Safety & Etiquette: What to Do at a Shooting Range

Here's what everyone else is doing at the shooting range, why they're doing it, and how to blend right in.

posted on August 12, 2021
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Smith & Wesson's Ken Scott has been shooting and training shooters for a long time, and he knows as well as anyone that one of the most intimidating things for beginners is that first trip to the shooting range. We can read all of the articles and fully understand how gun safety works, but we still walk onto that public range for the first time and realize that we don't really know what to do next. 

In this video from S&W's GUNSMARTS series, which was created specifically to support new shooters in their journeys, Scott will walk you through the sequence of events that should take place when you arrive on the range. From when to put on your eye and ear protection, to how to set your gun down correctly, to how to communicate with your fellow shooters, this video has the step-by-step order of activity that will have you blending right in with the rest of the range in no time flat. 

Latest

Women For Gun Rights Logo 2
Women For Gun Rights Logo 2

Women For Gun Rights and CNJFO to Unite for New Jersey Fundraiser

Special guests, community fellowship, and an afternoon of celebration will support Second Amendment advocacy in the Garden State.

Pre-Season Checklist: 10 Things to Do Before Opening Morning

Firearms season for deer is upon us. Before you take to the woods, check these items off your to-do list.

From Japan to Houston: NRA Firearm Training Goes International

The author's student body cast an even longer reach when a woman traveled all the way from the east—the Far East—for training.

Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead Earns Podium Finish at 2026 IPRF Centerfire World Championship

The international event brought leading precision rifle athletes together for 20 stages of demanding competition.

Team Fiocchi's Lanny Barnes and Dianna Muller Take Gold and Silver at 2026 IPSC Shotgun World Shoot

Barnes captured all three Open World Championship titles at a single World Shoot; Muller earned silver in the Open Lady Senior category.

The Armed Citizen® October 9, 2026

In another example of age and treachery overcoming youth and vigor, a man intent on harming a senior woman proved to be no match for his would-be victim.

Women's Interests



Get the best of NRA Women delivered to your inbox.