George Rebane

The Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 ruling declaring that private ownership of guns is indeed a constitutionally guaranteed right (here).  Again, the courts have let the total control collectivists know that the “well regulated militia” phrase in the Second Amendment is not the comprehensive gun ban that they have been working towards under various guises since the end of WW2.  Now begin the lower court battles to roll back the byzantine strictures to combat gun ownership/use installed by the left over the years.

As a lifelong NRA member, I will be following and supporting these engagements that also serve to reveal our individual values and concepts of government and governance.

I was thinking about all this yesterday afternoon on our local rifle range owned and operated by the Nevada County Sportsmens’ Club.  As members, we all have to do a certain number of hours of ‘club duty’ each year.  My contribution is to serve as rangemaster for the rifle and pistol range when the club invites the public to shoot noon to 4pm on Sunday afternoons.  So yesterday was my turn again to be ‘sheriff’, and make sure that shooters had a safe and enjoyable time on the range.  I learned this skill in the Army where almost every combat arms officer has to run a firing range to periodically re/qualify the troops under his command.  Being able to make available this community resource then becomes a privilege and an honor for those of us who understand the meaning of liberty and a civilized society that promotes gun ownership and use by law-abiding citizens.

But truth be told, being rangemaster is a lot like flying – hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror.  Most folks who shoot during the public hours are experienced shooters and understand the meaning and requirement for range discipline.  They also know how to handle the firearms they bring to the range.

However, every once in a while arrives a group of absolute pilgrims, all ready to have a ‘great great time’ on the range with an assortment of dubious looking weapons that they have inherited over the years, have never shot before, and have little if any ability to operate.  And even if they ever did shoot a gun, it was years ago.  But today is the day to get back into shooting and see how all these ancient blunderbusses really work.

My first response is to take them carefully through range procedures and rules, and then I move my folding chair right behind their firing point.  Predictably, they start to inadvertantly violate every rule and need to be reminded of the specifics while caught in the act.  They thank me one more time, and then run into a litany of other problems/questions from how to safe a gun, to its loading, and clearing the inevitable jams that are endemic to poorly maintained firearms.  The job then turns from rangemaster into a kind but firm teacher who can solve most of their problems with his trusty Swiss Army pocket knife.  My overarching objective is to keep them safe, provide them useful knowledge about their firearms and shooting, and send them home with fond memories of a fun time spent with the family on the rifle range.  (Yesterday I again had that qualified pleasure with a family of three.)

What makes all this possible is the character of the overwhelming number of people – from pilgrims to professionals – who shoot guns.  They are to a man/woman courteous, polite, helpful, and extremely well-behaved.  They know that exceptions are not tolerated and will be directed to go seek remediation elsewhere before returning.  Shooting is one of the absolutely safest recreational activities because of this.  And seeing a young person learn to properly handle a deadly weapon, to watch how s/he assumes the mantle of responsibility when that gun is in their hands, to see them follow their parents’/teachers’ directions, and then take pride in putting it all into practice is to me a pure joy.  There I see hope that tyranny may yet be stayed for another generation.