18 Jan 2021 Michael Jonathan Woods · Prevention of Future Deaths report County of Dorset
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Concerns raised 2 Failure to conduct periodic emergency response exercises for serious incidents View source Lack of training for shooting-range staff in identifying signs of abnormal behaviour View source
Actions described in response An action is something this recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised. 3
Action
Publish guidance recommending appropriate staff training and procedures for public shooting-experience ranges.
View source
Action
Test emergency response procedures twice yearly for ranges operated by the commercial subsidiaries.
View source
Action
Arrange training for shooting-experience staff to identify abnormal behaviour and respond to potential self-harm risks.
View source
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AI-generated summary
Michael Jonathan Woods · Prevention of Future Deaths report
This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.
Report summary
Michael Jonathan Woods died at Southampton Hospital on 9 October 2019 after using a rifle to shoot himself while taking part in a supervised shooting experience at a rifle range in Charmouth. The substantive concerns were the need for training to help range staff identify abnormal behaviour and for periodic emergency response exercises; these had been adopted but not yet delivered because of COVID restrictions.
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× Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to National Rifle Association; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to conduct periodic emergency response exercises for serious incidents
Wider context from the report “(1) ████████, who gave evidence at the Inquest, recommended that staff at the range undergo training in identifying signs of abnormal behaviour on the part of anyone wishing to take part in a shooting experience, to ensure that person is in the appropriate frame of mind to shoot. The shooting range have adopted the recommendation and appointed a training provider, though the training itself has yet to be delivered due to covid restrictions. I heard evidence from ████████
████████, owner of the shooting range, that he is not aware of similar training being made available to staff at other shooting ranges. ████████ went on to give evidence that he believes such training would be of value nationally, and could form part of a range officer's training.
(2) ████████ also recommended that staff periodically carry out "emergency response" exercises to improve the staff response for this type of serious incident. Again, ████████ confirmed the recommendation has been adopted and training identified, but not yet delivered due to covid restrictions . ████████ gave evidence that such training would be of value nationally.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to National Rifle Association; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of training for shooting-range staff in identifying signs of abnormal behaviour
Wider context from the report “(1) ████████, who gave evidence at the Inquest, recommended that staff at the range undergo training in identifying signs of abnormal behaviour on the part of anyone wishing to take part in a shooting experience, to ensure that person is in the appropriate frame of mind to shoot. The shooting range have adopted the recommendation and appointed a training provider, though the training itself has yet to be delivered due to covid restrictions . I heard evidence from ████████
████████, owner of the shooting range, that he is not aware of similar training being made available to staff at other shooting ranges . ████████ went on to give evidence that he believes such training would be of value nationally, and could form part of a range officer's training.
(2) ████████ also recommended that staff periodically carry out "emergency response" exercises to improve the staff response for this type of serious incident. Again, ████████ confirmed the recommendation has been adopted and training identified, but not yet delivered due to covid restrictions. ████████ gave evidence that such training would be of value nationally.
” Open source report
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Publish guidance recommending appropriate staff training and procedures for public shooting-experience ranges.
Verbatim wording from the response “3.4 The NRA and NSRA will publish specific guidance recommending appropriate training and procedures for staff at other rifle ranges operating in the wider sector offering shooting experiences to the public. We intend to publish this guidance by 30th October 2021 to allow time for the review of the initial training and incorporation of feedback.” Source location 2021-0015-Response-from-National-Rifle-Association-and-National-Smallbore-Rifle-Association-Redacted
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Test emergency response procedures twice yearly for ranges operated by the commercial subsidiaries.
Verbatim wording from the response “3.5 The commercial subsidiaries of the NRA and NSRA already have emergency response procedures in place for the shooting ranges they operate. We will now review our emergency response procedures specifically in relation to documenting the appropriate response to an act of self-harm or a threat of self-harm. We will ensure, commencing April 2021, that these procedures are tested twice yearly.” Source location 2021-0015-Response-from-National-Rifle-Association-and-National-Smallbore-Rifle-Association-Redacted
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Source evidence
How this respondent action was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Arrange training for shooting-experience staff to identify abnormal behaviour and respond to potential self-harm risks.
Verbatim wording from the response “3.2 We have decided to direct our respective commercial subsidiaries that operate ranges to arrange training of staff employed in the delivery of shooting experiences. The training objective will be to assist staff to identify signs of abnormal behaviour in people who wish to take part in shooting experiences. The intended operational outcomes are to raise awareness of the indications of abnormal behaviour that may suggest that a person is not in an appropriate frame of mind to engage in shooting activities and to provide guidance to staff as to how to respond in that situation. We expect this training to be delivered by 30th September 2021.” Source location 2021-0015-Response-from-National-Rifle-Association-and-National-Smallbore-Rifle-Association-Redacted
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Source evidence
How this respondent position was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation Other rifle range operators retain responsibility for implementing training and reviewing emergency procedures; the organisations will publish guidance.
Verbatim wording from the response “3.4 The NRA and NSRA will publish specific guidance recommending appropriate training and procedures for staff at other rifle ranges operating in the wider sector offering shooting experiences to the public. We intend to publish this guidance by 30th October 2021 to allow time for the review of the initial training and incorporation of feedback.” Source location 2021-0015-Response-from-National-Rifle-Association-and-National-Smallbore-Rifle-Association-Redacted
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Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations