure the rules are understood by everyone.

The ranges actually has more than 25 pages of range rules. They can be boiled down to 2 pages that relate directly to safety.

Of those 2 pages, they can be reworded to take only 1 page, utilizing the KISS rule. This is the only real point of contention: Dumb them down so even a 3rd grader can understand them, or accept the rules as clear enough.

We trusted the membership to personally brief their own guests, with too many apparent failures over the years. By writing the safety rules down and requiring such to be acknowledged by the guest and their sponsoring member that day, we hope to institute a degree of accountability.