Smoking While Running Clock

[Zachariah Smith 70528]

Smoking While Running Clock

 

Smoking does not bother me during matches as I can simply move up wind. The one time it does bother me is when the timer operator is smoking as I can’t move away.

 

It would be nice if timer operators did not smoke. Just before I shoot is not a good to get into a discussion about smoking.

 

Any suggestions as to how to tactfully handle this?

[BLACKFOOT SASS #11947]

To smoke while serving as RO is inconsiderate. I would be just as inconsiderate and say something like "I'll wait until you finish your cigarette before I start".

 

Blackfoot

[rebsr52339]

Hey Smith, A guy was doing it one time when I was shooting and I told him I was alergic to it. He put it out. No hard feelings etc.

[Cypress Sun]

If the TO smoking while running the timer bothers you, simply ask that someone take over the TO duties while you shoot. You can explain your reason to the smoker either before or after.

 

Frankly, I find it hard to accept that someone smoking in the open bothers you but the smoke from gunpowder with vaporized lead particals doesn't bother you.

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

 

Frankly, I find it hard to accept that someone smoking in the open bothers you but the smoke from gunpowder with vaporized lead particals doesn't bother you.

 

Ditto, sooner or later they will outlaw smoking outside then we can all live to be a 100.

[Matthew Duncan]

The Clerk/Treasurer of a small Town during a Board meeting.

 

She had a lit cigarette in the ash try, another lit between her lips and was in the process of pulling a 3rd out of the pack.

 

Town Mayor ask her how many she needed?

 

The point is she smoked by habit and didn't even realize what she was doing!

 

Figure most TOs might not even consious of having a lit cigerette in their hands.

 

(Serious mode off)

 

(Normal mode on)

 

Just shoot the TO's big toe off and say sorry?

[Blue Steel Duke]

Even though my hand rolled cheroot is probably more period correct than most of the guns used in a match, I wait until the victory campfire afterwards to light up

 

BSD

[richie reno]

Howdy ,all the range I shoot at has a no smomking from load table to unload table rule

[August West, SASS #45079]

What a bunch of pansy candy nozzle snuffers.

 

All that dust. All that gunsmoke. And yer sensibilities are put off their axis by a whiff or two of Tabac???

 

It's outside..... It's a gunfight..... It's 1886....... Most people bathe once a week, if at all..... A central part of the economy is tobacco..... There's manure everywhere....

 

I have always wondered who was eroding my freedoms. Now, I got a bead on 'em.

 

Frankly, this discussion sounds exactly like the talk that goes on when folks build a house next to a gun range that was built a hundred years ago and now feel their rights have been infringed by the range. Or, like the constant whiner that complains she feels unsafe every time an A-10 flies over her house because it might crash into it. Yes, the air force base was there a long time before her house was built and a very long time before she moved into it.

 

Cigars are part of a SASS match and have been for a long time before I got there. I never saw a SASS match without ceeegars and didn't breath the air where the smoke was if I didn't want to.

 

I'm surprised to come in here (of all places) to read so much 1980s, politically correct, Kaliforniverbage against something that was such an integral part of the old west and SASS as it has been for over a quarter of a century. These are the same forms of prose aimed at RTKBA.

 

If you want to talk about carcinogens, you'll probably learn yer whole kit is more dangerous to you than someone else's ceeeegar.

 

Now, having said all that, from an R/O perspective, I think substitute black powder formulations ought to be banned from SASS for all the kandi-Kalifornilogic reason you level at the leaf.

 

I've seen the enemy of freedom and it is us.

[Tom Payne 13115]

AW,

[Boondock Saint, #70146]

I don't smoke. I can only remember one time that a TO was smoking when he ran the timer for me. It didn't bother me.

 

Now that you mention it, I would be more worried about a mis-step and running into the lit end than I would be about the smoke.

 

If I happen to be shooting Frontiersman, I would feel a bit silly complaining about a cigarette or a cigar.

 

If I did smoke, and I was TO, I would hold off while I was running the timer.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

Why should we care...what's the big deal.

 

OY!!!!

 

Now farting while running the timer...THAT'S another story!

