Can a shooting range be held liable for injuries suffered due to inadequate training?

Operators of Shooting Ranges are responsible for providing users with proper safety training and for training their own staff on how to enforce safety protocols.

A gun and shooting Range can be held liable under premises liability and negligence theories if it fails to meet recognized safety standards that lead to severe injuries and have serious repercussions for its clients.

Several factors constitute inadequate training and can lead to a shooting range being held liable.

Liability for inadequate training can arise from a Gun Range's failure to meet its duty of care to visitors under several legal theories:

• Negligent instruction occurs when range staff do not properly teach firearm safety, skip essential training steps, or provide misleading instructions. It can include improper instruction on loading and unloading procedures, incorrect malfunction handling training, or improper shooting techniques.
• Negligent supervision comes from failing to monitor range users, failing to detect and prevent dangerous behaviors, or allowing inexperienced shooters to use firearms without proper supervision. Range safety officers without the proper training can expose the range to significant liability.
• Failure to provide activity-specific training exposes ranges to liability if they do not provide instruction appropriate for the shooting activity or equipment. An example would be the failure to provide scenario-based training or practical instruction that would prevent foreseeable accidents.
• Inadequate staff training could result in unsafe instruction and supervision if employees lack the proper certifications or continuing education.

Several factors are considered by courts when determining liability: if the shooting range owed a duty of care, whether its training standards were reasonable, and if the failure to meet those standards made injury foreseeable. The court also examines if the range breached its duty of care and whether inadequate training directly contributed to the injury.

How The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary proves inadequate training caused your injury

If you have been injured as a result of inadequate training, our team must establish a proper standard of care and demonstrate that the range's failure to comply directly caused your injury.

Our investigation examines range training protocols, staff qualifications, and safety procedures to determine if there were any gaps that contributed to the accident.

Expert testimony is essential when determining both the standard of care and the cause of injury in cases involving inadequate training. If your injury was the result of inadequate training, we will determine if there was a direct correlation between training failures and the injuries you've suffered. If you are injured at a Gun Range, contact the Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary to determine if the range has any legal responsibility.