- published: 25 Feb 2011
- views: 561046
A shooting range or firing range is a specialized facility designed for firearms practice. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more supervisory personnel, called variously a range master or "RSO – Range Safety Officer" in the United States or a range conducting officer or "RCO" in the UK. These supervisory personnel are responsible for ensuring that all gun safety rules are followed at all times.
Shooting ranges can be indoor or outdoor and possibly restricted to certain types of firearms, e.g. handguns only or rifles, or they can specialize in certain shooting sports such Skeet shooting or 10 m Air Pistol/Rifle.
This article discusses Shooting Ranges in a general sense. For more specific discussion of shooting ranges in specific locales, see:
Likewise, in countries with gun laws heavily restricting the ownership and use of actual firearms, Airsoft guns often are used instead for "shooting range" practice. By their nature, "shooting ranges" for Airsoft competitions may be located nearly everywhere, even in-doors, with no significant restrictions other than the wearing of protective face masks. This article, and the articles for specific locales, do not address "shooting ranges" intended for Airsoft guns.