 

[Rio Brazos Kid]

What a bunch of pansy candy nozzle snuffers.

 

All that dust. All that gunsmoke. And yer sensibilities are put off their axis by a wiff or two of Tabac.

 

It's outside..... It's a gunfight..... It's 1886....... Most people bath once a week, if at all..... A central part of the economy is tobacco..... There's manure everywhere....

 

I have always wondered who was eroding my freedoms. Now, I got a bead on 'em.

 

 

+1 on what August West said. It's outside in the open air for christ's sake. Some people just like to gripe.

Personally, I haven't smoked in 19 years, but those who do certainly do not bother me, and more especially when outside in the open air.

 

RBK

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

The only time I ever had a problem with smoking at a match is when I was watching a guy at the loading table charging his C&B revolvers with loose powder and the guy standing next to him was smoking a cigar.

 

Now most of us charge our C&B revolvers at our carts and only cap at the loading table. Problem solved.

 

I don't like somebody smoking a cigarette next to me in a fancy restaurant, but that's as far as I go with imposing my will over others' habits.

[Wyatt]

I think posting purty much took care of one problem.

 

Now fer yer next problem.

 

The next time it happens ya wont know why they are smoking.

 

Wyatt

[Virgil Ray Hality, SASS# 37355]

I used to smoke. I quit back in the 1980s. The smell of a lit cigar still makes me drool. So, I don't care much for anything that re-awakins these cravings.

 

However, it aint the 1870s, its 2011 and we are outside at a range where there is gunsmoke all about the place. There is probably more gunsmoke in the air than would have been from a saloon gunfight "back in the day".

 

Would I begrudge someone a smoke while timing. No. I come home with smoke and grit in my nostrils from matches and its far worse than what I remember from smoking tabacco.

 

On smoking in general... that is a behavior that exists in every human culture acorss the globe. Its a way of life for those who choose it.

 

You want to smoke? Smoke, but not in my house... And if you smoke while handling gnpowder at the range I'll say something to you and others from far away .. hahaha

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

Yer gonna read something here ya never read in the minutes at yer state house when they limit the heck outta smoking.

 

I smoke, and I'm damned tired of irrationally being pushed around by those who don't, and most especially by the "fervent converts" who quit and wanna "help" me too.

 

I grew up when every candy store, every meat market, every workplace of any kind and almost every taxicab was filled with smoke. We dealt with it and honestly, as kids we didn't know any better. We also had wood stoves and fireplaces that on a cool fall day would fill village streets with smoke so dense ya needed headlights, and non-treated sewage that ran ripe into the rivers in summer. We had leather industry (salted hides stored for months) and chrome and whatnot used in processing.... We had a battery plant you could smell at any hour, the sweet smell of acid as ya walked by, an acid that melted concrete blocks....

 

I understand that through much advancement, our environment is SOMEWHAT cleaner than it used to be (we still have wood stoves, we have enough rubber dust coming off urban expressways to be measurable in kids lungs, we have myriad and sundry plastics and their fumes, cadmium and lithium, etc, etc, etc,

 

But dammit, just because you can smell somebody's cigar or cigarette for a few seconds OUTSIDE, doesn't mean yer gonna die from it, and honestly is probably less a threat to your health than yer roll-on deoderant. As long as a pard ain't about to set ya on fire, or smoking at the LOADING TABLE where loose powder might be present, or smoking at the lunch table, blowing it in yer face while yer trying to eat, or smoking in YOUR house or YOUR car, get a grip and leave em the hell alone.

 

Go back to your camp, light yer charcoal grill and grill ya a nice steak, and remember, when it flares with that great smell of charred beef, yer causing it to contain chemicals known by the state of california to cause cancer, and yer gonna eat that.....

[Cypress Sam, SASS #10915]

I agree that the timer operator should not smoke while running a shooter through. The smell doesn't bother me (I was born with no sense of smell) but the smoke burns my eyes and causes my lungs and throat to constrict. It's really hard to shoot my best stage that way.

 

For some reason black powder or smokeless powder smoke doesn't affect me the same way. I don't like to breath powder smoke either, but when I'm shooting I just have to put up with it. If someone else is shooting, I can move out of the way.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

Hi Folks,

 

It is very inconsiderate to smoke while acting as TO not to mention the distraction to "safely assisting the shooter..."

