"I shall exercise due consideration for the personal emotions of any competitor, and shall act in a manner so as not to embarrass or disturb the competitor any more than is absolutely necessary."

–IPSC Range Officer's Creed, rule 11.

That's all well and good for competition shooting, but a public range isn't IPSC. If you show your ass, prepare to get roasted for it.

If you don't have the Four Rules committed to heart, you have no place handling a gun, much less doing so in the presence of others. Violation of these rules not only brands you as an imbecile, it places the very lives of other people in serious danger.

If you get sloppy with muzzle discipline, expect to get called on it loudly and with no lack of contempt. Don't argue. If you're lucky enough not to get thrown out, learn from the experience.

When someone's got a loaded gun pointed at me, I have absolutely no obligation to be courteous. This is something I brand into my students and peers as well. Safety violations aren't to be tolerated–someone could be maimed or killed in a split-second of carelessness.

There are plenty of objectionable behaviors that aren't directly covered by the Four Rules, but will still brand you as an asshat for displaying them. Let's run them down:

1. Shooting things you shouldn't be. That includes the target next to yours.
2. Shooting faster than you should be. If you can't be accurate, slow down.
3. Questionable methods you haven't been trained for. Trying to fire two guns simultaneously and holding the gun sideways are two that spring to mind.
4. In fact, emulating anything from a John Woo movie.
5. Damaging anything with your shooting.
6. Showing up under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. No, Mentos and incense don't fool anybody.
7. Not cleaning up after yourself. That includes policing your own brass.
8. Denigrating another person's shooting. We all start somewhere. If you're involved in the gun culture at all, you should be mentoring that person, not tearing them down.

If any of the above rules are a problem for you, don't presume to mentor anyone. Please.