I've shot at a number of ranges since moving to DFW, and I am both a member at DPC and a regular customer at Elm Fork. The only places I have seen regular customers OC is at DPC.....which is a
private gun club. Non members can only shoot there when they are a guest of, and accompanied by, a paying member. People OC at DPC, but only on an active range that they are using, or confined to a specific area during a competition. Competitions aside, you don't see people just walking around OC'ing willy-nilly. Here's what the DPC rules say:
- FIREARM HANDLING AND TRANSPORT
- DPC operates as a cold range at all times: That means all firearms must be empty, with hammer down, and magazine out except on a firing line when firing and except for firearms carried under the authority of Texas CHL laws and that remain concealed.
- If you have a Concealed Handgun License and are carrying a loaded firearm when you arrive at the range, the firearm must either remain concealed, be secured in your vehicle or unloaded as soon as safely possible on one of the ranges or in one of the safe areas if the firearm is to be used in a match.
- During matches, firearm handling or loading may begin only upon instruction from the Range Officer.
- Empty firearms may be transported via holster, shooter's bag, box, pistol rug, or carrying case
anywhere on DPC property.
- Firearms are to remain in the holster, bag, box, etc. unless on the firing line or in the safe areas. No ammunition is allowed in the safe area.
- Firearms may not be handled when anyone is down-range. All firearms must be unloaded before anyone goes down-range. Any competition match or organized practice involving multiple shooters at a common firing line: e.g., Bullseye, Silhouette, must utilize Empty Chamber Indicator (ECI) devices to show an empty chamber when shooters go downrange leaving grounded firearms at the firing line.
In short, people don't OC a loaded gun at DPC, unless they are on the firing range, preparing to fire
that gun.
As far as Elm Fork goes, the rules say:
- It is MANDATORY for everyone on the range to wear ear and eye protection.
- Shoot only from the designated firing lane. Do not pass beyond the tables unless you are expressly authorized to do so by the Range Officer.
- No steel targets or personal targets may be used.
- Actions must be open when gun is unloaded and at all times when not engaged in shooting.
- One shot per second. NO RAPID FIRE.
- No shooting from the hip or drawing from the holster.
- Always be sure it is safe to shoot at your targeted including what is beyond it.
- If two people use the same firearm, it must be placed on the table, unloaded, with the action open before the next person may use it. [This pretty much excludes any kind of OC.]
- Every firearm, loaded or unloaded, must be pointed down range at all times. [This pretty much excludes any kind of OC.]
- Accidental or negligent discharge will result in immediate removal from the range.
The fact is, nobody is open carrying at Elm Fork, except perhaps the occasional LEO.
I am not against open carry, and my posting record supports that statement. That said, it doesn't matter if it is legal or not to OC at a pistol range in Texas. The owners tell you in their rules what they will permit on their property. Right or wrong, their rules are generally dictated by two things: 1) commonly accepted rules of gun safety, and 2) whatever demands the insurance companies add on top of that in order get insurance a rate the range owner can afford. If that means they don't want you open carrying a loaded, holstered pistol, that is their right, and it has little or nothing to do with whether or not the proscribed behavior is
legal. it may be perfectly legal to go 55 mph outside the city limits in Texas, but that doesn't mean I'll let you go 55 mph on my property (assuming I have a large enough property). If I decide that people are limited to 10 mph because that's what I think is safe, then that's what I'll enforce. If someone won't respect that, then he can get the hell off my property.
I don't think OC in a gun range is unsafe. Not for a minute do I believe it. But if I don't own the range, I don't get to make the call. I suppose that if I cared about it strongly enough, I could withhold my dollars and take my business somewhere else. But I'm not mad at shooting ranges for not allowing OC. I'm mad at politicians for not passing it. Please note that
concealed carry is not banned at either of the above ranges I've mentioned. Concealed carry is legal. OC is not legal, and so local ranges tend not to support it. But I'll bet you that if OC passes, within a year or two local shooting ranges will probably change their rules to accommodate it.
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"
#TINVOWOOT
In my experience the people who want to open carry at the range are "jerks" and they are one of the main reasons why open carry is not legal. The term "jerk" is a euphemism which I use because I can't post my real description on this forum. 