A range with a dress code?

[M. Sage]

You have a gift for understatement.

Since I was the OP, I suppose I should weigh in. None of those rules would cause me any problems.

But there's a lot more going on than just the way they impact me. Note that the header says the rules are "...to ensure a safe and satisfactory experience." That's not valid criteria. Range rules exist to ensure safety and very little else. The way you run the rest of your business and interact with customers determines if the experience is "satisfactory" for the customers.

The first two (prohibiting open shoes or open tops) are semi-reasonable. After that, the things listed are far less defensible.

"Extremes in apparel or jewelry"? How can jewelry be unsafe or disruptive? Did Mr. T visit the range one day? This one, along with the "Undergarments...muscle shirts" prohibition simply make no sense other than reinforcing a management/owner attitude of "My place, my rules." I'm really not comfortable doing business with control freaks. Or is there something more going on?

"Clothing or jewelry displaying" (if I may paraphrase) "anything we don't like". Translation: "If you're not like us, especially if you have the temerity to put your views on your clothing, we have an excuse to throw you out." What are they going to do, refuse service to anyone who shows up wearing a Pink Pistols t-shirt or a NORML t-shirt? I can guarantee that there are plenty of idiots who find the whole existence of those organizations offensive. So where's the list of what they consider "offensive or disruptive"? Or do they just get to make it up as they go along?

Finally, the big one - "Sagging pants. ..."

Holy. Cow.

Everybody knows exactly what "sagging pants" is code for. There are more issues involved in that prohibition than all the others put together and none of them reflect well on the management.

Dress codes are not needed at shooting ranges beyond an optional suggestion that closed collars and maybe a hat to keep brass from going down the back of your shirt are a good idea.

A dress code at a shooting range that transparently seeks (as this one appears to) to exclude identifiable groups is beyond stupid. "His range, his property, his rules" and "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" do NOT hold up under the law when the policies in place appear designed simply to keep out specific, statutorily-identified, federally-protected groups.

I don't care if I'm sharing the range with gangsta-thug-wannabes or 400-lb transvestites in gold lame' mini-dresses and fright wigs. If they do something unsafe, that's what range officers (and observant fellow customers) are for. But in this day and age, posting rules that pretty clearly translate as "We don't want any customers who don't already look like us" is an open request for legal hassles that no business owner should want. That's why I found their existence so surprising.

Clearly, I'm in the minority here (feel free to flame; I'm a big boy) but that's my take on it.

Sagging pants is code, alright. It's code for "too stupid to dress himself." I'm not some grumpy old curmugeon - that crap was big in style when I was 19-20 years old. It looked idiotic then, it looks idiotic now, and it marks whoever dresses that way as less than intelligent.

You're trying to say it's a race thing? You have to be kidding.

For the shirt logo thing, there are kids going to the range. Have some decorum while you're there. Heck, have some decorum whenever you're in public.

Again, who cares if it's needed; it's their damn range. If you want to dress like a thug, go someplace that allows it. Just don't complain to me about how horribly unsafe that range is when it's crowded with mouth-breathers too lazy to take the stickers off their hat and put some curve in the bill. FWIW, I don't care what the law you reference says, and it doesn't matter. Oh, you might feel better when you get the range you hate shut down for telling you how to act on private property (that law is so blatantly immoral), or you can start leveling threats at ranges over it. But guess what they're going to wind up doing? They're going to shut the range down.

Then where are you going to shoot, smart guy?

 

[just jk]

i hate when Sage and I agree on something......

 

[Mic]

TheDan.......
Wow, the two midgets thing.....hilarious!!!

benenglish.....
You said, "Everybody knows exactly what "sagging pants" is code for." I'm assuming that you mean black people???

Typically, when I visualize somebody in saggy pants, it is a black youth. But just because it is typically a black kid wearing this clothing, doesn't mean that I don't want to shoot next to black people or that I have anything against them. Clothing is an indicator of a person and is a tell as to who they are. While it is possible that the young black man wearing saggy pants is a straight A student, goes to church every Sunday and volunteers at the animal shelter after school every day. Not very likely though.

And I'd rather shoot next to young black man dressed respectably than some punk white kid with his pants down below his butt. Because not all young punk gangstas are black.

 

[London]

The muscle shirt thing is pretty out there, IMO. This is Texas for Christ sake.

 

[TheDan]

TheDan.......
Wow, the two midgets thing.....hilarious!!!
Typically, when I visualize somebody in saggy pants, it is a black youth...

Don't thank me, thank the internets

When I think of saggy pants, I tend to visualize some white kid trying to be something he's not. It's been popular since at least when I was in high school, probably before that as well. I remember our principal kept a spool of bright yellow rope and he would make whoever he caught with saggy pants use that rope as a belt

It doesn't matter who you are, letting your pants sag is idiotic. So they do it to look tough? Ok, let me get this strait... You live in a rough neighborhood (or like to pretend you do). If your pants are around your knees you're not going to be able to fight well. Also, saggy pants are terrible for carrying a weapon in. How exactly is this helping you be tough?

 

[benenglish]

<snip>

Thanks for the comments. I always find it enlightening to write something, knowing what I think I'm saying, and then get feedback that tells me if I've been successful at communicating what I meant to communicate. Your response was educational for me.

Overall, I just think there's a problem with too many unsafe people showing up at ranges. For that reason, I think range rules need to be concerned almost exclusively with safety. I was surprised to find posted range rules that went so much further afield into other issues. That surprise was the only reason I started the thread. I truly didn't mean to get anyone worked up over it.

