Range Rage

loose noose · Jul 21, 2014

Went to my local range early this morning. The last time was about a month ago, and to say the least I was totally outraged. The last couple of months, the County put up signs to pickup your empty casings, as well as your targets. They even went so far as to put up shooting barriers, with sand bags, and dragged the dirt near the berm.

Well some idiots decided to shoot up the barriers, left old computer screens, and shot up TV's, couches, old batteries, and knocked over the barriers, and shot up the sand bags and just literally trashed what was a decent looking range. I wonder just how much longer they are going to allow anyone to shoot out there.

On top of all that, my mini-14 with the newly adapted bi-pod didn't shoot for a darn, basically cause I forgot my reading glasses, and could not remember, how to adjust the cheap red dot. I figured it was shooting high at 100 yards, but was unable to get it to shoot lower, and to the right.

Note the range is an old abandoned Metro range, from many years ago, and it doesn't cost anyone to use it. Too bad we've got so many people out here that just have to abuse it. I would dearly love to catch some slob doing the damage to this piece of property, I would definitely get a picture or two, as well as there license plate. Dang that makes me mad.

anothernewb · Jul 21, 2014

We've run into that in our local range too. Cheap jackwagons who bring out trash that costs money to dispose of - and shooting it up. It's resulted in some pretty severe changes, and generally made things much more restrictive for the rest of us.

Luckily there's someone who lives relatively close to the range that's been keeping an eye on things, and with the signs posted - there will be a few people that will have to, unfortunately for the rest of us taxpayers - spend some time in jail for it. Once word gets out that the range is being watched, the worst offenders (which are usually the laziest people in general from my experience) will likely get the hint and go somewhere else.

Ky Larry · Jul 21, 2014

I know exactly what you mean. The U.S.Forestry Service built a toilet at the Clear Creek shooting range at Cave Run lake. The toilet beat the heck out of the patch of trees we were using. No sooner had they got it built than some yoyo shot a hole in the door. :fire:

19-3Ben · Jul 21, 2014

I hate paying the bill for it, but this is why I am so glad to be a member of a private range. I just never have to deal with 'the riffraff.'

The worst offense we deal with is when dim wits use the club's wood target stands with buck/bird shot out past a few yards and don't take into account that their spread is ruining the stands (which are just some 2x3's nailed together so its really no big deal tp repair/replace.)

Yo Mama · Jul 21, 2014

Yep, fastest way to close down a good shooting spot is to create a hassle for land management to have to deal with.

In AZ, we had a paradise for shooters just North 10 minutes from town. Between the stolen shot up cars, and glass from computer monitors, they finally shut down access for shooting. You couldn't clean it up yourself if you wanted there was so much garbage.

One thing I teach my children every time we go hunting or shooting, is to not only clean up after ourselves, but also to make the land better than we started with it by picking up anything else we find that was left by others.

Praxidike · Jul 21, 2014

anothernewb said:
We've run into that in our local range too. Cheap jackwagons who bring out trash that costs money to dispose of - and shooting it up. It's resulted in some pretty severe changes, and generally made things much more restrictive for the rest of us.

Luckily there's someone who lives relatively close to the range that's been keeping an eye on things, and with the signs posted - there will be a few people that will have to, unfortunately for the rest of us taxpayers - spend some time in jail for it. Once word gets out that the range is being watched, the worst offenders (which are usually the laziest people in general from my experience) will likely get the hint and go somewhere else.

Most likely a punch of 18-20 year olds behaving badly... To bad they do not have cameras up there. That way they could catch the punks and sentence them to clean up the range for a while as community service.

*Kemosabe* · Jul 21, 2014

Sometimes private ranges let riffraff in also. Our club bought 3 new falling plate stands, 6 plates on each, that weren’t a week old when some jerk (read that as a-hole) disregarded the “handguns only” sign and riddled all 18 plates with a .223

And this behavior is not just restricted to ranges. I used to jog around two pristine man-made lakes that the owner allowed everyone to enjoy them, i.e., boating, fishing, picnicking and jogging/walking. After a year of abuse the owner posted the property. Now we all have to suffer.

