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

Henry Founding Fathers James Madison Lede
Henry Founding Fathers James Madison Lede

New Guns 2026: Henry Repeating Arms Founding Fathers Collection

The series honors the men who shaped the American republic: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton.

Is This the Most Unsafe Action You Take Regularly?

Simply opening your front door to a ring or knock might be one of the most high-risk actions you regularly perform.

Kim Rhode Among Team Beretta Athletes Named to USA Shooting Open National Teams

Vincent Hancock, Conner Prince, Brian Burrows and Kim Rhode secured positions on the USA Shooting Open National Teams in International Skeet and Trap.

Living Her Life Out Loud: Gun Freedom Radio Host Cheryl Todd

NRA Armed Citizen podcast host Frank Miniter chats with Cheryl Todd of Gun Freedom Radio, who has become one of the Second Amendment's most vocal advocates.

B&P's Karen Miles Finishes on Top at Inaugural World Super Sporting Championship

Karen Miles earned two Ladies Championships and a pair of top-five overall finishes while Gebben Miles earned World Championship HOA.

GRITR Range to Host ROSE Seminar by SIG Sauer for Women

Led by SIG SAUER Academy female instructors, this seminar offers a welcoming environment for women of all skill levels to learn more about the ROSE program and strengthen their everyday carry knowledge.

Women's Interests



Get the best of NRA Women delivered to your inbox.