Some Gun owners are bad

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Gaffer

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At the club I belong to I was recently made aware that some one shot down the flag pole on the rifle range with multiple shots of a .223. These or other shots were also shot into the concrete stat shack with those through the door possibly destroying the lawn tractor and refrigerator inside. Because of the 4 foot or more snow banks in front of the doors we have not yet opened to look inside. Eight rounds were put into the state shack. What is even more disturbing is there is an active snowmobile trail to the rear of the stat shack.

I say ban everyone from that range until someone fesses up or someone squeals. We have a locked gate so it most probably was a member. Why is it the few that screw up the deal for the rest of us. Is there no common sense anymore? What possesses someone to do that?
 
One bad apple spoiling it for all... i think closing down the range until someone fess's up is a bit extreme... it may be time for your members to do a bit more self regulating of the club to assure your bad seed is found.
 
Offer a firearm as a reward, post signs, when its found out who it is tie him to said flag-pole, go behind the line... then ban him. what a dink he is
 
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Just because you have a locked gate doesn't mean it wasn't someone trespassing. Unless you have like concertina wire
going around the property, or something... [laugh]

I caught some people trespassing on my club's archery range... I knew they weren't members because they had parked on the road outside of the gate, and the gate was still closed. I should have noted the plate number but it did not occur to me to write it down. I think as soon as I drove up they realized they weren't supposed to be there, because I didn't even finish setting up and they got the hell out. The guy I ran into said he had forgotten his key but I know that is a bunch of horseshit- everyone just puts their key on their keyring or whatever. They weren't very talkative either, which also set off an alarm bell.... every new member I've run into had a lot more personality than that... At least they were using the archery targets and they didn't leave a mess. The other alarm bell was that they didn't bring any ear or eye pro with them... Most members usually do, even if they're only shooting bows, because they know some guy (like me) with a firearm will show up nearby.

I'm not saying that it's -not- a member, that did it, but I'd be at least somewhat skeptical of that. A lot of ranges have "range pigs" but even at the club I am at, even the range pigs would never shoot holes in the shed, clubhouse, or anything that stupid.

-Mike
 
A while back, someone at my range shot up the dumpster with shotgun slugs. :/

I believe they went right through... I'd hate to think of what they could have hit.
 
drgrant said:
Just because you have a locked gate doesn't mean it wasn't someone trespassing. Unless you have like concertina wire
going around the property, or something... [laugh]

I caught some people trespassing on my club's archery range... I knew they weren't members because they had parked on the road outside of the gate, and the gate was still closed. I should have noted the plate number but it did not occur to me to write it down. I think as soon as I drove up they realized they weren't supposed to be there, because I didn't even finish setting up and they got the hell out. The guy I ran into said he had forgotten his key but I know that is a bunch of horseshit- everyone just puts their key on their keyring or whatever. They weren't very talkative either, which also set off an alarm bell.... every new member I've run into had a lot more personality than that... At least they were using the archery targets and they didn't leave a mess. The other alarm bell was that they didn't bring any ear or eye pro with them... Most members usually do, even if they're only shooting bows, because they know some guy (like me) with a firearm will show up nearby.

I'm not saying that it's -not- a member, that did it, but I'd be at least somewhat skeptical of that. A lot of ranges have "range pigs" but even at the club I am at, even the range pigs would never shoot holes in the shed, clubhouse, or anything that stupid.

-Mike
Click to expand...

At my rqange here in Lawrence, we have ID badges, do you? we have no gate though anyone can drive in, but the ID has to be showing.
 
Things like this are usually never committed by a lone actor. Offer a reward and anonymity for anyone with info about it. Someone might just come up with a name, or follow the snowmobile tracks to their house.

It amazes me how stupidly destructive some people can be at ranges. They will shoot anything at any angle, in any direction.
 
well you really only have to ban .223 rifles if they have a folding stock, rifles with a fixed stock are far less capable of destroying flagpoles.
 
I'm pretty sure I know which range you're posting about. I have seen more damage to non-targets there than the other ranges I belong to.
 
Finalygotabeltfed said:
It amazes me how stupidly destructive some people can be at ranges. They will shoot anything at any angle, in any direction.
Click to expand...

I agree. MRA just spent thousands to replace the old target carriers on the loeb range that were "always broken." Within three weeks every single one of them had been shot, some multiple times, with hp rifles. It was obvious much of the damage was purposefully done.

They also spent even more to put new steel baffles in on the 50 yd range and some decided they would like to see if they could pop holes in them and our bowling pin tables.

I just don't get it! Why damage the equipment of the few clubs that are left? If they only put half the effort in to volunteering to make the club better that they put into shooting up the equipment...

If shooting paper is boring and they want to shoot "other things" then they should look into shooting some of the matches!

These people will not be happy until the boards of the clubs ban rifles on the indoor ranges or mandate that an RO must be present to use the ranges. Or even worse- a bullet gets out and injures someone and the range is shut down. There are people frothing at the mouth for the chance to shut down the gun ranges in our state.

