During the mandatory safety briefing, we were told that limited shotgun use is permitted on the range.  Let me explain.  I know to NEVER use the target backers, and that shots should be directed to the earthen backdrop.  We have a shotgun for home protection use and it is imperative to give the family members recurring "trigger time."  Each time I have brought the shotgun, we've been "lectured" on shooting the backers (when we have clearly gone to a range without any wooden backers) then given "special permission" from memebrs identifying themseles as a board member to shoot as we had planned.  The question comes as the rules/web disallow shotguns (presumably to address those blasting the target backers, etc), yet in the meeting, my scenario was given the OK.  Please post a reply here that I might print and produce as written permission to practice with our home defense gun.  We understand the need to keep the ranges clean, not destroy target backers, etc.  We have always done limited shooting and even pick up our hulls.It would be nice to not be confronted EACH visit due to this topic.Thanks

Rules allow "approved" steel targets in the rimfire/handgun range.  Please clarify that "spinner" targets, if placed up against the earthen backdrop (not on range floor) are acceptable/"approved."
Thanks

The Range Rules for 2010 state: Provide your own backers to pattern shotguns, do not use rifle or pistol backers owned by club.  Shotguns with slugs are permitted to use club backers.

If you have a copy of those rules, which should have been available at the orientation, that should be sufficient. If not, you can print a set from the link provided. Printing out any of my interpretations of this rule is probably just a waste of paper.

Hypothetically, I suppose someone being overly pedantic may take the position that if you are using #4 rounds to practice, you aren't using slugs, or patterning your shotgun, so you can't do it.  My read, is there is nothing to prevent you from bringing your own target stand and shooting it, or even just firing into the berm to get the feel of the shotgun. The rules merely tell us not to use the club backers (MRSA being the club in this case) unless we're using slugs.

It is unfortunate you've been "lectured"; take the rules with you and maybe you can do some lecturing back. Once you get everyone trained, then your confrontations should be a thing of the past.  In your lecturers' defense, the MRSA rules used to say no shotguns, period.  It was an unwritten addition to those rules that if you brought your own target stands, it was OK.  The approach for 2010 is new, in that we're trying to get all the club rules, especially the formerly unwritten ones, gathered into one document.

It will doubtless take a while to get everyone familiar with the 2010 rules, and even then there are a few tweaks still to be made (but it's not quite 2010 yet so we still have time, right?)

You've pointed out a great example of another un-written rule that may need to be added to the document.  You wrote: "...and even pick up our hulls" as if it were extraordinary. It isn't. Everyone knows that you have to pick up your empties when you are done shooting. Except... maybe not. If you haven't been to any of the dozen meetings where that dead horse was repeatedly beaten, it may not even occur to you that some of the cranky old MRSA guys consider that willful littering and would be lobbying the board to revoke your membership if you just walked away and left your hulls on the ground.  It never ocurred to me before now that we should put it in the rules, because it's one of those things that "everyone knows".

Rules allow "approved" steel targets in the rimfire/handgun range.  Please clarify that "spinner" targets, if placed up against the earthen backdrop (not on range floor) are acceptable/"approved."
Thanks

  
 Short answer: Yes.

Long answer:
I suspect you are getting that from the 2006 rules, which the 2010 rules are intended to replace. (I'm off to put a note to that effect on them now) Several years ago, a set of rules was published that expressly forbade any targets but paper affixed to plywood, and forbade steel targets.  A couple of years ago (not sure exactly when, but it was before I was elected to the BOD) the board decided that's not what they meant, and steel targets were ok as long as the board approved them.  Then they decided not to require targets to be submitted for approval.  Rather, any steel designed as a target that's safe is "approved".  That still ruled out washing machines and dryers, frying pans, etc, but includes spinners, poppers, plate racks, silhouettes, and the like. 

With the 2010 incarnation of the unified rules, the 'approved steel targets' bit is dropped entirely.  Hopefully someone won't interpret that to mean it is OK to drag their old refrigerator onto the range and shoot is full of holes.

Thank you!  You clarified my questions.