This last Valentine’s Day I got to thinking about dates and date nights. I had an entire dinner date with my wife planned, but since this is GAT Daily, I thought about how I would take a date to the range. I live in a small, rural, southern town, so my wife knew how to shoot long before I ever met her. This was never a challenge for me, but I can see other shooters wondering how they can take their significant others to the range.
I drew on my experience teaching some basic safety classes and being pretty good at planning date nights to put together a list of Dos and Don’ts for range date nights.
Do’s
Bring Everything
Bring everything you need for the range. No halfsies, no splitting the ammo costs, it’s all on you. Bring the guns, bring the eye and ear pro. Don’t let your date use the range ear protection they pass around. Bring comfortable, preferably electronic ear protection.
Take a minute and plan it out. Remember what you take to the range and then double it. Not only is it the right thing to do and the comfortable thing to do, but it makes you look like you are properly prepared for date nights.
Respect Boundaries
If you pitch the idea and the person doesn’t seem receptive, don’t push it too hard. Some people are scared of guns. Fear can often come from inexperience, but that’s fine. I prefer people to be scared of guns than be cavalier with them.
A lot of people have been propagandized into thinking firearms are seemingly evil machines with a mind of their own. Being a pest about a date night to the range won’t help. Keep it up, and you’ll be that crazy gun guy/gal who dated one time. If someone doesn’t want to shoot, don’t try and force them.
If the relationship lasts, there might be a time when they are more trusting of you and will agree. But if you meet resistance, just back off and do Painting With a Twist or something.
Make It Fun
When I go to the range to shoot, it’s kinda rare that I go and just have fun. I’m typically trying to train and get better, which is fun in its own right. However, if a new shooter was forced to do what I do at the range, they might not have a whole lot of fun. It’s not fun for new shooters to try and shoot Bill Drills.
What’s fun is shooting a .22LR rifle or handgun into a zombie target. A date night at the range should be relaxed and fun. Don’t try to make it a training trip. The only training conducted should be safety-based. Use big targets, preferably fun targets, that are easy to hit.
Shooting at the range can be intimidating and shooting can be tough to master. People have fun when they do well. If you have a huge target and they hit that huge target they’ll have fun. Avoid a B8 at 25 yards. Keep it fun and keep it light, both in the vibe and the recoil department.
Dinner After
Here’s a quick tip, go to the range first and dinner after. There are a few reasons for this. First, you and your date might want to have a drink with dinner. A beer or glass of wine isn’t uncommon and you shouldn’t drink before the range.
Second, for someone who isn’t used to shooting or has never shot before, the range and experience might be intimidating. After an intimidating experience, they might want to decompress and talk about it. It’s not traumatic, but it’s likely exciting, and this gives your date the ability to express that to you.
Another reason is that dinner gives you and them an out without ending the date. Maybe the range trip isn’t going well. You get a vibe that your date isn’t having fun. You can break the date and go to dinner, or your date can say something like, “Hey, I’m hungry,” as a viable hint to getting the heck out of there.
Don’ts
Don’t Make It A Surprise
Date nights can be spontaneous and that can be fun, but a trip to the range shouldn’t be a surprise. Going to the range requires some preplanning. First, a person needs to be properly dressed for the occasion. Opened-toed shoes, low-cut shirts, and nice clothing aren’t the best for the range.
Additionally, preconceptions and fears might arise and that might cause a slight panic response. Sometimes, people need to get ready for a new event. If I was on a date and they suddenly wanted to go parachuting, I might have some concerns. Allow them to think about it and be able to say no without ruining the date.
Don’t Bring an Inappropriate Gun
Desert Eagles, shotguns, .357 Magnum revolvers, and other guns are a ton of fun to shoot…when you’re ready for that type of gun. New shooters are not. The age-old advice of using a .22LR exists for a reason. Bring a .22LR rifle or pistol and let the shooter have low recoil fun.
On top of that, you could bring a full-sized 9mm handgun if your date advances past the .22LR. A 9mm can be a little more fun without it being difficult to control. Stay away from anything that involves any real recoil. I’d cut it off on anything described as snappy.
Don’t Forget About Safety
I mentioned safety a few times, but if you are taking someone you’re interested in to the range, it can be tough to enforce safety rules. You don’t want to be a jerk or feel like a control freak, but safety matters. Be safe, and explain the safety rules. You can enforce safety without being a jerk. Be observant and guide them through safe firearms handling.
Date Night At the Range
A date night to the range can be an exciting, active, and fun activity. It’s different than the classic date and a movie. I’ve provided you with the do’s and don’ts of a range date night, now it’s up to you to make it successful!
