Author: Scott Sampson

Free US LawShield Lecture Self-Defense: What Happens Next? If you’re a gun owner and you’re forced to defend yourself: Are you prepared? Do you know what to expect? This seminar is taught by US LawShield Program Attorney Gilbert Ambler and covers:  Interacting with law enforcement  Your right to remain silent  Stand Your Ground vs. Duty to Retreat  Criminal court procedure  Civil litigation procedure  Talking to authorities in the aftermath of a self-defense incident Sign in from 5:30 to 6 PM. Located at the American Legion Post 280 469 Battlefield Blvd, Chesapeake, VA 23322 Pizza and drinks being served! Sign up here: Self-Defense – What Happens Next?    

The Tidewater Friends of NRA Banquet is right around the corner!  The Friends of NRA is the Premier Fundraising Program of The NRA Foundation.  With 600+ fundraising events across the nation each year, Friends of NRA is invested in supporting the community of safe, responsible shooting sports enthusiasts. Net proceeds benefit The NRA Foundation and are distributed among State and national grants. Friends of NRA fundraising events include exciting games, auctions, exclusive merchandise, and dinner alongside your freedom loving friends.  This year we are holding it at the Chesapeake Conference Center on Jan 31st from 5 to 9pm.  The money has helped the 4-H conference center and our swamp shooters.  The money typically is provided to other non-profits such as 4-H, Scouts, veteran’s programs, police departments, hunters for the hungry and even school security systems. This is you chance to have some fun, maybe win a gun (or two) and help give back to the shooting sports.  You can purchase individual tickets for the night, or you can purchase different table levels for 8 people that come with a gun! You can visit Tidewater – Chesapeake, VA | Friends of NRA to find out more details or purchase a ticket. …

We recently reviewed a video from the range where someone was doing something unsafe.  In the background, two other members walked by and even talked to the individual.  The issue is they said nothing. Their lack of response could be because of a couple reasons: 1) The lack of understanding of the Rules (a larger problem) 2) They didn’t see it (hard to miss) or 3) Didn’t feel it was their place or didn’t feel comfortable saying something. I am hoping it is no 3.  I do understand that some people are not comfortable saying something.  Maybe they are not confident about something or maybe feel intimidated.  While this very well may be the case, but it is incumbent on all members of the club to do just that.  Remember as a member of the club, you are basically the employees or staff that run the range.  If you don’t then who will?  As a member of a club that does not have dedicated range personnel, it is absolutely imperative that we police ourselves.  You can always couch something as a question, “By the way, aren’t muzzles always supposed to be pointed at the berm?” Allow them say yes,I am  …

We will be publishing periodic safety tips.  These tips are a reminder of our safety rules or suggestions on how to be safe at the club.  If you have any questions about these tips or suggestions on topics to cover, please let the Chief Instructor know at [email protected].   ASC Quick Safety Tip Bringing a Gun to the Line If the range that you are going to is COLD, you may only bring a gun to the line if it is cased.  A case is anything that prevents you from accessing the gun.  It must be in a range bag, a holster, a gun sock, a hard/soft sided case etc. If the range is HOT, you may bring the gun to the line without a case, BUT it must unloaded with the muzzle pointed Straight up, action open and facing out (so anyone can see).  Recognize that there are some guns that action doesn’t open like some muzzle loaders or that some shotguns like hinge or break action would be awkward to have muzzle up. For Muzzle loaders that do not have an “action” to open, all primers, powder need to be removed, and the striker/hammer must be in the …

December 6, 2025 – 8am to 1pm (class will initially meet at the 4H Center for a classroom portion) Cost: $40 for club members and $60 for non-club members (12 spots available). Class will be taught be ASC Member Sean Powell This class will cover fundamentals the civilian responder should consider in the event of an active killer/shooter. Classroom will cover basic principles to follow and range drills will cover basic drills and evaluations to help a student understand their current capabilities with their chosen handgun. Students should have a grasp of basic skills for the defensive handgun. Required Equipment: Students will need a quality/functional handgun. At least two spare magazines (would recommend more if using a single stack handgun or revolver) Quality holster that covers the trigger guard. Suggest students work from concealment (avoid nylon/soft leather holsters and trigger finger retention devices (For example Blackhawk SERPA holsters). If military/law enforcement/security could use duty holsters Eye and Ear Protection – Electronic Ear Protection Recommended 300 rounds of practice ammunition and at least 20 rounds of defensive/carry/duty ammunition. Notepad and Pen/Pencil Zero handguns prior to the class if they have red dots or adjustable iron sights. Contact Chief Instructor Scott Sampson …

