Range Safety
Shooting Ranges have rules to keep everyone safe. On the ranges of the Gopher Flats Sportsmen’s Club (GFSC), these rules are common to all members and their guests, and apply during all matches, to all range rental groups, and during all informal shooting sessions.
Range Rules And Policies (Adopted by the Indian Canyon Land Corporation 11/02/2022)
Ask the Range Safety Officer (RSO)
Q: I recently joined the Club and I shoot USPSA matches regularly. On Gopher Flats range days, am I allowed to practice drawing, shooting, and holstering on the Range?
A. In recent years, our Club has experienced a significant increase in new members who participate in action shooting matches, such as USPSA, IDPA and Steel Challenge.
In official matches, a Range Officer is always present and carefully monitors drawing, shooting and holstering by the competitor. In practice sessions, drawing and holstering presents safety concerns for both the shooter and others.
For Gopher members, our Club strongly recommends that you draw and holster only under the direct supervision of a Gopher Flats Range Safety Officer. Look for the guy in the red RSO hat or wearing RSO credentials.
For all guests (and members of other Clubs shooting on Gopher Flats days), it is required that drawing and holstering be done under the direct supervision of an RSO.
Under all circumstances, all drawing and holstering must be done in front of the shooting benches.
Also, if more than one person is shooting or handling at the same time, all shooters must be shooting or handling from the same firing line. If in doubt, be sure to contact an RSO for clarification.
Our Range Safety Officers (RSO)
Unlike other shooting ranges you may have visited, our Range Safety Officers aren’t crew-cut, eye-patched, retired Drill Sergeants with scary tattoos. Instead, many of our fellow club members are NRA Certified Range Officers: normal folk with a fondness for decidedly un-military haircuts and attire. But, safety is still paramount at GFSC. So, please keep the Range Rules in mind at all times.
Shoot Only At Approved Targets
Simply put, approved targets are paper, cardboard and, within certain limitations, steel. There have been instances of dangerous target use that cause ricochets, sparks or splatter. Also some items shed dangerous debris like broken glass or sharp edges on steel and aluminum cans. We have also had extensive (expensive) damage to our physical infrastructure caused by shooting at metal posts and erosion control wattles on the Lower-Ranges. Do your part to take care of the range and keep everyone safe.
Get Some First Aid Training!
GFSC members are encouraged to take First Aid/CPR, Wilderness Medical, or Stop The Bleed training, as the nearest Emergency Medical help is several miles distant.
To call for help, there is limited cell phone reception:
- Near the card-key gate to the Upper-Ranges
- At the foot of P3
- At the foot of P4
- The check-in area at the Lower-Ranges.
To call for help, There Are Two Landlines:
- Upper-Ranges: On the Trap Field, next to the bulletin board
- Lower-Ranges: Inside the Women’s Restroom