“Ask Ian: My Most Unsafe Range Experience (Incoming Rounds!)”

Gun Jesus relates some stories about unsafe range practices.

I’ve got a story of my own.

At an LRT gathering several years ago, a few of us were at an informal — no range safety officers — range, basically plinking with assorted handguns.

Another person showed up with an M1A. He set up a fair bit off to the side of us, so other than being aware he was there, we didn’t pay much — enough, as it happened — attention to him. I did note that he set up at pistol distance with a rifle.

What we didn’t immediately notice was that, apparently having trouble hitting his target, he kept crawling forward. And diagonally. Towards us. In front of us.

I think we noticed him about the same time he realized he was crawling in front of us. We stopped shooting, and warned him. He immediately began screaming at us for violating range safety by shooting from behind him.

I also suspect M1A-boy was a fed CI. But that realization came after the fact.