Fellow members I want to reiterate and emphasize our commitment to safety on the range.  There have been several instances lately where it appears a causal attitude is being taken with how firearms are being handled.  Compliancy kills and will shut down the club.  If you have not reread the rules lately, please do so.  We have these in place to prevent accidents.  Lately we have found where people have discharges rounds outside of our range, bringing uncased guns to the line when the line is cold, handling guns when people are down range, and having people down range when shooting has started.  We take these infractions very seriously.  Someone’s life could have been easily taken with some of these violations.  We are urging you to have ruthless adherence to safety practices and be polite but firm in monitoring others at the club if you see a safety infraction. If you have ANY questions about what is safe or not, please let us know.  We would much rather answer questions now vs taking disciplinary action or worse having to address an injury or death.  With no staff, we rely on you, our members, to keep our range safe. Thank you …

🚫 Buckshot Violation Alert 🚫 We recently discovered buckshot shell casings on the shotgun range. ⚠️ BUCKSHOT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED ON THE SHOTGUN RANGE. ⚠️ This includes trap, skeet, and 5-stand areas. ✅ Allowed Shot Sizes: Only shot shells size 7.5 or smaller (e.g., 8, 9) are permitted. 🔍 Why? Larger shot can travel beyond our designated shot fall zone, posing a serious safety risk. 🔁 Where Buckshot Is Allowed: Buckshot, slugs, and similar loads may be used on the SRB or 25/50-yard and 100m ranges. Let’s keep our ranges safe and enjoyable for everyone. Please follow the rules and help us maintain a safe shooting environment. Violations of this rule will result in disciplinary action.

I was recently shown a video of a group on a firing line. The safety violations were staggering. These weren’t new shooters — they appeared experienced, but likely complacent. When I was flying aircraft, we had a saying: “Complacency kills.” These folks were lucky that phrase didn’t hold true. Let’s talk about firing line safety. While each range has its own rules, there should be a universal baseline of safe behavior. Here are a few fundamentals: Bringing a Gun to the Line Always bring your firearm to the line in a case, and ensure it’s unloaded. Uncasing Before touching the firearm, rotate the case so the barrel faces downrange. Otherwise, you risk pointing the gun in an unsafe direction the moment you touch it. Open the Action Before placing the gun on the bench, open the action, remove any magazines (if applicable), and lay it down with the ejection port facing up. Firearms should never be set down with a closed action or a magazine inserted — except in an emergency. If you have chamber flags, use them. Cold Line Protocol When the line is cold and someone goes downrange, step back from the shooting points. No Handling During Cold …

I was at the range today on the 100m.  I found a lot of broken clays on the crest of the slight hill just forward of the shooting points. I found bullet strikes on the ground where the shooter missed the clays.  Per our rules we prohibit shooting anything on the ground unless it is at the berm.  You cannot use portable targets anywhere other than at/in the berm.  Because the ground is not stone free, a round could have skipped off a rock and ended up in the road.  We do have cameras just for this type of situation so we will track down who did this or you could save us the trouble and let the board know if it was you. It doesn’t matter if you were shooting rifle, pistol or shotgun.  This is not allowed.

Fellow members, For those that have not been following social media and news reports, the Sig Sauer P320 has come under a lot of scrutiny lately due to what appears to be un-commanded  discharges.  Currently there is no clear answer as to why this is happening.  The majority of issues we have seen are associated with the gun being in a holster.  Many of us own Sig 320 platforms and have never had an issue.  The safety of the platform however does concern us.  As a result we have done the following: Modified the range rules to include a TEMPORARY section which includes a BAN on having a Sig P320, LOADED in a holster on ASC property.  You may still shoot the gun without a using a holster.  Keep in mind that we still don’t allow any loaded gun to be set down on a bench unless it is an emergency. We have added an Sig Sauer P320 Information web page to capture information about the platform. Information about the ban is included here as well as the range rules. Please understand this ban we hope is temporary until a clear reason and solution (if applicable) is made.  We recognize …