Scotts Valley Sportsmen s Club Standard Operating Procedures And Range Rules

Scotts Valley Sportsmen s Club Standard Operating Procedures And Range Rules

Table of Contents General Safety Rules:... 3 SVSC Facilities and General Information... 3 Location:... 3 Parking:... 3 Normal Range Hours:... 3 Safety/Emergency Information & Contact:... 3 Security:... 4 Gates:... 4 Range Closure Notices:... 4 Park Fauna:... 5 Alcoholic Beverages, Drugs:... 5 Guests:... 5 Children ages 7-17:... 5 Dogs:... 6 Police Use of the Range:... 6 Sanitary Facilities:... 6 Trash:... 6 Electrical Power:... 7 Storage Areas:... 7 Noise:... 7 Lead:... 8 Range Rules... 8 Smoking:... 8 Common Rules:... 8 Targets:... 11 Pistol Range:... 12 Rifle Range:... 12 Property Adjacent to the Range... 13 Instructional Range:... 13 Archery Range:... 13 Appendix A: Holster Policy... 13 2

Appendix B: Amendments and Approvals... 15 General Safety Rules: 1. Treat all guns as loaded. 2. DO NOT place your finger on the trigger until your sights are on the target AND you ve made the decision to fire. 3. DO NOT allow the muzzle to cover anything you do not wish to destroy. 4. Be aware of your target and what is in front AND behind it. SVSC Facilities and General Information Location: The Scotts Valley Sportsman s club is located in the woods behind the building at 1500 Green Hills Road, Scotts Valley, California 95066. Parking: Parking is restricted to the lot adjacent to the range access trail leading to the main gate. The parking lot and access trail are on private property. Please treat them with respect and keep the area clean. Normal Range Hours: Daily 8:00am - 5:30pm Safety/Emergency Information & Contact: In the case of a life-threatening emergency, call 911. There are no medical facilities at the range, nor are there any medically trained people assigned at the range. The nearest Emergency Medical Department is Dominican Hospital, north of Highway 1 at the Soquel Drive Exit (1555 Soquel Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95065). Phone: (831) 462-7700. The club recommends that members have a cell phone with them at the range and verify that they have coverage. A supply of Band-Aids and other first aid supplies for minor abrasions is located in the supply cabinets. 3

All members are encouraged to maintain current training in CPR and First Aid, and keep their own trauma kit in their range bag. All members are encouraged to have a flashlight in their bag, as paths are dark during winter hours Additional emergency information is posted in the rifle house and pistol house. Contact the Range Master or any board member to report a situation requiring attention. rangemaster@scottsvalleysportsmen.com and 831-218-1741 Fire extinguishers are located on the range. In the event of an emergency, Members priorities are to ensure their own safety, safety of other members and visitors, summoning emergency services, and if possible safe firefighting measures. Security: Members shall clearly display their membership cards while at the range. Any member may ask another to show their membership card. All members are responsible for safety and security. SVSC Range Safety Officers are trained members who volunteer to serve the membership and help ensure the safety of the facility and the safe actions of the members. They also provide mentorship to shooters. Gates: There are two gates for normal access to the range. The Main Gate. The Back Gate by the pistol house. Both gates require a key pass and may be accessed by any member on entry and exit. The gates are to be kept locked, except when passing through or during scheduled events. A back gate is accessible for vehicles supporting work parties. To access the rear vehicle gate from outside the range requires a key to open the vehicle gates at Green Hills Road. For Key Access contact a board member. Range Closure Notices: Notices about range closures for Police Training or maintenance work on the range will be posted on the club web site calendar. 4

http://www.scottsvalleysportsmen.com When possible, these events will be shared through email, the Club Website, the newsletter, and social media in advance Park Fauna: There are many wild animals in Lodato Park, and ALL are protected from harm and harassment. If an animal enters the range in harm s way, declare a cease fire and wait until the animal is clear and safe before re-opening the range. Alcoholic Beverages, Drugs: Alcoholic Beverages and Drugs that are illegal under State or Federal laws are NOT allowed on the range. o Anyone under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs is NOT allowed at the range. o Prescription medications may affect your judgment and/or coordination. Members who are taking prescription medications should take care regarding the effects of their medications. o Should a member come to the range under the influence, they will lose their club membership. Guests: Only full members may bring guests to the range, and members are responsible for their guests behavior and safety. A member may bring a maximum of two guests at one time. The member may not shoot while supervising more than one shooting guest. Individual guests may visit the range a maximum of three times per calendar year. Visits by youth guests are unlimited. Prior approval from the Board of Directors is required to bring a group of more than two guests to the range. Guests are not insured by the club. All guests must sign a Guest Waiver EACH TIME they visit the range. Children ages 7-17: No child under the age of seven years will be allowed on the range. Children on the range MUST wear appropriate eye and ear protection. Only one child at a time per adult is allowed. Supervision is to be close and continuous, and you may not shoot while supervising a child. Non-shooting youth are not allowed at the firing line unless they are receiving instruction. Children are not allowed on or in the backstop areas. 5

