Post by oldhippy on Sept 2, 2018 8:44:06 GMT
How safe or unsafe is a gun range?
Taken in order:
A gun range is quite safe indeed, particularly with strong safety rules (which they all have), mutually enforced by the shooters therein (who have the strongest of vested interests - they don't want to get hurt!).
Bullets might ricochet off the walls, if you shoot at the walls (forbidden by above-mentioned safety rules) and not at the bullet traps, and if you used a high-powered rifle bullet (forbidden by above-mentioned safety rules). When was the last time you heard of such a thing happening? A person injured by ricochet could sue the range, could they not? (Now you know why the ranges insist on those safety rules.)
Firearms don't go off by accident, except in the movies. Here in Massachusetts, handguns are not legal to own unless they pass a list of tests, one of which is to be dropped five feet onto a concrete floor without going off. “Accidental discharge” does happen, and just about universally means “idiot didn't keep his finger off the trigger when he should have”. Ranges have - surprise! - safety rules to address precisely this.
Sure, you could shoot someone and then say oopsy. You could do that on Main Street too. The difference is that, on Main Street, you be less likely to be instantly surrounded by hostile, well-armed citizens who WILL hold you until the police arrived. Ranges are also far more likely to have first-aid kits, and people well trained to use them.
Psychopaths mowing people down - you are forgetting that ALL the potential targets are armed, and have been practicing their marksmanship. Truly, have you ever heard of this happening, anywhere?
As others have pointed out: gun ranges are, statistically, very safe places indeed. Far, far more Americans are killed every year on the roads than on gun ranges. Heck, more Americans are killed every year by baseball bats, than are killed at gun ranges.
Now, back to you. How dishonest is it to ask a question, which you then proceed to answer yourself, with the most ignorant suppositions imaginable? You might just as well say that knives are dangerous because they never have handles, or that children are dangerous because they can bite and they sometimes carry disease.
Do yourself a favor and go visit a gun range. You'll look a lot less foolish for having done so.
Taken in order:
A gun range is quite safe indeed, particularly with strong safety rules (which they all have), mutually enforced by the shooters therein (who have the strongest of vested interests - they don't want to get hurt!).
Bullets might ricochet off the walls, if you shoot at the walls (forbidden by above-mentioned safety rules) and not at the bullet traps, and if you used a high-powered rifle bullet (forbidden by above-mentioned safety rules). When was the last time you heard of such a thing happening? A person injured by ricochet could sue the range, could they not? (Now you know why the ranges insist on those safety rules.)
Firearms don't go off by accident, except in the movies. Here in Massachusetts, handguns are not legal to own unless they pass a list of tests, one of which is to be dropped five feet onto a concrete floor without going off. “Accidental discharge” does happen, and just about universally means “idiot didn't keep his finger off the trigger when he should have”. Ranges have - surprise! - safety rules to address precisely this.
Sure, you could shoot someone and then say oopsy. You could do that on Main Street too. The difference is that, on Main Street, you be less likely to be instantly surrounded by hostile, well-armed citizens who WILL hold you until the police arrived. Ranges are also far more likely to have first-aid kits, and people well trained to use them.
Psychopaths mowing people down - you are forgetting that ALL the potential targets are armed, and have been practicing their marksmanship. Truly, have you ever heard of this happening, anywhere?
As others have pointed out: gun ranges are, statistically, very safe places indeed. Far, far more Americans are killed every year on the roads than on gun ranges. Heck, more Americans are killed every year by baseball bats, than are killed at gun ranges.
Now, back to you. How dishonest is it to ask a question, which you then proceed to answer yourself, with the most ignorant suppositions imaginable? You might just as well say that knives are dangerous because they never have handles, or that children are dangerous because they can bite and they sometimes carry disease.
Do yourself a favor and go visit a gun range. You'll look a lot less foolish for having done so.