Cross posted this as I think I'll get more input in GD.

Working at a public/membership range.
Range desk is sending back customers whom have NEVER HELD A GUN MUCH LESS FIRED ONE. On top of my range master duties I am expected to handle these too. Got muzzle flashed, round in the chamber, finger on trigger, safety off last night, she walked our of her lane to tell me her target fell down. I'm going to see more of this I think...

Vest or No Vest?

I've got my Second Chance IIIA hanging in the closet. Worth it? Overkill?

Worth it.  People can be idiots.

ETA:  People new to guns can be dangerous, I wouldn't blame you for putting on a vest man, particularly if you're already having problems.

I'd put LEDs on it too

Couldn't hurt.

I go to a few different firing ranges.

One is a rifle range filled with old coots acting as RSOs. None of them even carry a gun let alone a vest, but it's a private club.

The second is a public gunstore/firing range and all the RSOs and Staff are armed, but no vests.

The last is a brand new HUGE gunstore and indoor range with 100 yard indoor firing range. Really nice modern looking place that caters to newbies. All those RSOs are armed and have ballistic vests.

Is it unheard of? Nah. However if I felt the need to have a vest at work I would look at working somewhere else.

ETA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHKwEf_c0DA

Couldn't hurt to wear a vest.

What are you carrying while working?  

If I took a round I sure as hell wouldn't be waiting to find out if it was an accident.

If you're the RSO, act like one.

One of the RSO's here wore one.

If you're not going to wear it when you KNOW that eventually someone will be pointing a loaded gun at you, why own the thing?

Ask owners if they may get an insurance reduction by having a 10 minute firearms handling class before letting people on the range for the first time.  A local range here did this about 5 years ago, insurance went down, quality of customers went up.

Simple class done in a class room not the range:
These are the 4 Universal rules of firearms safety.

Wear eye and ear protection.  

Wear close toed shoes.

This is how you hang a target.
This is how you move the target in and out (there is a mock up a booth).

Keep your guns pointed downrange

If something happens put the gun on the counter pointed down range, come get the RSO.

Show them how to hold a handgun, hand them a blue gun, and watch them hold it correctly.

These are acceptable ways to shoot (weaver or isosceles, double taps)and not acceptable ways (from the hip, spray and pray), at our Range (this is a repeat of the waivers or forms they signed).

Brass goes in this bucket, or swept down range, garbage there.

This class takes like 15 minutes, the crew that work there have told me it only took a few people out of using the range.  

Approaching it from the aspect of insurance savings to the owner, and wearing a vest may make the point.

Why not ask for the appropriate Personal Pertective Equipment to be supplied by the employer?

I'm tempted to start wearing one when I go to the range because of all the morons I see

I vote for this. Wear the vest, but lobby to get a rule in place or some signage indicating that anyone who has never shot before needs to come to the RSO to get a brief run down of the rules and what to do if x happens/what not to do.

id like to wear one just going to shoot at the range.. some of these fucking retards make me nervous...   '


id seriously be wearing one if i was working as a RSO or RM at one...  

When I worked at Markham I wore a vest during the autumn hunting season rush, back then we'd have 40-60 shooters on the line with two (or if we were lucky, three) RO's.  When the class-III club was holding monthly shoots, I always wore a vest, the club president was fucking nuts, always screaming, throwing tantrums and threatening to 'fucking shoot someone' when we'd enforce the 'haul away the stuff you shoot' rule (they'd bring appliances, tv's, etc to shoot, then leave it laying there at the end of the night.) I finally complained to county risk management about the guy's tantrums and fits. I honestly thought the fat little fuck was going to start shooting people one day.

At some point I was told to stop wearing a vest, they said it implied the range was unsafe and if a customer ever got hurt it could be used to infer the staff knew the range was dangerous. Ridiculous.

I agree. Also post the rules in two or three places close to the shooting area. Sure some morons will never/can't read it but it is an extra low cost effort to be safe.