What should you always do before leaving a shooting range?

Before leaving a shooting range, it is crucial to ensure that your firearm is unloaded and properly cased. This is an essential safety protocol designed to prevent accidental discharges and ensure that no live ammunition is left in the firearm when it is being transported or stored. By confirming that your firearm is unloaded, you help maintain a safe environment, protecting yourself, others at the range, and anyone who may come into contact with the firearm afterward.

Additionally, properly casing the firearm ensures that it is secured and prevents unauthorized access. Proper storage minimizes the risk of accidents both at the range and when the firearm is in transit. This practice reinforces responsible gun ownership and handling, which is a fundamental principle that all shooters are trained to uphold.

Other activities, such as cleaning the firearm thoroughly, checking shooting data, or notifying the range officer, while important at different stages of shooting practice, do not hold the same immediate critical safety implications as ensuring that the firearm is unloaded and cased. Therefore, the priority before leaving the range centers around proper firearm safety.