I ended up being cured of belonging to and shooting at established 'ranges' when, despite a friend of mine and I following all the safety procedures, I ended up changing targets when the group on the adjacent range began shooting. The range master tried blaming my friend and I, but when it was pointed out that all protocols were followed and he had simply 'forgotten' about us, he grunted and stalked off. After that, I made sure I was alone on the range before allowing my membership to lapse. Since then, I seek out 'unofficial' locations where it is legal to shoot, with proper attention to back stops, etc. Let's just say (knock on wood) that I haven't had another 'incident' in 40 years. Unfortunately, even in the remote areas, such locations have become increasingly difficult to find and with gas prices being what they are, along with my physical limitations...
I still get to shoot. Just not as often or 'conveniently' as I used to.