Dogs: Dogs are permitted in the range common area only. Must be attended and on leash at all times. Members are required to pick up after their dogs and asked to pack their refuse with them. Police Use of the Range: The club hosts Scotts Valley Police Department s training and qualification sessions at the range as part of the club s agreement with the city. While formal Police training is in progress, the area they are using is closed to club members. The City of Scotts Valley does not allow non-employees to participate or be present during training days without a signed City of Scotts Valley hold-harmless waiver. Non-City employees at Police Department training days require express permission from the instructors and a signed waiver. Individual Scotts Valley Police Officers may use the range for informal shooting. When Scotts Valley Police Officers shoot outside of formal SVPD training sessions, they are subject to the same SOP as club members. The Seaside Company Security Department (at the Boardwalk Amusement Park) has purchased memberships for all of their officers, and occasionally conducts group training at our range. Please follow the same rules as for SVPD training when Seaside security officers are training. Sanitary Facilities: Portable toilets are provided and are serviced monthly by a private company. Contact the club facilities manager (facilities@scottsvalleysportsmen.com) if the portable toilets need to be serviced. Hand washing stations are located in the Pistol and Rifle houses. Water must be hauled in by volunteers to supply these stations, so please conserve! Members must bring their own drinking water to the range. Wash station water is not safe for drinking. Report unsanitary conditions to a Range Safety Officer, the Range Master or a Board Member. Trash: If you packed it in, please pack it out! If a range trash container is full, consider taking the bag with you to the range dumpster in the parking lot and putting a new plastic trash bag in the range container. This is your range - help keep it clean. 6

Electrical Power: There are no public power utilities at the range. The pistol and rifle houses use solar power. The club has a generator that is used for maintenance and to supplement the solar power. Provided there is at least one member present that has been trained in the safe operation of the generator members may use the generator. Members without training MUST NOT use the generator. Storage Areas: The area and sheds adjacent to the pistol building are used for storage. The storage shed locks use the standard combination, and they are accessible to all members. Common tools, shovels, rakes, screws and nails, paint, work gloves, etc. are stored there. There are lockers in other areas of the range with different locks on them. These lockers are not available to the general membership and are used by specific groups within the club to store equipment used during their events. Please respect the security of these lockers. There are supply lockers in each range house. These lockers have the standard locks combination and are accessible to all members. They contain staple guns, staples, trash bags, paper towels, WD40, Band-Aids, and tools. All members have the use of these materials, but please replace things when you are through with them and relock the locker. Should something be missing or depleted from a locker, please replace it or notify a club officer of the problem. Noise: Firearms create loud noise which can harm your hearing at close range. Personal ear protection is required in the range houses and on the ranges during live fire. Be a good neighbor to the community and keep in mind sound can travel a significant distance beyond the range property. 7

Lead: Most bullets contain alloys of lead. Lead is listed by the state of California as a hazardous material that can be a significant risk to health if handled improperly. Make sure your bullets end up in the backstop. Do not smoke or eat after shooting until you have washed your hands. There are hand-washing stations in the Rifle and Pistol houses. Do not salvage bullets from the ranges. o You may contaminate yourself. o Potentially contaminated clothing and equipment should be treated as such. Extra caution with lead and lead dust is advised if you have small children at home. The club goes to considerable effort to mitigate potential lead risks to the environment. Please take care not to damage the drainage systems. Range Rules Safety is everyone s business. If you see something amiss and it is safe to do so, please make a gentle constructive correction to the other party. Walk away if tensions begin to rise. Unsafe conditions must be reported to the Range Master or to any club officer. Failure to follow Range Safety Rules may lead to loss of club membership. Smoking: Smoking is not allowed in the Pistol or Rifle Houses. Smoking is allowed only in designated areas, and smoking materials must be properly disposed of in smoke pole receptacles Common Rules: All weapons used on the range must be legally possessed in the State of California. 8

