If having more armed people in schools is such a good idea...

[Unrepentant Fenian]

Why do gun ranges make you unload your pistols BEFORE you enter the rifle range property? I belong to the Marysville Rifle Club in Marysville Washington . For the sake of safety, all firearms are required to be unloaded before you enter the property. This hard and fast rule includes all pistols that are carried in holsters, on the person by Concealed Weapon Permits owners. The rule also includes trained, off duty police officers.

My question is, if loaded pistols are too dangerous to carry on to rifle range property, how or why would it be considered safe for teachers, gym coaches and volunteer armed guards to carry them in a school full of children? By the way, the Marysville Rile Range is an NRA sanctioned, affiliate range, so this rule is in keeping with the NRA's own safety rules. It seems to me like they don't mind putting kids in harms way as long as gun owners aren't put in harms way. Please discuss....

[Buzz Clik]

1. Stop making sense.

More guns!

[geckosfeet]

2. Armed people in schools is an idea, but I don't think it is a particularly good or innovative idea.

In fact it is rather neanderthal.

No club/range that I know of requires concealed firearms to be unloaded.

Pistols on the firing line must be unloaded with open chambers when they are unlocked and not being used. Ideally an orange plastic plug will be used in the open chamber to indicate the firearms status. You do not leave a firearm unattended.

Also, it is fairly routine practice to load magazines at home before heading to the range. You don't put them in the firearm, but you have some magazines ready when you get to the range.

Transporting a loaded firearm is always a bad idea and should be openly discouraged.

[quinnox]

3. Yup, and also

its often brought up about the crazy guy who attacked a freaking Army base of soldiers, and all those high caliber weapons and machine guns the soldiers have didn't seem to slow him down any.

[geckosfeet]

4. Well known that the area he attacked was "gun free". That's probably why he went there.

[quinnox]

6. yes you are right

I was just looking at the wikipedia page about the incident to refresh my memory.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

7. Only Military Police or DA Civilian Police carry firearms on base.

Basically, the guard posts and a few patrolling officers - everyone else is required to be unarmed on garrison. Army bases are like small unarmed towns, only a few police have guns and if there's an incident, you have to call the police and wait for them to show up.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

5. I've been to al sorts of ranges and never had to unload before entering ... ? nt

[sarisataka]

8. This thought carried farther

My question is, if loaded pistols are too dangerous to carry on to rifle range property, how or why would it be considered safe for teachers, gym coaches and volunteer armed guards to carry them in a school full of children?

Why do police carry their guns loaded on the streets?

I have not seen a range that required a carry gun to be unloaded, just ones you intend to shoot. The thinking is that a gun in the holster does not 'go off' unless it is handled. Any gun which is handled has some some degree of risk so if it is going to be fired or handed to another person for inspection, it should be unloaded.