Gun
Safety!
Yes, it is a big deal.
Yes, there are rules to follow.
YES - YOU CAN STILL HAVE A
GOOD TIME!
The NUMBER 1 concern is with Our
Personal Safety!
The Safety Mind-Set
The club
encourages all of our members and patrons to develop a "safety mind-set," in your
own behavior and with an eye towards all those around you.
Everyone at the club has the responsibility to be safe personally, and to watch
out for the safety of everyone else.
Gun Safety
If you see unsafe gun
handling, please courteously
remind the person to be
careful, explaining that proper gun safety is for everyone's benefit.
If you are not sure, but something looks un-safe, mention it anyway. When
everyone wants to be safe, there should be no offense at getting a safety
reminder. Specific safety rules for the different types of shotgun sports are
listed in the rule books, and are summarized on our individual pages for
Sporting, Trap, Skeet, ISSF, and FITASC.
If you are sure someone is being unsafe, and they refuse to correct their
behavior following your suggestion, please report it immediately to the club
office or the nearest range official. Unsafe
behavior cannot be tolerated, and careless shooters will be asked to leave.
Personal Protection
Safety eye-wear and hearing protection is mandatory at Skyline Gun
Club while shooting, or while observing shooting from nearby. Earplugs and
safety glasses are available at the club office.
Safety Issues For Specific Games
The
safety mind-set applies
not just to individuals and gun handling, but to activities as well.
Pieces of broken clay targets are usually not a problem shooting trap-type
games, but are a definite safety concern in Skeet and in some Sporting
Stations. The shooting layout and wide target trajectories in skeet and in FITASC
sporting, combined with the fact that there are no shooting cages, mandate extra care
in gun handling in these activities.
If at any time you feel that an unsafe situation exists for any reason (shooting direction, target pieces, etc.),
have the shooter (including yourself) stop and unload, assess the situation,
and correct it before continuing. If the problem cannot be fixed right away, stop
shooting and immediately report it to a range official or the club office.
Special Considerations for Skeet
In
Skeet, especially at Stations 1, 7, and 8 (and sometimes at 2 and 6), pieces of
broken targets are an unavoidable danger and must be watched for. Safety
eye-wear is mandatory when shooting skeet, and a hat is also advised. The
layout of the skeet field makes it necessary to be extra careful when handling
your gun. Only load your gun after taking your position on the shooting pad.
Always keep your loaded gun pointed in the area between the high house and
low house. Open the action and unload immediately after shooting your
targets, BEFORE moving to leave the shooting pad. Never load more than TWO
shells in an autoloader or pump gun. Shooters new to skeet should ask an
experienced skeet shooter to assist them on their first few
rounds.
Special Considerations for Sporting Clays
With targets sometimes flying toward or over
the shooter and their squadmates, combined with our local windy conditions,
broken target pieces can present a real hazard to everyone on the course. Target
flights will be adjusted as well as possible to prevent pieces landing where
people are standing or walking, but changing winds sometimes shift where targets
fly and where the pieces land. If broken target pieces or whole targets
regularly fly or land near shooting boxes or walking paths, please stop
shooting and have the course manager correct the situation before
shooting.