 

The gun smoke bothers my eyes too. That is a price I am willing to pay to shoot. Don't make it worse with your cigars and cigarettes. Show some consideration to others and step away to smoke.

 

Regards,

 

Allie Mo

[Assassin]

I like watching the TO's trying to grab a gun or stop a shooter when they have a big fat cigar in their hand, or yell commands to a shooter with a pipe or cigar in their mouth. TO's should not smoke when timing so they can be most effective. Most smokers I know are considerate enough to stay downwind when indulging. I don't like seeing butts on the ground, if your a smoker at least police your butts.

 

 

LL'

[Filthy Lucre, 55674L]

Why should we care...what's the big deal.

 

OY!!!!

 

Now farting while running the timer...THAT'S another story!

 

 

 

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

I prefer to chew tobacco whilst reading the stage description. I find the intermittent pauses to spit, all the while juice running down my chin, adds a 19th century flair that makes the whole experience more authentic. It infringes on no one, except those that are easily nauseated.

[Smithy]

For 25 years I worked as a dispatcher for a local department at a nuclear power plant. The two offices that I worked in were built for only two occupants much like what you may have seen with a missile launch room, ie. kind of cramped. Unfortunately I started in 1982 when smoking was the norm and 75% of my workforce of 20, smoked. That meant for all intents and purposes, I also smoked. You couldn't get away from it. There was an inversion layer in the room of smoke about knee high so there was no way to position ones self to not breath the smoke. I would ask my coworkers to not smoke so much and they would tell me to get stuffed. It finally took a pregnant woman and a concentrated effort from all the non smokers to get management to rule our work areas, non smoking areas. Yeah! But outside it's a different story, unless the RO is breathing down your neck and being obnoxious about it, I see no harm in puffing away. Smithy.

[Griff]

Smoking While Running Clock

Smoking does not bother me during matches as I can simply move up wind. The one time it does bother me is when the timer operator is smoking as I can't move away.

It would be nice if timer operators did not smoke. Just before I shoot is not a good to get into a discussion about smoking.

Any suggestions as to how to tactfully handle this?

How 'bout a stream of period correct tobacco juice on his boots? "Ooops, didn't see ya standin' there."

 

But, really? Are ya allergic? If so, say something, if not... well, wait till he gets relieved.

[J.D.Ironsmith]

I've seen the enemy of freedom and it is us.

There it is in a nutshell folks...

 

 

 

I will say this... as a timer operator I will not smoke. This is not due to the unrealistic, perceived sensitivities of the shooter, but the fact no matter how the cigar is held (in hand or mouth) if it is lit, there is the possibility of burning the shooter if you have to step into their space to stop an unsafe action from happening. And, I generally try to stay off to the side (as much as I can and still be part of the working posse) when I smoke, except when I am shooting, and then I will most likely have a good ol' stogie clench in my teeth!

 

And, if ask... in a resonable and polite way... I will put my smoke out... just wish non-smokers would be as respectful of my rights, as they want me to be of theirs...

[Colorado Lightning, SASS #50566]

Frankly, I find it hard to accept that someone smoking in the open bothers you but the smoke from gunpowder with vaporized lead particals doesn't bother you.

 

I quit smoking about ten years ago. The smell is disgusting. I am not upset about it as a health issue in most places. I wish anyone on the posse would move way to the back to smoke.

 

Colorado Lightning

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

How 'bout a stream of period correct tobacco juice on his boots? "Ooops, didn't see ya standin' there."

 

But, really? Are ya allergic? If so, say something, if not... well, wait till he gets relieved.

 

That's a part of it, Griff. A feller might not get a break. Some clubs have a system where yer gonna have a split posse, and the "A" TO will run half the shooters through, then he'll be in line to load, shoot, etc wheen the B TO takes over. If ya have a short hands situation, even when he's supposed to get a break it don't happen. So if folks wanna demand he don't smoke when he's running the timer, expect he will comply this time, then not sign up to TO next time. After all, it's really easier to reset targets or count misses while enjoying a cheroot and let "somebody else" run the timer. It ain't like it's a $90K/yr job, ya know.... Careful what ya wish for. AND, be careful that ya don't irritate the SHOOTER who comes to the line, ceegar in his face (lit or not) and some TO decides to be the "clean air police" (Yes, I pretty near got run out of a Walmart once when I was shopping with an unlit ceegar in my craw. Fer cryin out loud!)

