My Gun Range was Closed, Safety Issue!

Sorry to hear that kcofohio.


Many of the reasons mentioned already are why I've never been to a formal range. I've had 2 guest passes to CSA for about 6mths and haven't been able to bring myself to check it out. It's threads like these, what I see at gunshows and just the general attitude of society that give me my pause/hesitation. If there were stricter requirements for shooters I might feel more comfortable but a "public" range where all you need is a valid ID to shoot a firearm does not sit well with me in this day and age. And I do think that is a shame.

HoosierQ said:

Mine burned down because, apparently, somebody fired a tracer into the rubber matrix backstop material and 10 tons of shredded tires were set on fire by a 5,000 degree magnesium bullet lodged in the pile. What a mess.

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'Q' are you speaking of Beech Grove Shooting Range??

Have they ever re-opened the range??

My Son used to love to shoot there..Bill.

I belong to a private gun club/range with limited membership. All are NRA members. Nonetheless, people shoot up target stands and only obey the rules about target height and distance if someone else is present. Leaving trash, careless gun handling is unfortunately all too common. Some guys should not be allowed at the gun range unless accompanied by their Mom!

Yes, indeed. I belong to a private sportsman's club that has a great outdoor range. Intentional destruction of range equipment is an ongoing problem. Someone wanted our 100-yard gong, so they shot the suspending chains. Destroying target stands is constant. I truly believe it is our members who do these things. Oh well.....

Living here in the wide-open spaces of Western CO a person can go to so many places on Bureau of Land Management land and shoot safely, if you're smart. Unfortunately, the incredible amount of trash and garbage left behind has me fearing that there may come a time when the BLM shuts these lands off from shooting. Not all this trash is from shooters, people take stuff out there instead of going to the dump! Even the "developed" rifle and pistol ranges have the roofs over the benches shot through, and tremendous amounts of targets, ammo boxes and other trash left out everywhere. I find it so shameful that we treat what we're blessed to have, with such disregard.

One range I shoot at as a guest (you have to wait for a member to die in order to become a member as membership is capped) was suspected of being the source of a bullet that traveled to a neighboring property and hit a lady in the head. The lady was not seriously injured from what I understand. It was shut down for months while the Sheriffs office investigated the matter. I don't know what the final outcome was but they have re-opened.

Prior to this event, I would go with a friend who's a member, sign in on a sheet, pay $5 and go have fun. Now, I have to sign and/or initial no fewer than 20 pages of legal mumbo jumbo every time. Also, the range used to be open to the public (rifle only) on Sundays, that is no longer the case; members and guests only.

End of July, a range I shoot at had a member accidentally shoot a local gun store owner in the lower abdomen/upper leg with an AK from 2 feet away. Based on what I read, he apparently pointed the muzzle down the firing line and pulled the trigger in the process of attempting to show the rifle to someone. It is one reason I'm not super fond of public ranges that are too close to large population centers.

I hate to say it but gun handling has become far worse in the last 10 years.
Target shooters and hunters of days past were far more responsible on average.
Now I see more casual demeanor about shooting, that is especially dangerous in a new shooter. You need the basics and firearm safety to be second nature before you start being even slightly casual, you are not playing golf you are manipulating a lethal weapon that poses a deadly threat to everyone within hundreds of yards.

Combine that with a lot of the open areas once available to shoot fading. The close cramped confines of indoor ranges with lots of random people packed tightly together are bound to emphasize the bad among the crowd.

It pisses me off that to keep my 2nd Amendment I have to get large portions of the public into firearm ownership and use. Because quite frankly I think a lot of the public is better off not being encouraged to own firearms even though I think that right is one of the best safeguards of liberty.
The anti-gunners are just so persistent that without large numbers we would be defeated and lose our collective firearm rights that safeguard all of our liberty, and so we have to encourage firearms wherever we can.

You could probably buy property surrounding a gun range for some pretty cheap prices.
If you decided when you had purchased enough to make a windfall profit on developing the property, you could simply shoot some holes in your building and call Law Enforcement.
I would guess once it makes the papers and the Police are tired of the calls someone will come out and close your range.
Of course the fellow with the holes in his building will offer you a nice price, kind of a "Cherry on Top." as you pack up and leaves.
Now what was a minor investment becomes prime real estate.

I admit, I do have an evil mind.

Definitely going on all over the country. As suburban sprawl is getting more and more pervasive, it's just getting harder and harder to find places within reasonable driving distance that are safe to shoot (i.e. idiot proof). You either have to own a huge amount of land, or as your range is doing, making sure bullets can't leave the general vicinity.

There's a range close to me that had a similar issue. For decades, there weren't houses close enough to matter, but then someone put in a trailer park downrange, which quickly resulted in bullet holes found in people's trailers. Like with your range, someone for whatever reason, had decided to shoot over the berm, whether intentionally or by accident. The owner simply pointed the range in a different direction, and all is well as of now, but it's only a matter of time before someone builds a house in that direction, too.

As it is, that range is about an hour from downtown (about 30 minutes from where I live). For someone on the eastern side suburbs, that would be a 1.5 hour drive. The next closest outdoor range is about two hours south of the city (2.5 hours from me). Then there's a private gun club about 1.5 hours to the east, but it's hard to get into, and the upper middle class are building mcmansions out there like crazy.

To be honest, I don't think there's hardly a single range in America that has not gotten complaints from someone in recent history, whether due to noise or safety. The only way to really be protected is if you're an indoor range in a free standing building. Another thing you have to realize is that most of the outdoor ranges that still exist are grandfathered in. If you wanted to get approval for a new outdoor range, you would likely have to go way out into the boondocks, too far out to attract any customers, save for the dozen or so locals who live within a 20 mile radius.

