Public Shooting Ranges

[gold40]

How many of you live in states that have public shooting ranges, operated and/or subsidized by the state treasury?

A CCW holder needs an economical place to practice his/her shooting skills.

What does it cost in your area to shoot a handgun at a firing range?

gold40

[Adam Helmer]

gold40,

Excellent post!

I think the state treasury in EVERY state should subsidize or build shooting ranges along with all the parks, swimming pools and bike paths they build for the other citizens. I think ALL shooters should have access to local ranges for nominal fees, not just CCW people. Muzzleloaders, riflemen and .22 plinkers deserve a local range that is safe for shooting.

The annual dues at my local gun club is $30 per year for an individual and $50 for family membership. We shoot handguns rifles, sporting clays, black powder and metallic silhouettes. Our covered firing point has 6 benches and the target berms are at 25, 50, 100, 200 and 250 yards, all on 16 acres in rural Tioga County, PA.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission manages 256 tracts of game lands totaling 1.5 million arces here in PA and many SGLs have public shooting ranges open to the public for free. We have many out-of-staters from New York and New Jersey using our game lands ranges, apparently because there are not many ranges in their states. What ranges that exist are expensive and difficult to join; many have waiting lists. I was advised by a guy from New Jersey that he is on a NJ club waiting list. The initiation fee is $200 and annual dues are $1,200.

Adam

[Nulle]

We have local Hunting clubs ect in our area and also for Law Enforcement there are ranges in about every city.

[Adam Helmer]

Nulle,

Are those ranges open to the public? What does it cost? I think that was what gold40 wanted to know in his initial post.

Adam

[buckhunter]

The world would have to end for Massachusettes to subsidize a range for public use. Never happen. Our money goes into the pockets of the many corrupt politicans in our republic. I fear that our state officials would fear the public learning how to handle firearms. After all it started hear over 225 years ago.

Many local LEO departments do not have have ranges. They use many of the gun club ranges in this state and are welcome at most. We have a few military bases with ranges which get used also. Our state police have a state of art range. Imagine that.

Its pretty hard to find a range to shoot at if you do not belong to a club.

[Catfish]

Ohio does have some at some of the State of the stateparks.

[skeet]

I was a member of a range/Club back east. The police used the range for a long time but they got to the point of wanting access to often. The people who lived next to the range started to complain of the constant noise as the police had carte blanche use. Finally had to tell the local police no more. They didn't want to cut their use to a reasonable amount of time so they were excluded. The club was also having to fix the berms etc with no help from the local jurisdictions...even though they were probably responsible for 60% or more of the needed repairs. Some of the police were members but the club put restrictions on the number of guests members could bring..and they stopped full auto shooting. which was almost entirely police dept members. It was...and is a really nice facility. Why did the police need all those full autos anyway?? Oh..I remember...to keep the citizenry under control

[Dan Morris]

Colorado DOW has a number of ranges scattered across the state.
Rifle and pistol.Some of the rifle go to 200yds. With budget cuts, I do not know how long they are going to last....so far, they are funded by license fees.
Dan

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Michigan has several public ranges across the state; they vary in what they offer (trap, centerfire rifle, pistol, ect) and in what you can shoot (some don't allow anything more than 7.5 shot, some require the use of nontoxic, ect). The one I shoot at has 100, 50, and 25 yard rifle/pistol ranges and a trap field....you need to bring your own ammo, targets, throwers, ect (no concessions). Cost is $5 to shoot (you can shoot all day for that) plus parking fee ($5 daily or $25 for the year....I get the annual, as I need the permit to park in some of the areas I hunt).
Also have a couple of indoor ranges by me as well.....$20/hour for a lane; no quick fire, double taps, drawing from holsters, ect. I realize that this comes from an insurance stand point, but come on...........
To practice for CCW, I have a spot on state land that is basically a 'bowl'....it is a parking area in a deep depression. I set up there and practice drawing from a concealed holster, double taps, ect. As long as small game season is in effect (til the end of March) and I have a small game license and an article of hunter orange clothing, I'm good to go.

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

Interesting post.

I agree, the range ban on, "double taps, quick fire and drawing from holsters" makes that range out of cinc with the real world of Home Invasions. On the other hand, the public consists of gun owners of all levels of competence.

EVERY Year I increase my church pledge and thank the Lord I own 60-acres where I can fire a 105MM Howitzer if I choose! The Politically Correct RANGE target bans on "Humanoid Targets" leaves me baffled. A target is merely a piece of paper. IF the shooters strip the target frame at the end of their shooting session, what is the problem?


Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I agree, the range ban on, "double taps, quick fire and drawing from holsters" makes that range out of cinc with the real world of Home Invasions. Maybe someone should buy them a newspaper so the range management could see where the REAL World exists!

Adam;
I'm sure that the range managers/owners know what 'the real world' is all about; unfortunately, the also have to deal with the reality of people who DON'T have any business handling a firearm (and I have had the displeasure of being in the lane next to a few of these folks) and the reality of lawsuits should a range patron be injured/killed by one of these individuals. I can't blame them a bit for doing what they do....I'd probably go broke if I owned a range as I would toss a LOT of these mental midgets out the door and tell them never to come back.
Interestingly enough, I can't shoot my black powder revolver at the indoor range.....the fans that supposedly take care of the 'lead contamination' aren't powerful enough to remove the smoke from black powder.....go figure! (I'm sure it's another lawsuit thing....black powder being so 'unstable' and all )

[gold40]

Mr. 16 Gauge is "right on."

If any of you OWNED a public shooting range, I doubt that you would let any paying stranger shoot double taps, or from a holster. The accident risk is much too large.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Those who have private areas to shoot are indeed lucky.....I have seen a lot of unsafe practices on public ranges over the years. There are range officers available, but they can't watch everyone at the same time. I think that most of us tend to think of other shooters as being as savy as we are when it comes to firearms/firearms safety. The fact of the matter is that this just isn't so; there are a LOT of idiots out there. Either they discovered firearms later in life and didn't have their dads/uncles there to bop 'em over the head and take away their guns when they did something stupid, or they just don't have a clue.
Two instances come to mind...one was at a public trap range. We were set up when I looked to my right and saw the barrel of a shotgun pointing at us from about 3 stations down. I yelled and told the guy that he needed to point the barrel 'out there' and pointed to the open field. A few minutes later I looked down and saw the same S.O.B. pointing at me again! So I yelled down and told him if I had to look down that barrel again, he was getting a 12 gauge enima! (and I meant it!). A little while after that I turned and looked again....this time the gun was pointing at the ground and he was having trouble opening it (pump action), when all the sudden BLAM!!.....he blows a 12" hole in the ground at his feet! Started towards him and his buddy when they literally through their stuff in the back of his car and took off like a bat out of hell!

The second instance is the only one I truly felt sorry for....he was an old man in his 80s, supposedly a former Marine, and was busy telling everyone what they were doing wrong.....without taking into account that he was doing everything wrong himself (sweeping the line with a loaded gun, playing with gun/ammo during cease fire, ect). The range officer finally asked him to leave.

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

You make a good point about some unsafe gun owners at every range. Our range rules are posted and any violation will get a shooter kicked off the firing line. Second offence and membership is cancelled.

We used to have a club member bring 5 or 6 buddies to the line and take over all 6 benches. Now, members are limited to one guest per range session and the member is responsible to see the guest complies with all the rules. If a guest if firing, the member is not. It seems to be working better than formerly.

Adam

[gumpokc]

While i don't know of any purely public ranges operated by the state in oklahoma, there are some pulic ranges operated on some of the WMA's. Only cost is that you must have a current hunting licese to use them.