FWIW
Some numbers to support this assertion, please. I will concede that the risk of getting sued if involved in an automobile accident are not totally negligible, but that is why we buy auto insurance. This thread is not about that kind of liability, nor was my post.
Actually, your post asked about non-employment, non-business liability (
"For those of you so concerned about personal liability lawsuits in non-employment, non-business situations: how many people do you personally know who have had this problem?"). Automobile usage certainly falls within that.
As far as non-automotive, private liability goes, I've been involved in lawsuits arising out of dog attacks, horse and cow accidents, slip and falls, boomerang accidents (!), trampoline accidents, golfing accidents, boating accidents, swimming pool accidents, small airplane accidents, fires, etc. I don't recall precisely how many such cases, but certainly well over 100. I'm unsure how that really helps you, but since you asked.
If you choose to assess any risk as insignificant, that's fine; we all need to make our own decisions. I don't sell insurance, own no insurance company shares, and have no vested interest in promoting it.
I wonder how many people who are aghast at an RSO not having insurance have ever actually spent time at a shooting range. I don't fault the OP in the least for his decision, but ranges where I have shot have been highly controlled environments and not at all scary. I don't have any numbers but my guess is that my highway time driving to and from the range is at least as risky as my time spent shooting.
I for one am not aghast; I just think he's being treated shabbily.
As a longtime target shooter, I have extensive experience on various military and civilian ranges. I agree that they are controlled environments, and that the risk of injury or death is much less than driving. That said, human beings are imperfect and some accidents will always happen, no matter how controlled the environment. We can minimize risks, but they can never be eliminated:
- I've personally witnessed one AD on a civilian range (fortunately with the pistol pointed downrange);
- David Petraeus is a well-known example of a wounding by AD on a military range; and
- I once had a friend who was suspended from a police academy after accidentally wounding a fellow recruit on the range.