My GOD- this makes me angry! [angry][angry][angry]
 
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One bullet leaves a range and winds up in a yard or the side of a home and the range is gone. Or at the very least closed for months. Years back we had a bullet wind up in a neighbors yard. The HP/pistol ranges were closed down for months while improvements were made to the berms and side safety berms. Thankfully we have great relations with our town. If we didn't the cost and time would have been a killer.

Three weeks ago we had a member do something while not destruction as much as it was just stupid and showed a lack of common sense. The only reason he was not removed from the club's membership was that he came forward and admitted his mistake. He will be further trained in the use of the range and hopefully that will be the end of it.

Too many members think that their responsibility to the club ends with the payment of the dues. With that type of attitude the clubs will fold as they can't run on the the money alone. They need responsible and dedicated members.
 
Catch the Retards . . .

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It could possibly be a non-member that was out on a snowmobile by your club and with no one at the club he (they) just came in and blast everything in sight.

Closing the range would only harm the decent club members that weren’t a party to this tomfoolery. It reminds me, in a minor fashion, of the folks that want to take the guns away from the legal gun owners because the “gang-bangers” are out there killing each other and anyone in their way. JMHO

Some places install wireless cameras that turn on when there is activity to catch the perpetrator in action. Might be a good idea, I’ve been told that the prices of a decent system has come down considerably in recent years. Even throwing up a few “dummies” and a sign that the area is now under remote camera surveillance, that might help till the true units are installed. Just a thought,
.
 
Dirtypacman said:
One bad apple spoiling it for all... i think closing down the range until someone fess's up is a bit extreme... it may be time for your members to do a bit more self regulating of the club to assure your bad seed is found.
Click to expand...

Actually I think that would be the idea solution. Shut it down and send a notice out that the members need to be responsible and police the range as well. As someone else mentioned its only a matter of time before someone who is shooting like that sends one over the berm or into a home, at which point the club will be shut down.

Catch and stop the problem early.
 
I think cameras are a good idea... These days you can hide cameras in a lot of places. It may be worth the investment for a variety of reasons.

Another thing that should be looked into- are there any houses/homeowners in the area that have a beef with the club, either due to noise or whatever? Some clubs have shitty neighbors, to the extent that this kind of behavior would not surprise me. I can think of a bunch of ways that an anti willing to do bad things could get someones club shut down.

-Mike
 
Yes cdkayak that is the range. Right now the road is so bad from the snow that I doubt that a non-member would risk driving down to the gate. Unless you can get the gate open there is no way you can turn arounf or back out. The road is so narrow now that it is difficult to get out of your vechicle to open the gate. It is possible that one of the snowmobile sleds did it as they are ripped at the club for not allowing them access on the old interurban ROW. The club did buy that ROW and they have no right to tresspass without permission but I know some of them and they are quite hostile about it.

I was down to the lower range yesterday and there is a lot of snowmobile traffic. That road is bad as well and I had to use 4-wheel drive to get back up out of there. The shelter down there has collapsed from the heavy snow load. What a mess!
 
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Whitey627 said:
I agree. MRA just spent thousands to replace the old target carriers on the loeb range that were "always broken." Within three weeks every single one of them had been shot, some multiple times, with hp rifles. It was obvious much of the damage was purposefully done.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've noticed that and it's really annoying. The target carrier on lane 1 was already broken as of last week.
 
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I haven't been there in a while, didn't realize there was a shelter on the lower range. It got to the point the only thing I enjoyed shooting there was silhouettes & I haven't had time to make any of those shoots in a while.

Just so others know. Some of the damage that's happened previously has been to target supports and rails to hold silhouette targets as well as the frames for swinging targets and steel tables for plates.(essentially anything on the range) These have been shot with some high power rounds, not likely for snowmobilers to be carrying in. I'm sure there may be some snowmobilers who are unhappy & wouldn't mind doing damage, but it wouldn't surprise me if this was a member either. Shooting up the stats shack is a new low though.

It's too bad since it is a nice facility and most of the people I had met there were nice.
 
Quote

These people will not be happy until the boards of the clubs ban rifles on the indoor ranges or mandate that an RO must be present to use the ranges. Or even worse- a bullet gets out and injures someone and the range is shut down. There are people frothing at the
mouth for the chance to shut down the gun ranges in our state.

+1
 
We actually have a great relationship with the town's snowmobile club. Through a cooperative effort, they got a grant to repair some bridges in a rear area of the club. They have the use of the trails on our property and have never been a problem or gone into a unsafe area. We are fortunate that our neighbors and the town look upon the club as an asset due to our community efforts with the youth in the area and their civic functions. I don't know if this is the norm but we are a member of the local Chamber of Commerce. Keeps us in the loop.
 
Yes... My friend belonged to a club where their PortaJons were blasted nearly in half (left over from an event). From what he said, if it was not a sawed-off that caused that damage, he does not know what did.

Anyhow, new cameras, higher fees (to replace the S*it Huts and add cameras) and more vigilance later, and well... It has not happened again.

IMO: Even posting you are under surveillance is a start.
 

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