I'm fortunate enough to be a member of two clubs- one strictly for hunting and light trap shooting, the other a great shooting range with excellent facilities.

There are members who view their membership more as ownership- somehow giving them exclusive rights to do what they want because "it's my club". Thankfully there are more good members than duds.

some of these ranges that are not manned all the time should consider hidden cameras with a warning that you are on camera. Privacy issues, I know, but would deter some of these idiots.

Nickotym said:

some of these ranges that are not manned all the time should consider hidden cameras with a warning that you are on camera. Privacy issues, I know, but would deter some of these idiots.

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Or just the sign, haha. It's like people who put security system signs in their yard who don't have the actual system.

Either way, short of a gillie suit and waiting to ambush from the woods...how can you stop it?

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How expensive are discreet "baby cam" video systems? Certainly less than the cost of vandalism repairs -- or a lawsuit because reckless shooters won't stay within the approved firing lanes.

Or just the sign, haha. It's like people who put security system signs in their yard who don't have the actual system.

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FYI: In Texas, property owners who have posted signs warning of video surveillance but did not actually use any working cameras have been successfully sued in civil court. The case I'm thinking of involved a public parking garage where a woman was assaulted and later learned there was no video.

similar problems

The rod and gun club I belong to had similar problems....

We contracted to have an NRA range safety expert come out.

1. berms raised.
2. timbers placed horizontal ~7' high across each lane at the end of 8' timber walls that divide the lanes to prevent shooting high above the berms
3. gated access with swipe card keys that log you in and out, so we know who's on site and when.
4. more strict enforcement of "unauthorized" targets.

We don't have video surveillance yet, though I suspect it's next on the list.

We still allow visitors, but no more than two at a time.

The board members are making more regular appearances and have designated some RSOs. Though it is still an unsupervised range, in which every member is responsible to act as an RSO.

We actually have added a steel plate range since, and it appears that all of the serious troubles have been nipped in the bud.

The local police use our range for their training, so that keeps us on good terms and they help keep an eye on things.

Cameras are a lot cheaper than they used to be and most ranges have lights and other stuff already wired for power. I think this is the only way to keep people honest and weed out the trouble makers. That in addition to regular visits by range members and officers.

It doesn't really matter how great the range is there are always a few who think they can get away with tearing stuff up. Getting them on camera is the best way to show they did it and kick them out.

This thread is a reminder of why some of us no longer shoot at public ranges. Way too much jackassery.

My club's hidden cam caught a thief who blew air into the range fee box with the shop Vac to force out the bills. Was reportedly the club president's son.


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I just hate to see this knee-jerk reaction that is sweeping the world to put cameras in everywhere to solve every problem of every kind. Cameras fix nothing, they just tell a story and affix blame.

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Sometimes, that is good enough.

Not I

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579006

So somebody shot me at the range yesterday

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This is my biggest worry. All deleted at thefiringline, as per OP request.

243winxb said:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=579006 This is my biggest worry.

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Yea, I think I'll stick to my "friends with farms" ranges.

Many Straaaange things happen at even staffed, well-run gun ranges. One day, I noticed bullet holes in the overhead baffles. It is bloody difficult to shoot those baffles, except purposefully!:banghead:

I settled a claim for my local range, when a woman fired at 7 yards, hit the angle iron target frame, and the ricochet hit the fellow at the next station in his upper right leg, about 3 inches below a vital piece of equipment!
At the time, nobody was able to get the woman's information, or at least her license plate number.:banghead: Apparently, she left the area in somewhat of a hurry!

The range was built to existing safety standards, with the exception of the metal target frames! Woops!

It is state-owned, and I was called to do damage control.
When I first met with the fellow, I thought it was the pain pills affecting him. Turned out later, it wasn't. Not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

Another time, a local Police Department wished to use the range for qualifications, and a Lieutenant demanded that the Manager close the range, and banish us "civilians". He refused, but did allow them one half of the range for their activities. I witnessed some of the poorest gun safety on the part of the officers that I have ever observed!

One evening, I was at the station next to a pleasant young man, who had gotten a "heck of a deal" on an AR-15 at a gun show. He loaded up, and the thing went full auto! He then started messing with it, and I noticed he could turn his scope and move it back and forth in the mounts. I suggested he might want to get the gun checked out by a gunsmith, but he didn't appreciate that.

I left soon after!

Whenever I go out shooting in the open spaces, I take a large garbage sack with me, and do some clean up. I haven't yet found out how to fit a sofa, washing machine, or TV into the sack! It appears to be a losing battle!

Sad to say its often just one idiot who ruins it for everyone. (or local who does not like idea of range who makes up stories.)
There was one up North that I would stop at when working in area. Set up some targets, shoot for half hr (lunch break) drop a buck in metal box and get back to work.
One day there was a gate, sign had changed. Yep members only, certain days... because some idiots (somehow) shot over berm/trees/hill and rd hit building good half mile away. (must have been shooting 45 degrees up)
Another they had guy complain. Said rds hit his yd, had a few bullets he claimed he found in yard. Thing is he was good 90 degrees from where you shoot/targets. (and close to mile as crow flies) ?????

My club has a 30 ft. earthen berm as a backstop. A while back some concerned members set up a cardboard barrier on top of the berm and - sure enough - a few rounds tumbled through the cardboard after ricocheting off of the berm. A a massive steel overhang was set atop the berm , at great cost , to contain the odd ricochet. Now there are neat , round bullet holes in the steel hood.

Ricochets do not make neat round holes.

There is no shortage of idiots in this world.