[Manatee]

Interesting. Governments keep raising tobacco taxes to pay for budget shortfalls. Why not just ban all cigarettes and raise taxes on income, property and food?

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

PS I quit smoking 27 years ago and still have nightmares that I had "just one."

 

PPS Those of you who think non-smokers are rude, why should we have to ask you to step back. You are the people holding the "cancer sticks."

[Smokey Shayne]

Well..Im a smoker and one of those that tends to run the timer a lot. I will smoke while at my gun cart and occasionally if I am counting, providing I can stand away from others. I do no smoke while timing for anyone. Yes, I enjoy my smokes, but I also know what a nasty habit it is. I remember when I was younger and did not smoke how much I hated the smell and the smoke burning my eyes. I dont feel like I am giving up any of my personal rights by not smoking around non smokers, I just feel I am being considerate. Plus, like others have said, I dont believe I can give my full attention to the shooter while trying to either hold a cig in my hand or my mouth. I need both of those to safely assist the shooter

[Dick Dastardly SASS #45219]

Manatee, it's cuz they don't want to kill the cash cow that tobacco provides. If the liberals had the courage of their convictions they'd make tobacco a controlled substance and be done with it. They want to play around the edges but don't really want to get in the game.

 

FWIW, I make so much gunsmoke that the RO can't stand the taste of it with his tobacco. . .

 

DD DLoS

[Anvil Al #59168]

Don't recall ever having someone time me, and smoke.

 

I don't smoke. NEVER have. Hate the smell.

 

If someone is smoking on the range. I stand away from them.

If they come up to where I am. I move. Never mention it to them.

I just move.

 

However.

If I am the shooter?????? I can't move. You will.

That is my stage for that few moments.

If you are running the timer. And YOUR smoke is getting in MY eyes.

Or effecting me in anyway. I have the right to as good a stage as I can

shoot.

And I WILL ask you to hand off the timer, or put it out.

Give me a chance at the best stage I can.

Don't need to try and shoot a stage with our smoke in my eyes. I have

enough problems on my own.

 

After I am done shooting. Do what ya want. I can move away from you again.

 

 

Now having said all that.

In 7 years.

Never ran into a problem with someone running the timer and smoking.

[Easy Emily SASS #73673]

Interesting. Governments keep raising tobacco taxes to pay for budget shortfalls. Why not just ban all cigarettes and raise taxes on income, property and food?

 

 

hmmm I think they have done that also

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

Hi Again Folks,

 

I have encountered this twice. I guess that is not bad in 12 years of SASS shooting.

 

Once was my first year shooting and I forgot what to shoot next. I know, that is my problem, not the TOs. HOWEVER, he was busy passing his cigarette pack to one of the counters and was clueless. Luckily another counter paid attention and told me what to do.

 

The second time was at a Plainsman Event at Regional Match. I do wonder if his smoking had anything to do with me cocking my rifle and then moving because I couldn't see one of the targets. Maybe he could have stopped me in his "safely assisting" if he hadn't been so busy with what he was smoking. I didn't question it because I "done wrong" and should have known better.

 

Just saying...

 

Regards,

 

Allie Mo

 

Allie, yer right, it doesn't have a thing to do with smoking. If he woulda been messing with a water bottle or unwrapping a stick of gum you'd get the same result. Regardless of the tasks, muti-tasking takes thought. If a feller has a cig or ceegar and takes a drag off it while the shooter is enroute from the LT to the line, waits that whole 30 seconds or minute while the shooter is actually shooting, then takes another drag while the shooter is making his way off the line, the targets are being reset, etc, he ain't bothering anybody any more than he would if he was hitting the gatorade.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

Plus one ... or even two ... nope, plus 3 .. to Adirondack Jack

 

Coffinmaker