Safety clothing is the first thing on everyone’s mind when going to the shooting range. What many new shooters do not realize is that gun range safety starts at home. Picking out the correct outfit for the shooting range is one thing shooters need to do. Let’s get into detail on what is good for a shooting range day, and what isn’t.
We’re going to start with the big one, shoes. The obvious choice would be sneakers since they are closed-toed and they have good traction so you don’t slip. What we don’t want to see are flip-flops and sandals. These open toe style shoes allow hot brass to land on the shooter’s feet, which is a danger not only to the shooter but to everyone around them. When hot brass gets on a shooter’s foot, the immediate reaction is to use their dominate hand to get it off. The issue here is that their dominate hand is holding a firearm, which is most likely loaded. Like Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This problem can be entirely avoided by wearing proper shoes when shooting.
The other major clothing concern is shirts, specifically low cut shirts. While this problem is usually centered on female shirts, unbuttoned collared shirts for men also fall prey to this problem, especially when tucked in. Shirts with these openings will often catch brass and then press it against the skin, causing burns. This creates a similar problem to the shoe problem; however this is worse as people’s instincts will lead the shooter to accidentally aim the firearm directly into their chest. Wearing a simple T-shirt or even a hoodie or jacket will help to mitigate these problems.
It is important to remember that dressing in appropriate attire for the gun range is not only for your own safety, but for the safety of everyone on the range with you. Choosing the right clothes is a great way to reduce the chance of catching hot brass. Remember though, even in the right clothing, brass can still land on your hand, or at the back of your neck. If you feel hot brass land on you, the first thing to do is to put the firearm on the bench or table in front of you. After that, then you can attempt to remove the brass from your clothing. A small burn is better to have to deal with than a bullet hole.