I would think that these jerks would have liked to come back to an unsullied place to enjoy again, but I did say jerks, didn’t I?

Zaydok Allen · Jul 21, 2014

That stinks when people abuse a place used by so many. If you want to make a mess, do it on your own property.

Potatohead · Jul 21, 2014

That sucks man, I feel your pain.

At mine, some knucklehead took his 12 ga (most likely) to one of the columns that hold the roof up. Blew it plum near in half with multiple shots!

improperlyaged · Jul 21, 2014

Best way to fight this is to volunteer a saturday a month with some friends to go out there and clean it up and set everything the way it is supposed to be. Thats what me and my friends do. And we have to do it about one Saturday a month, the jack hats just keep messing it up, but we keep cleaning it up so it doesn't get shut down

19-3Ben · Jul 21, 2014

Sometimes private ranges let riffraff in also. Our club bought 3 new falling plate stands, 6 plates on each, that weren’t a week old when some jerk (read that as a-hole) disregarded the “handguns only” sign and riddled all 18 plates with a .223

No doubt it CAN happen. But when it does, at least at our range, they get the logs from our swipe cards to see who came in, and then use the video footage of the range/ports/and entrance to figure out who the jackwagon is. That person is promptly dealt with (membership revoked/fine/suspension/recertification/etc...) We don't tolerate that behavior. Can't completely eliminate the possibility of bad behavior, but we curb that by dealing with it swiftly. The rates of problems are very very low.

Blue Thunder · Jul 21, 2014

The biggest issue at my Indoor Membership range is folks that cannot reload rifle ammo and have blown up 2 $$$ Rifles. The fortunate thing is that each range position has bullet proof safety barriers between each shooting position. You know something blew up when you see one of the pair of barriers with shrapnel and long streak marks on them. Fortunately neither of the shooters were injured, but they are not members any longer. Can't re-load ammo safely, go blow it up somewhere else!

grogetr · Jul 21, 2014

Is there somewhere you can put a trail camera up where it wouldn't be noticed. Maybe take a ladder and put it high in a tree. Check it every week or two and maybe you will get them.

jmorris · Jul 21, 2014

I must say, some "kids" need to stick with their video games. At least they can only piss of their Mom or Dad, if they don't pick up after themselves.

deerhunter61 · Jul 21, 2014

Sad...there have always been dirtbags but I think there are just a lot more per capita than there were when I was growing up. These younger generations have not been taught to respect themselves or others much less private/public property. Everyone is more concerned with hurting feelings than they are in raising a child up in the way they should go...

AlexanderA · Jul 21, 2014

This sort of abuse occurs because the range is left unattended. Any formal range on public land should have a Range Officer (paid or volunteer) present whenever the range is open. At other times, secure the range against trespassers. (If it can't be secured, you can just expect it to be trashed, and not be surprised.) The Range Officer is needed to enforce safety rules, as well as prevent vandalism. And I see a potential liability issue if a developed range is left open and unattended. It would be like leaving a swimming pool unsecured and without a lifeguard.

gbran · Jul 21, 2014

I don't like ranges, indoor, outdoor, public or private, though I do belong to a pretty nice full service outdoor range.

I shoot on public land and rarely where others shoot. I don't want to get blamed for the already existing mess. I bring my own stuff and everything leaves with me when I leave. I never leave a mess.

blarby · Jul 21, 2014

We lost 3 blm spots to the junk shooters this year so far.

I don't pickup their trash anymore.

Rangers are starting to put up game cams..... Alas in the wrong places.

CopperFouling · Jul 21, 2014

It's interesting how some on this board assume that the people trashing the place are "kids." I've seen people bring computers and other junk to an unstaffed, public range where I shoot, and those people have been in their 40s and 50s. One doesn't have to be young to lack a sense of respect.