Since that seems to have happened, I apologize to all who were offended.

 

[Glockster69]

I see loose clothing/jewelry etc as a potential hazard on the gun range just as I do in wearing them around machinery

 

[scap99]

I've always heard that saggy pants was how the "catchers" let the "pitchers" know it was open season in prison...

this bizarre trend started just as I was graduating from high school, not sure how it has lasted this long. This would have to trump the embarrassment that people of the 70's feel when they see pics of themselves in plaid corduroy bell bottoms.

 

[just jk]

the kids today that wear the saggy pants ALL KNOW the origin of this look - they dont care - this is their way of thumbing their nose at what we think they should conform too

kids have been doing this since the dawn of time i think - this particular style just happens to be extremely extra douchy

and idiotic

 

[M. Sage]

Thanks for the comments. I always find it enlightening to write something, knowing what I think I'm saying, and then get feedback that tells me if I've been successful at communicating what I meant to communicate. Your response was educational for me.Overall, I just think there's a problem with too many unsafe people showing up at ranges. For that reason, I think range rules need to be concerned almost exclusively with safety. I was surprised to find posted range rules that went so much further afield into other issues. That surprise was the only reason I started the thread. I truly didn't mean to get anyone worked up over it.Since that seems to have happened, I apologize to all who were offended.

For me, it just boils down to basic property rights. If you own something, you get to make the rules on who and why. If you don't have total control over who can use that property, you don't own it. Simple as that.

 

[benenglish]

This would have to trump the embarrassment that people of the 70's feel when they see pics of themselves in plaid corduroy bell bottoms.

I'll see your corduroys and raise you a lime green leisure suit. I was in the 6th grade and for some reason I got beat up a lot that year. :-)

 

[GaryH]

IMO, if a range is privately owned they can make the rules. If you don't like it go someplace else. People can protest with their pocket book. I'm guessing there are more than enough people that appreciate the rules enough to keep the place in business.

 

[benenglish]

If you own something, you get to make the rules on who and why. If you don't have total control over who can use that property, you don't own it. Simple as that.

I understand where you're coming from.

 

[Eagle Gun Range]

Scroll to the bottom of this page: Firearm Rules

I'm way too fat to expose my belly on purpose or put on a muscle shirt but I'm more than a little surprised to find a shooting range that thinks it's somehow reasonable to prohibit those (or any other legal) items of clothing.

Has anyone ever seen someone denied service or thrown off a range for what they were wearing? More to the point, has anybody here ever even seen a range with a dress code...at all? This is a new one on me.

As the owner of Eagle Gun Range, I am happy to address the questions and concerns of the original poster regarding our dress code.

First of all, thank you for posting the question. As one poster mentioned, it shouldn’t be necessary to put these rules and dress codes in writing because for most experienced shooters, they go without saying. After visiting many gun ranges over the years, we have found it is better to put our expectations up front to eliminate any confusion when the shooter comes into the range.

If you’ve looked at our website, you will see that safety is our primary goal. There are many first time shooters that have never thought of all the things necessary to ensure complete safety for themselves and the shooters around them.

We welcome individuals as well as families and feel it is important to set some guidelines. Another goal is to instruct our youth by having them work with an experienced adult to learn the correct shooting and safety techniques. We feel instructing a child at an early age is paramount in developing a healthy respect of firearms as well as sportsmanship. We want to ensure that parents can feel completely confident to bring their family into a range that is safe and non-offensive.

We decided when we were developing this range; it would be the safest, cleanest, friendliest and most well run range around. We also knew there would be standards needed to make it a welcome environment to families. The saggy pants may be a fad that will fade in time, but we feel it shows little respect for others. It is a distraction (to the person wearing them, as well as those around them) and we want everyone to have 100% of their attention on their firearm and target. It is a safety issue if you are using one hand to hold up your pants and the other is on your firearm or, if you need to move quickly and you are stumbling over your pants to get out of the way. When the SRO gives a command it must be followed immediately and without question. Muscle shirts are listed for the same reasons as low cut tops and tank tops. We don’t want anyone doing the “hot brass dance” on the firing line.

As a female, I can tell you jewelry can also be a safety issue. When I first began to shoot, I found bracelets could get in the way when reloading. Long necklaces can also get entangled with your firearm.

Great thought and consideration went into creating our rules and dress code for the safety of everyone concerned. We welcome all and our goal is to never ask anyone to leave but, we won’t sacrifice principle for profit.

It will be a few months before we are officially open for business, but we hope you will come out to visit us. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@eaglegunrangetx.net.

See you at the range.

Nanci Prince
Owner
Eagle Gun Range
Lewisville, TX

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[just jk]

Lewisville - close by! love it

 

[glenn61]

I'm all for rules if it makes your experience safe and professional. As one other poster already mentioned--many of these rules were probably put in place because of some idiot who thought he was bright and put himself and others in danger.

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

....It is a safety issue if you are using one hand to hold up your pants and the other is on your firearm...

I know the rules are serious, but I just choked on some coffee laughing. This line absolutely made my day.

I all seriousness I would say that low cut tanks (on some women) can also be a "distraction" for the men standing around. Good for y'all on making some rules and sticking to them. Safety has to be the first concern on the range. It stops being fun real quick when someone accidentally gets shot.

 

[txinvestigator]

I also think the fact that want the range to be family friendly adds to some of those rules. Modesty used to be common place.

 

[just jk]

it's sorta like those golf courses that dont allow denim and require a collared shirt

when you go there- you know you're not playing with a bunch of sandal wearing mouth breathers