Out of Range (The Anti Self-Defense lobby's war on shooting ranges)

America;s 1st Freedom(NRA) | Apr 2002 | Kayne Robinson

[Dan from Michigan]

All typos and misspellings are mine. If you are not a member, please join the NRA. It is still the best and most effective Pro-2a org out there. They were a major force behind CCW in my state, and have stopped EVERY ASD bill in this state that I can remember. We are winning here, and largely thanks to the NRA, as well as MCRGO.

More importantly, learn about your township boards, city councils, and county commishioners views on guns. Much of the zoning laws and the like are on that level, not to mention that todays township supervisor is tomorrow's state rep.

I haven't heard of range closing in Livingston County, but when I was growing up there, there was 100,000 people in the county. Now there is 150,000+ and and is rapidly developing. IT's becoming suburbia. I used to be able to hunt across the street from my dad's house. Not anymore. Too many homes.

We need to make more inroads in the cities in the shooting sports, and we need to control sprawl as well. This is a conservative issue.

[coloradan]

"They ban silencers, and then ban shooting ranges because they are too noisy." - J. Ross, Unintended Consequences

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

All around America, as cities spread and surburbs sprawl, anti-gun forces are misusing noise nuisance lawsuits, zoning restrictions, ever-stricter environmental laws, and other bureaucratic restrictions to put shooting ranges on the run.

I don't believe it. The anti-gun people would never misuse the legal system to harass people who are politically inconvenient in order to push their agenda. /sarcasm

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

One of things that I have been seeing from the anti-gunners is their use/abuse of environmental regs and agencies. They claim that the lead bullets are bad for the environment. Their claims are ludicrous but they get the attention of the EPA, who has an endless checkbook. If you go against them, they'll spend you to death. You'll lose everything defending yourself.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Ping!

[Gadsen]

We've lost both of our outdoor ranges this year. The second one just this week. BS, pure and simple.

Gadsen

[Dan from Michigan]

BOOM

[pocat]

I ran into this problem a few years ago. I'm rural, but my property has a few houses around it in all directions and I have no suitable backstop. My brother and I used to regularly shoot on his mother-in-law's property until a subdivision started developing behind her land. Complaints about "noise" started so that soon stopped. I used to travel about a half-hour to my parents' farm to shoot, but due to a "spat" with them about a year ago (not gun-related), I don't go there anymore.

Most of the "sportsman's clubs" in the area are nothing more than drinking teams with hunting and fishing problems, and their yearly fees are outrageous with sometimes a year or two waiting list just to get in - provided you have the bucks.

However, there is a country store/gun shop just down the road from me where the owner lets me shoot out back. (My wife works there and I'm one of his best customers.) It's only 100 yds, but a good place to shoot handguns or get a new scope to hit the paper. I just recently did some work for a fellow who owns land near the Licking River (yes, that's the real name). By my best estimate so far, his flats along the river are in the 400+ yd. range. I offered to pay him to use the area. He only asked that I don't drink or litter in the area. I told him the only sign of me being there would be an occasional stray casing. The .308 will surely get a workout this summer.

Finding a decent range to shoot is sometimes frustrating - even though I live in the country. Since I'm a strong supporter of private property rights, I don't think fighting "urban sprawl" is necessarily the answer. If someone wants to develop his land, that's his right. I think once the anti's get the "environmental hazard" ball rolling to shut down ranges, urban sprawl will be the least of our worries.

Any of you guys have problems finding a suitable range? When it comes time for me to buy another house, range area will be priority number one.

[tet68]

The city of Atlanta has a little police range, 50yd
no benches, uncovered, no fancy target setups,
to simulate moving targets they pull one across the butts with a string.

Developers built condos next door so it's only a matter of time.
To build a new indoor range will cost over a million dollars.
The city is so pillaged by the Campbell administration that the force is some 300 under staffed.
Do you think they will have the money for a new range?

[Dan from Michigan]

I'm lucky in Lansing or back in Livingston County. In Livingston County - The Howell Gun Club is cheap($40 I think to join and they back MCRGO) and 10 miles away from where I used to live.

In Lansing, I'm about 1/2 hour from a fairly range in Eaton Rapids, Family Shooter's Corral. I'm 15 minutes from Total Firearms in Mason, which has a good indoor. There's also Capitol City in Williamston nearby.

Luckily outside of NW Ingham County, there is still much rural area, especially compared to the Detroit Area.

[Dawgsquat]

Any of you guys have problems finding a suitable range?

Nope. Got 38 acres. It's good to live in the woods.

[SR71A]

If any of you have property, do NOT allow any portion to be used for a public range. Unless, of course, you and your descendants unto the xth generation never plan to SELL the property. The LEAD CLEANUP costs will DESTROY your investment. Take it from someone who knows...my great-grandfathers' ranch had a shooting range, and it took HALF THE VALUE of the property to clean up that damned range before we, his descendants, could sell. If you do have a range, DO NOT LET ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY use it. You have to sue to get them to help in the clean up.

[pocat]

Lucky dawg.

My goal: to live where I can open my back door and p*ss if I want to.

[Dawgsquat]

LOL!!!! I do that quite often when the wife is hogging the bathroom.

[Dawgsquat]

Good point. That's a sad story.

[Soul Citizen]

Practice makes Perfect

[groanup]

Thank-you for posting this. I'll bump it all night if I have to.

Back in the sixties and seventies I could get in a car, ride a little out of town and set up a range in the woods or field. Now I have an 11 year old son and I can only take him to an indoor range. He doesn't like it and I don't blame him because feral jocks bring 45-70 or whatever pistols to the range and make the place sound like a nuclear test site. We just want to shoot our .22's, .410's and .38's. But we have nowhere to go. I think NRA needs to do something like the Nature Conservancy and buy land that people can shoot on. I know that I give minimal to the NRA but I will give all I can to an effort like this.

[groanup]

BUMP - POW!

[my trusty sig]

Ditto for me. My particular township (Greene) in Pike County, PA has no zoning, period. During the day I just go out on my property, app same acreage as you have, and shoot all I want. The state ranges are safe from pinko meddlers... PA generates too much dough from hunting and the NRA remains quite strong here.

[quietolong]

I just found out the other day. You can own silencers . All you need to do is pay a one time tax and get a stamp.