No full automatic fire is allowed, except by the Scotts Valley Police Department during scheduled training sessions. Firearms must be transported to and from the range unloaded and cased. Eye and ear protection is mandatory and must be in use prior to entering the Rifle or Pistol Houses. o Protection is not mandatory outside the shooting areas but is advised. Everyone at the range must sign in and out, whether they are shooting or not. o Members sign in and out by swiping their cards at the gate lock. o Visitors sign the waiver form in the Pistol and Rifle houses. When entering the Rifle or Pistol House, guns and equipment are to be placed on the equipment benches. If shooting is in progress on arrival, determine who the range master is, then follow their instructions. o Firearms may be brought to the firing line to be uncased and prepared Guns must be completely unloaded while transporting to or from the firing line. During scheduled events, the Range Safety Officer(s) and event coordinator will direct all actions. During non-scheduled shooting, a member must act as range master when a Range Safety Officer is not present. All un-holstered firearms are to be unloaded when not being used on the firing line. At the command CEASE FIRE stop firing immediately, point muzzle downrange, and follow the range master s directions. o Switch on red lights when cease fire is called. o Do not handle any guns until the range master gives orders to do so. o ANYONE may declare a cease fire at any time to preserve safety. During a cease fire: no one is permitted in the firing stations (i.e. between the red safety line and the firing line) except to transit downrange. o Firearms may not be handled in any manner; 9

o Actions are to be exposed or open, muzzles are to be pointed in a safe direction. o All benched firearms must be pointed downrange with open actions, and installed chamber flag. Holsters: o Holsters WILL NOT be used except by members holding a club holster authorization, or during events sanctioned by the Board of Directors to include holster work. CCW o Valid CCW holders and Law Enforcement who are permitted to carry concealed weapons under California law are not required to disarm prior to entering range facilities. o Concealed firearms must remain concealed at all times unless: The member possesses a club holster rating; and is engaged in holster work pursuant to club holster policy. Concealed firearms that are used in a shooting session must be removed from the holster and placed on the bench before shooting, and must be returned to the holster from the bench after shooting. o Any concealed firearm must be re-holstered and remain concealed when leaving or walking around the facility No firing is permitted in front of the firing line, except; o During scheduled events o Patterning a shotgun o By members with a holster rating (pistol range only). o In the event a holster rated member is shooting forward of the firing line and a non-holster rated member arrives to shoot, the holstered member will immediately cease activity, police brass, and may recommence shooting from the firing line. Shotguns may be patterned only at the berm end of either range, provided it does not interfere with other shooters. o If other shooters are present then a maximum of five rounds is permitted. o Slugs may be fired from the normal firing line at the rifle house. Ammunition that did not fire is NOT to be discarded into the containers for empty brass. o During a scheduled event, follow the range master s instructions as to disposal. o During non-scheduled shooting, place the ammunition in the dud bucket and spray liberally with WD40 from the supply cabinet. o It can be unsafe to handle rounds that failed to fire. 10

Malfunctions o No loaded malfunctioning firearm may be removed from the firing line. o Signal the range master in case of a malfunction - keep the muzzle of a malfunctioning gun pointed in a safe direction at all times. The range master will assist in clearing the weapon and may disassemble the weapon to insure safety. If shooter is alone and cannot correct the problem, secure the gun and get professional assistance. DO NOT REMOVE A LOADED MALFUNCTIONING FIREARM FROM THE RANGE UNTIL YOU HAVE EXHAUSTED ALL MEANS AVAILABLE AT THE RANGE TO MAKE THE GUN SAFE, AND THEN ONLY TO TAKE THE WEAPON TO A GUNSMITH OR FACILITY WHERE THE PROBLEM CAN BE SAFELY RESOLVED. BE SURE THE SAFETY IS ON AND A LOCK HAS BEEN APPLIED IF AVAILABLE. DO NOT LEAVE THE MALFUNCTIONING WEAPON AT THE RANGE UNATTENDED. Departing the Range: o When through shooting, remove and put away target bases and frames, remove targets from the backer board, and discard them in the trash containers, or take them home. All brass not removed from the range is to be discarded in the brass buckets. If you packed it in, please pack it out! o Prior to leaving the area, tidy the site and put things in order. o Check to see that the supply cabinets are closed and locked. o Leave your range better than you found it. Targets: Post all targets and target backers behind the target frames so that the entire wooden target frame can be seen from the firing line. o The intent is to reduce frame damage. Shooting hard targets (metal, glass, ceramics, golf balls, produce, etc.) or any objects on the ground is not allowed on either range. All targets must be positioned on a target frame so that rounds will impact the backstop (i.e. not side berms) and not ricochet from the ground. o Taller shooters may need to place target high in the frame. All targets must fit on the backing, within the target stand frame. 11