Double_J · Jul 21, 2014

We had that issue at an old dirt pit we shot at. Someone decided it made a great dumping ground for trash (old appliances, furniture, household trash, etc). We finally got tired of having to trudge down to the berm and move the trash out of the way. I know several people tried to clean the mess up, but they could not keep up with the mountain of junk that kept appearing week after week. The owner of the property finally put up a gate and no trespass signs and we lost a great shooting spot. He at first did not mind people shooting there but after it became a dump he gave up, can't say I blame him at all.

My old private range had a problem with hooligans trashing things. The Range Officers finally ran them off, but we had problems with people shooting shotguns at the pistol range, tearing up the target boards. Thankfully those are easy to repair but we got tired of constantly replacing 2x4's. We also had a few who tried to shoot the plate rack with an ar-15. I caught them before they could start shooting and "advised" them that was not a good idea. I caught flack from them but I got their member number and left a message for the club president. That club did have a requirement that every member must spend at least one clean-up day per year out at the range, that was a wonderful requirement in that everyone learned what a job it is to keep the range clean.

Curator · Jul 21, 2014

Yup, The Home Appliance Shooting Association does make things difficult for adult, responsible shooters. More public range areas have been shut down because of their antics than have been built due to the need for more shooting facilities. They are also responsible for more restrictions and the public's perception of shooters as slobs. Game cameras, surveillance, and pro-active enforcement is the only answer. At the club where I shoot, they have nearly caused the complete shut down of the range due to bullets going over the berm system. Some people should only be allowed to shoot at our facilities if they bring their mothers to clean up after them and be sure they follow the rules!

loose noose · Jul 21, 2014

When I first moved out here in '92, me and a few other older gentlemen, used to shoot black Powder arms out there, with informal matches. We used to get together once a month with our pick-up trucks and haul all the trash out to the dump, which is only about 2 miles north of the range. Unfortunately a lot of the older gents passed away, or moved, so that just leaves me and one other guy. Of course there are a lot of other folks that shoot out there, but I haven't been introduced to them as of yet.

Right now, it so doggone hot you really don't like to over exert yourself, other than to shoot a few rounds and then pick up your gear (targets and casings) and go home. Maybe an hour or two.

Further, here in Nevada in spite of Harry Reid, we don't have a problem with shooting on BLM desert land with law suits etc. Hopefully it will stay that way. The thing I'm concerned about is losing access due to the scum bags that abuse the property with trash.

Granted a good quality game camera would come in handy in identifying the perpetrators, but when you are talking desert, with mesquite bushes being the only type of tree, it would be quite difficult if not impossible, to position such an object. I do believe there is a high ridge about 1/4 mile in view of the range that a guy with a good set of field glasses could observe.

I do believe that for the most part, kids party out there at night, and find pleasure in dumping their old computers and TV's out at the range and destroying the property of others. Again as has already been mentioned, where the heck are the parents. Broken beer bottles etc. are all over the range, as a result. Again that just torques my jaws.

BTW I do belong to an organized range about 45 minutes from my home, note this range is less that 10 minutes from my front door (2 miles). I pay $60.00 a year, not to mention the cost to shoot trap, skeet, and clays. ($4.00 a round)

BobTheTomato · Jul 21, 2014

I saw the same problem when I live in PA. Some of the state game land ranges would get shot to pieces. Kids took 12 gauges to the new block benches. Dumped AK mags into the target stands. Pretty sad.

JellyJar · Jul 21, 2014

What belongs to everyone belongs to no one.

The only solution is to require permits/memberships to use the range with some sort of supervision.

splithoof · Jul 21, 2014

Hi noose;
Perhaps the county might be interested in converting this parcel of land to some type of lease, for a non-profit organization that wants to maintain a proper shooting range? In that way it might be possible to close it down to the public, thereby saving further environmental damage. Members could have 24 hour access, better facilities, and a lot less trash and junk. Some will object, but they have already voted with their prior actions.
The only really good alternative is to construct your own range on your own property.

Range Rage

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