The Club’s Range Rules & Regulations are established to assure the health and safety of everyone who uses the facilities as well as the community at large. Effective January 28, 2012, by membership vote, DR&PC’s Como facilities are a “cold” range. All exposed firearms may not contain any ammunition except when they are on a firing line.

General Rules

Safety First

From NRA Manuals

1. Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
2. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
3. Always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use it.

From Col. Jeff Cooper

1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Always be sure of your target.

In General Practice

1. Always treat every gun as if it is loaded.
2. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
3. Never point your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
4. Keep your finger off the trigger until the gun is lined up on the target.

Como Range Rules

General

1. Como Range is a private club and is accessible to members and guests only. Always keep the gate closed and locked. (Exception: During matches open to non-members, such as IDPA and long-range rifle events, the match organizers may choose to leave the gates open and unlocked during the period in which the match is being held.)
2. The following are specifically prohibited on or at the range at all times:
   1. .50 cal. BMG
   2. All fully automatic firearms
   3. Tracer and/or incendiary ammunition; armor piercing or penetrator rounds
   4. “Bump” firing, “quick draw/fast draw” and “instinct” firing, shoulder holsters
   5. Cans, bottles and/or plastic containers as well as fruits, vegetables and other organic matter as targets
   6. Alcoholic beverages, illegal and/or recreational drugs
   7. ‘Horseplay’ of any kind at any time
   8. Any comments or behaviors a member may reasonably interpret as belligerent, hostile or threatening
   9. The rules for using the Shotgun Platform on GP Range are posted on the structure itself
   10. Offensive targets such as those depicting pictures or images of elected officials and/or prominent people, religious or ethnic imagery, etc.
3. Hours of operation are Sunrise to Sunset, every day of the year.
4. No hunting is allowed on range property.
5. Arrange targets so that bullets strike the impact berms after hitting the target.
6. Members must wear their membership cards in a manner that is visible to other members at all times when on the range.
7. Members may bring as many as two (2) non-member guests each visit. The member assumes responsibility for the actions of their guests while at the Club range.
8. The Long Distance Rifle Range is open only to members who are certified to shoot on that range. You must have either the NRA Highpower Expert Card or have attended one of the regular qualification sessions at the range. Unless your membership card bears the club’s certification endorsement or you have the NRA Expert card, you may not shoot on the Long Distance Range.
9. The General Purpose Range is always open to all members at all times (except when maintenance such as grass cutting, etc., may require closing the range for as long as necessary to perform the tasks).
10. Pistol Ranges 1 and 2 may only be used for pistol (revolver or semi-automatic) and rimfire rifle (.22LR and lower calibers) shooting.  Pistol Range 3 may be used for all calibers of rifles and pistols. Targets must always be set up so that rounds impact the rear (north) berms only; there are no exceptions.  Target center-of-mass may be no more than 5’6” (66”) above the flat ground level of the pistol bay in use, whether the targets are free-standing or mounted in the north berm itself.
11. Personal vehicles must always remain on designated drive lanes and parking areas and may never be driven onto the range firing areas.

Specific

1. To comply with Mississippi state law, two range flags must be flying before firing may commence. The range flag at the northeast corner of the Long Distance Range must be up and a range flag must be raised on the pole nearest the range to be used before any firing may begin.
2. Club target frames are provided for member convenience. Targets should be mounted to the frames so that bullets impacting the targets do not also impact the target frames. Target frames should be at sufficient height so that rounds passing through the target impact the berm at the far end of the range. Use the thin wall PVC pipe sections provided to raise target frames as necessary to achieve the desired height to assure bullets strike the impact berm.
3. Only club-owned target frames may be stored in club facilities. If you bring a target frame, you must take it with you; it may not be left in club storage facilities.
4. The only steel or reactive targets permitted on ranges are those belonging to the club; other than member-provided paper targets attached to appropriately placed target frames, member-owned “plinking” targets are NOT permitted.
5. The club requires that eye and ear protection be worn by everyone on firing lines.
6. When a given range is declared “cold”, all shooters must unload their weapons, remove magazines/clips, leave the breech open, engage the safety, set the weapons down (pistols may be holstered) on a shooting bench or shooting mat and step away from the weapons. (If the shooter has a Chamber Safety Flag, it should be inserted into the chamber at this time.) Weapons cannot be touched or handled during “cold” range periods, no exceptions. Cased weapons may be unloaded from a vehicle at these times but must remain cased until the firing line goes “hot.”
7. Every member is responsible for cleaning up his/her area after firing. All centerfire brass must be picked up as well as any other trash such as empty food packaging, beverage containers, ammunition boxes, etc. Numerous trash containers are available for disposing of rubbish. If you use one of the trash containers, please be sure the lid is properly secured to the container when you put it back on so that foraging animals cannot readily dump the contents of the container.
8. During competitive matches, a qualified member will serve as range master. During practice matches, one club member must serve as range master.
9. When not actively shooting, secure and store your firearms so they are not accessible to anyone else.

General Protocols

Shooters must always be considerate of others using the range. For instance, a shooter should only use one shooting bench and one shooting lane at a time. If there are multiple shooters using a range at the same time, each shooter is limited to one bench and one lane.

Before a range is “cold,” all shooters on the line must acknowledge the “cold” call by raising a hand and shouting, “Cold.” As shooters wearing hearing protection may not hear the command, double check to assure that all shooters on the line acknowledge the “cold” command. The line, however, is not fully cold until all shooters have secured their weapons in the manner described above. When the weapon is properly secured and the shooter is away from the weapon, each shooter must call, “Line Clear.” When all shooters acknowledge “line clear”, the range is “cold” and shooters may proceed downrange to set or change targets. When a shooter returns to the firing line area, he should shout “range clear” to indicate he is out of the active firing area. When all shooters are “range clear”, it is “range hot.” At this point, shooters may return to their firing positions and resume handling weapons.

Violation Of Rules

Violation of these rules may subject the violator to such disciplinary action as the Club’s Executive Committee, acting on behalf of the Club’s Membership, may impose, including possible expulsion from the DeSoto Rifle & Pistol Club, according to the Club’s By-Laws.