I’m all for basic skill and qualification tests. Too many gun owners (to include those with military training!) have a low level of skill, sometimes to the point of being dangerous.
Even if a mandatory test or qualification isn’t warranted or possible, par standards establishing competent, good, better and best performance should be well communicated. When incompetent skills could easily lead to injury, then a baseline of skill needs to be set and enforced.
Depressingly, a large number of ranges handle the safety issue by restricting everyone to a kindergarten level. Restrictions against rapid fire and speed gun handling are common. The most repulsive restrictions I’ve seen are those ranges that forbid position shooting, including slow fire, sequestering everyone to a bench rest. To a true rifleman, this is insulting and this sort of thing is a cause of the degradation of marksmanship skill.
Range personnel correctly assume that a large percentage of the attendees are low level and “solve” the problem with Romper Room restrictions. This describe almost all military ranges, most hunter sight-ins and is becoming more common nation-wide.
However, there are good and bays ways to handle this. The approach described in this blog posting is NOT the way to go!
The best solution I’ve seen to date is the policy set by Pine Tree Pistol Club, a commercial indoor range run by savvy competition shooters.
The range is sectioned into separate bays. On open range days (when no event or match is scheduled) any patron may use the “slow fire” bays. No rapid fire or gun handling is allowed. Guns must be set on a table with cylinder/slide open between strings.
The “action” bays allow rapid fire, gun handling at speed, movement and steel targets but are open only to those who first pass the club’s holster test. To pass, the patron must participate in at least two IDPA or USPSA events at the club.
This does several good things.
First, it allows range personnel to individually watch each shooter for a number of stages under match stress and see if they are safe gun handlers.
Second, it is an effective moron filter. Don’t tell us how “safe” and “good” you are. Show up and show us. Cowards unwilling to shoot a couple matches for score aren’t worth messing with.
Third, it increases traffic for matches. This raises participation and funds for the club.
Finally, it raises the skill level of the general club membership. Good, active competition shooters are more skilled and safer than typical gun owners.
There is no special fee for this beyond the normal match fee. An RO has to watch each shooter competing anyway. And the incentive to use the “special” bays, thus distinguishing oneself from those shooting in the “regular” bays brings a number of folks into the fold.
