OK, first things first... Hi, great forum, first post, lurker for months, CCW holder, open carry every day...
Now that my two boys are getting older (9 & 10) I've been taking them to McMiller range in Eagle, WI about once a month since the weather has started getting good this year. I let them burn off 1000rds or so of .22LR between them, a bit on paper, but mostly on their new plinking range. They love it, and they're starting to get pretty darn good.
I open carry there, with the caveat of not being able to OC while actually on the range, during a cease fire. OK, safety is paramount, I can live with that. So except for on the plinking range (no cease fires, so I just carry) I unload and leave my gun on the table, breach open, chamber flag in; everyone's happy.
Every other time I've been there I've seen range officers carrying. Good, they should. In fact, I think it should be mandatory for range officers to carry. They have the luxury of the situational awareness I lack while concentrating downrange or on my kids. Since I'm in a compromising position, they're my first line of defense.
Today was different though. I half noticed that I hadn't seen a range officer carrying. Not totally odd, not all of them do. Then I saw one that I recognized as someone that does carry. I wasn't going to say anything, but then another employee (not a range officer) asked him why he wasn't carrying anymore. Alright, interest piqued, I had to insert myself into the conversation and find out what was going on.
Apparently they've been ordered to no longer carry by the management. Dan/Dave (darn hearing protection) the manager told them he could tell by the body language of the customers that they were bothered by range officers carrying. SERIOUSLY??? People were afraid of a gun, AT A GUN RANGE!!! I hate to speculate, but if that excuse is true it was probably some busybodies from Illinois (although we have plenty of our own these days).
I was pretty mad, but I didn't want to cause a scene with my boys there, so I let it go. I can get pretty loud (ok, VERY loud, Ooh Rah!), my boys don't need to learn a bunch of new words quite yet.
Is my anger justified, or am I over-reacting?
Now that my two boys are getting older (9 & 10) I've been taking them to McMiller range in Eagle, WI about once a month since the weather has started getting good this year. I let them burn off 1000rds or so of .22LR between them, a bit on paper, but mostly on their new plinking range. They love it, and they're starting to get pretty darn good.
I open carry there, with the caveat of not being able to OC while actually on the range, during a cease fire. OK, safety is paramount, I can live with that. So except for on the plinking range (no cease fires, so I just carry) I unload and leave my gun on the table, breach open, chamber flag in; everyone's happy.
Every other time I've been there I've seen range officers carrying. Good, they should. In fact, I think it should be mandatory for range officers to carry. They have the luxury of the situational awareness I lack while concentrating downrange or on my kids. Since I'm in a compromising position, they're my first line of defense.
Today was different though. I half noticed that I hadn't seen a range officer carrying. Not totally odd, not all of them do. Then I saw one that I recognized as someone that does carry. I wasn't going to say anything, but then another employee (not a range officer) asked him why he wasn't carrying anymore. Alright, interest piqued, I had to insert myself into the conversation and find out what was going on.
Apparently they've been ordered to no longer carry by the management. Dan/Dave (darn hearing protection) the manager told them he could tell by the body language of the customers that they were bothered by range officers carrying. SERIOUSLY??? People were afraid of a gun, AT A GUN RANGE!!! I hate to speculate, but if that excuse is true it was probably some busybodies from Illinois (although we have plenty of our own these days).
I was pretty mad, but I didn't want to cause a scene with my boys there, so I let it go. I can get pretty loud (ok, VERY loud, Ooh Rah!), my boys don't need to learn a bunch of new words quite yet.
Is my anger justified, or am I over-reacting?