What's the most unsafe thing you've seen at a match?

[matir]

Curious so that we can all learn what not to do.  (And because there are some good stories.)  I'm a very new shooter, and I want to learn what to avoid.  (Obviously, muzzle control and trigger finger control are critical.)  I'd love to hear how it got to the situation as well.

[RJH]

Varrying ADs. Luckily none too crazy.

 

Also some 180 violations,  some VERY bad, like 270+

 

Good news is they are rare and none of the ADs were concurrent with the 180s haha

[Sarge]

AD at a Safety Area. INDOORS!

[Flatland Shooter]

Back in the mid-80's at a semi-major match in Glen Rose, Texas a competitor did the unthinkable.  I did not witness his actions but word got around the match quickly.  I was told later that in addition to a match DQ, it also resulted in a permanent ban from USPSA.

 

A competitor on "unload and show clear" rushed through the process and holstered his pistol.  The RO advised he did not see an empty chamber and asked he show clear.  Per the version we heard, the competitor drew his gun, cocked back the hammer, pointed it at his temple and dropped the hammer.

[matir]

16 minutes ago, Flatland Shooter said:

Back in the mid-80's at a semi-major match in Glen Rose, Texas a competitor did the unthinkable.  I did not witness his actions but word got around the match quickly.  I was told later that in addition to a match DQ, it also resulted in a permanent ban from USPSA.

 

A competitor on "unload and show clear" rushed through the process and holstered his pistol.  The RO advised he did not see an empty chamber and asked he show clear.  Per the version we heard, the competitor drew his gun, cocked back the hammer, pointed it at his temple and dropped the hammer.

 

At the RO's temple, or his own?  I mean, either is insane behavior.  Quite frankly, should've resulted in criminal charges, but I understand why not drawing attention might've been desirable.

[matir]

18 minutes ago, jkrispies said:

No offense to the OP (seriously, I understand the intent of the question) but I really hate threads like this.  All it takes is one anti-2A-er to do a google search and we’re giving them fodder to use against us.  Just think before you post, please.  

 

I understand your point, and had not considered that before hand, but like @RJH, I doubt it makes any differences to the antis.  They're uneducated about firearms and I don't think they'll try to educate themselves anyway.  I'd rather avoid new incidents by learning from the mistakes of others in the past.  (New mistakes would obviously also be fuel for antis...)

[matir]

Sorry I started this thread, it was clearly unwise in hindsight.

[Flatland Shooter]

53 minutes ago, matir said:

 

At the RO's temple, or his own?  I mean, either is insane behavior.  Quite frankly, should've resulted in criminal charges, but I understand why not drawing attention might've been desirable.

 

At his own temple.  Only thing the idiot did right.

[Hi-Power Jack]

    

[truespode]

I had a shooter reholster after make ready, miss the holster and drop the gun on the ground 15' in front of me with the gun landing on the ground with the barrel on the wood line angled up pointing at me.

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[Beef15]

Three years in this game.

 

Worst I've seen is bad 180s, scariest have been at the end of a course of fire, people falling out of bounds or whatever and seemingly forgetting they have a gun at all, waving it wildy and unnecessarily.

 

Most DQ offenses don't cause me to think that guys out of control.

[L3324temp]

Delete

 

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[davsco]

fortunately we have some redundancy such that a potentially unsafe action doesn't usually result in a trip to the hospital or morgue.  but i was in proximity to someone who put a round thru his leg and into his foot while holstering at a uspsa match.  guess the safety didn't get applied properly and either his finger, clothing or the holster itself caught the trigger.  it was a pretty sobering event for everyone.  also had a guy in my squad light one off holstering, clothing got in the trigger guard, fortunately into the ground with no one hurt.  holstering is not a timed event, take your time and look your gun into the holster.

[Gary Stevens]

Fellow who forgot to reload on Can You Count. After unloading he flipped the gun in the air, watched it rotate a couple of times, and caught it on the way down. Earned him an expulsion from USPSA. One of my easiest RM calls.

[RacerX1166]

RO'ing a shooter on a back to target / surrender start.  He got his finger on the trigger way too early and put a round into the ground, mid-way between our feet, which were three feet apart.   He went home.

[SweetToof]

Hoser match with a stage split between 3 bays. Started raining heavily and while the bays were gravel, there was grass that turned to mud in between them. Right handed shooter sprinting left to right, slipped, fell, and broke the 180 to a point that some spectators may have been swept. Not sure if maybe the stage should have been thrown out or what the right course of action would be, but it had several other people fall, at least one dropping a gun. 