Pistol Range: Put your safety glasses and hearing protection on before entering. Enter the Pistol house, making sure the door is closed, and place your gear on a storage bench or table. If no one is in the house, set the cease-fire indicator, go down range to be certain there is no one else on the range, and verify that the maintenance gates are closed and locked. Firearms shall be uncased and cased at the firing line, pointed downrange. Uncased firearms not on the firing line shall be unloaded with their actions open and a chamber flag installed. Rifles may be fired on the Pistol Range. Rifle shooters must yield to pistol shooters if space is limited. DO NOT SHOOT GRAZING SHOTS INTO THE GROUND. Rifle Range: Put your safety glasses and hearing protection on before entering. Enter the Rifle House and store equipment and firearms. If no one is in the house, set the cease-fire indicator, go down range to be certain there is no one else on the range, and verify that the maintenance gate is closed and locked. Post targets so that bullets will impact in the 100 yard backstop. o The range is on a 2% upgrade, use tall target frames at 25 and 50 yards and short target frames at 75 and 100 yards. o The tall frames ensure that bullets passing through the targets will impact the backstop berm, and not ricochet from the range floor. Rifles shall be uncased and cased at the benches pointing downrange. Uncased rifles, not on the firing line, shall be racked unloaded with their actions open and chamber flags installed. Uncased rifles, on the firing line, shall have actions open and chamber flags installed. Pistols may be fired on the Rifle Range. o Pistol shooters must yield firing station to rifle shooters if no other firing stations are available. 12

Property Adjacent to the Range The property adjacent the range on the South side is owned by the Sundean Foundation. Scotts Valley Sportsmen s Club has access passage rights to the back of the range via this property. Property behind the range and on the North side is owned by the City of Scotts Valley and is known as Lodato Park. Instructional Range: The Instructional Range is closed until further notice. Archery Range: The Archery Range is closed until further notice. Appendix A: Holster Policy Only members that have attended the SVSC Holster Class are permitted to draw from a holster at the range. (see below for Law Enforcement and CCW holders.) Holster usage is confined to the pistol range. Do not leave the pistol range with a pistol in the holster. CCW Valid CCW holders and Law Enforcement are not required to disarm prior to entering range facilities. However, a concealed firearm must remain concealed at all times unless: The member possesses a club holster rating and is engaged in drawing in designated area pursuant to club holster policy, or The member removes the concealed weapon from its holster at the firing line and places it on the bench before firing, and replaces it to the holster from the bench when finished firing (i.e., no shooting from a draw directly from the holster without a club holster rating.) 13

Any concealed firearm must be re-holstered at the firing line and then remain concealed when leaving or walking around facility. Holster Class and Membership Cards Membership cards will be clearly marked with the word HOLSTER for all members who have taken the club s Holster Class. All members using holsters MUST visibly wear their HOLSTER marked membership card when using holsters on the pistol range. Only the Rangemaster or his/her designee(s) may conduct the SVSC Holster Class and issue holster card. The class is approximately two (2) hours and is given to ensure understanding of policy and competency. A fee as set by the club s board of directors is charged for this class. Holsters must be designed for the pistol being used. Holsters can be worn in variety of positions. Shoulder holsters, small of back, and ankle holsters are prohibited. If the draw of the pistol violates any of the general safety rules, then use of that pistol/holster is prohibited. Holsters should properly fit the shooter and not present any unsafe conditions. Holster usage is allowed forward of the firing line under certain conditions. When shooting forward of the line extra care must be taken to ensure that all targets are arranged so that bullets END UP ONLY IN THE BACKSTOP. If more than one holster rated member is forward of the line they must: Remain on a 180 degree line when shooting stationary or; Shoot one at a time with the non-shooting member(s) behind the 180 and ensuring that the shooter never breaks the 180 degree line. If a non-holster rated member arrives to shoot, holster members shooting ahead of the regulation firing line must yield to the non-holster rated shooter who is required to shoot from behind that firing line. Immediately cease fire, thoroughly police their brass. 14

Resume firing from behind the firing line when all parties are ready. For certain approved club events Members DO NOT need a holster card to participate if the event is governed by its own SOP approved by the Range Master. Participation in approved events does not grant holster use authorization outside the event. Appendix B: Amendments and Approvals Adopted by the Board August 12, 2013 effective November 1, 2013 Range hours update adopted by the Board June 13, 2016 effective June 27, 2016 Major rewrite/reformat, affecting Targets, power, safety. Draft adopted October 2017. 15