ChalupaCabras
Expert
This is a re-post from my thread on The High Road.
To make a long story short, I went to the Kingsburry Fish and Wildlife Area 's DNR operated shooting range on Sunday.
I open carry a lot of the time, and I was doing so that day as well. I have a valid Indiana unlimited permit. I was sighting in my rifle when i felt a tug on my belt. I spun around to find that the range officer had snuck up behind me on a hot firing line and snatched the loaded pistol from my hoster without ever making his presence known or attempting to gain my attention in any way. He just waltzed up from my 5 O'clock and grabbed it without asking.
I know how I SHOULD have reacted: I have been through a few formal carry oriented classes before, so I have been told and shown what to do when someone makes a grab for your gun, but at this moment my focus was on my front sight post and not the people around me. I had a loaded AR-15 in my hands when he did this. Needless to say, this stunt could have gotten the man a free dirt nap. Thankfully we are both still alive and well. I knew imediatley what ahppened, and I was so shocked that it had happened, that I froze up.
The range officer then proceeded to stare down at me. He was standing so close, that I didn't have enough room to stand up from the bench I was shooting at. He told me that you cant carry a gun on the line for "safety reasons". I tried to explain to him that I have a pistol permit, but he told me that it was "state law that you can't carry on DNR property", and that he needs to be in controll of all firearms so that he can be sure its safe when calling a cease fire.
If that policy is true, I don't have any problem following it. Their range, their rules. BUT the actions of this range officer were, in my view, extreemly unsafe and uncalled for. I am in the process of filing a formal complaint against the man, and have contacted Major hunter of the DNR conservation officers to try and get things moving.
What do YOU think about the situation?
To make a long story short, I went to the Kingsburry Fish and Wildlife Area 's DNR operated shooting range on Sunday.
I open carry a lot of the time, and I was doing so that day as well. I have a valid Indiana unlimited permit. I was sighting in my rifle when i felt a tug on my belt. I spun around to find that the range officer had snuck up behind me on a hot firing line and snatched the loaded pistol from my hoster without ever making his presence known or attempting to gain my attention in any way. He just waltzed up from my 5 O'clock and grabbed it without asking.
I know how I SHOULD have reacted: I have been through a few formal carry oriented classes before, so I have been told and shown what to do when someone makes a grab for your gun, but at this moment my focus was on my front sight post and not the people around me. I had a loaded AR-15 in my hands when he did this. Needless to say, this stunt could have gotten the man a free dirt nap. Thankfully we are both still alive and well. I knew imediatley what ahppened, and I was so shocked that it had happened, that I froze up.
The range officer then proceeded to stare down at me. He was standing so close, that I didn't have enough room to stand up from the bench I was shooting at. He told me that you cant carry a gun on the line for "safety reasons". I tried to explain to him that I have a pistol permit, but he told me that it was "state law that you can't carry on DNR property", and that he needs to be in controll of all firearms so that he can be sure its safe when calling a cease fire.
If that policy is true, I don't have any problem following it. Their range, their rules. BUT the actions of this range officer were, in my view, extreemly unsafe and uncalled for. I am in the process of filing a formal complaint against the man, and have contacted Major hunter of the DNR conservation officers to try and get things moving.
What do YOU think about the situation?