[rowdyb]

1. Guns, both loaded and unloaded thrown in frustration.

2. A shoving match.

3. Cursing, yelling argument better than I ever heard in the Army.

4. Casual use of the N word.

5. Steel far to close.

6. Berms you could see over into the next bay.

7. Parents encouraging cheating, laziness and other bad behaviors in the their junior shooter.

8. A squad laughing off a reholstering nd that hit inches from the shooter's foot as a close call only, letting them continue through the day.

9. Shooters smelling of alcohol or weed shooting.

 

What do these all have in common? They all happened at matches, not even getting into the wildness of a public range! The human element and its poor judgement and lack of control.

 

But remember, every car wreck you drive by and stare at the carnage is someone else's sorrow and more than just a bad day. If you want to see wreckage, become an EMT. Range horror stories for amusement aren't worth a whole lot if the only purpose in telling them is for the oh-awe-wow factor.

 

#6 is the one that has scared me the most.

Edited February 5, 2019 by rowdyb

[Sarge]

4 hours ago, rowdyb said:

1. Guns, both loaded and unloaded thrown in frustration.

2. A shoving match.

3. Cursing, yelling argument better than I ever heard in the Army.

4. Casual use of the N word.

5. Steel far to close.

6. Berms you could see over into the next bay.

7. Parents encouraging cheating, laziness and other bad behaviors in the their junior shooter.

8. A squad laughing off a reholstering nd that hit inches from the shooter's foot as a close call only, letting them continue through the day.

9. Shooters smelling of alcohol or weed shooting.

 

What do these all have in common? They all happened at matches, not even getting into the wildness of a public range! The human element and its poor judgement and lack of control.

 

But remember, every car wreck you drive by and stare at the carnage is someone else's sorrow and more than just a bad day. If you want to see wreckage, become an EMT. Range horror stories for amusement aren't worth a whole lot if the only purpose in telling them is for the oh-awe-wow factor.

 

#6 is the one that has scared me the most.

N word. I agree, No Shoots should be illegal!

 Seriously, you have seen too much. I have only seen low berms once. Heard stories of guns thrown and threats on a range.

Wasnt there a gun pulled or a threat to at Nationals some years back?

[Youngeyes]

I cleaned this thread up. No more politics or attitude.

Attitude
Please be polite. Or if not polite, at least respectful.
No bickering. Regardless of the subject matter.
Antagonistic, offensive, or quarrelsome tones are not acceptable

[Jumprun13k]

1) I had handed the timer off as I was on deck and was standing off to the back left of the bay. Was a facing up range start and a fairly new shooter. I heard the RO remind him to turn, then draw. He drew, then turned, and his finger had moved to the trigger as the barrel swept by my chest. I consciously waited until he had gotten past me before yelling stop. 

 

2) The RO had finished shooting and removed his gear, but was running shooters while holding an open beer. 

Edited February 6, 2019 by Jumprun13k

[rowdyb]

9 minutes ago, Jumprun13k said:

was running shooters while holding an open beer

seen this enough times I'm surprised I forgot to mention it...

[DukeEB]

The worst one i saw was a stage with a 2 step stairs with barrels in front of the stair (shooting over the barrels while on the stairs).  This was at the end of the stage, ie farthest from the bay entrance.  The stairs weren't nailed down, and the shooter runs up the stairs, which tip over forward.

The shooter went into the barrels, then spun completely around trying to recover.  Swept everyone watching.

 

[Salsantini]

I was SO a IDPA stage.  There was a stage malfunction.  I told the shooter to stand easy while two people reset the stage.  I was standing in front/facing the shooter talking with him and mentioned he will need to top off the pistol.  He proceeded to draw the pistol and pointed it at my midsection.  Worst I've seen and up close to boot.  I will say I should have worded the statement to the shooter differently.

[Sarge]

1 hour ago, Salsantini said:

I was SO a IDPA stage.  There was a stage malfunction.  I told the shooter to stand easy while two people reset the stage.  I was standing in front/facing the shooter talking with him and mentioned he will need to top off the pistol.  He proceeded to draw the pistol and pointed it at my midsection.  Worst I've seen and up close to boot.  I will say I should have worded the statement to the shooter differently.

He was just a retard. We can’t possibly think of every possible scenario every time we open our mouth as an RO.

[IHAVEGAS]

New shooter. Instead of backing he turned and ran toward me with his gun pretty much pointed at my center mass, I am glad I do not know if his finger was also on the trigger.