Though I no longer reside in Colorado, I still travel back frequently to visit friends and family. It was brought to my attention that there was an incedent at the shooting range ( a few miles west out of Garden of the Gods), that has led to temporary closing of the range.
Evidently two individuals from Aurora were attempting to deal with a weapon malfunction, of one sort or another, that led to one one the people recieving a fatal GSW to the chest.
Now in the past I have used this range on countless occasions, it has always been an unsupervised facility where all manner of gunowners can go to shoot for free. It seems to me that anyone and everyone who uses or has used this range needs to contact both the El Paso county Sheriffs office and/or the national park service ( the range is in the Pike National forest) to let them know that the range needs to stay open. When you have an unsupervised facility like this, it's a "use at your own risk". I dont want to see the responsible people in the area suffer because of the misdeeds of a VERY select few. If anyone wants to contact me I can give contact info for another individual in the Colorado Springs area who is sorta spearheading the endeavor to make sure that the range remains open to the public.
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" This house is protected by the good Lord, and a gun......."
I used to shoot there occaisionally before I moved to Pueblo West. Irresponsible idiots and litter notwithstanding, it was a good place to shoot. The guy to raise hell with is the Forest Service manager. One accidental death in over 40 years and he uses it as an excuse to close the range. A relatively small number of vocal busybodies have been screaming for its closure for years. It didn't help that so many knuckleheads left their trash behind when they finished shooting.
Now there is no public range in El Paso county, and the knuckleheads will just start shooting and trashing privately-owned areas. It's a shame.
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Show me where Josef Stalin is buried & I'll show you a communist plot.
Well at least there's still a range in Canon City, sucks that people may have to either go without, or make a 2 hour round trip drive to Fremont county. I wholeheartedly agree, 1 death, while tragic, in 40 years doesnt seem to warrant the response it did. I know when I was still out there myself and whoever was in my shooting party would police not only our own brass ( or shot shells), but also as much as we could carry ( a lot of my friends reload ), not only did it clean up the area, somewhat, but saved my friends a bunch of money in reloading supplies. Hopefully they'll reopen the range in the near future.
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" This house is protected by the good Lord, and a gun......."
A couple of years ago when there was a big stink about the range and the trash left behind, several of us offered - with forest service approval - to spend time out there watching over things and making sure no one left trash or acted irresponsibly. The offer was not accepted by the forest service.
There has been several attempts to close the range, using a wide variety of pansy ass excuses. Untill now they have all been beaten back.
Hopefully this will not last long. The forest service is gettin a very large amount of flak over the closure! As well it should!!!
Sarge
__________________ Calling illegal aliens undocumented immigrants is like calling drug dealers unlicensed pharmacists!
Personally, I didn't like the place much because of the large numbers of idiots it attracted, and the hideous road going in. But I hope for the locals' sake it's only closed temporarily so that it can be cleaned up and revamped a little. It'll still be an unsupervised Bubba Range, that won't change, but it sure could use some work. I was also surprised how many houses are fairly close to the place.
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I child-proofed my house, but they still keep getting in!
Though I no longer reside in Colorado, I still travel back frequently to visit friends and family. It was brought to my attention that there was an incedent at the shooting range ( a few miles west out of Garden of the Gods), that has led to temporary closing of the range.
Evidently two individuals from Aurora were attempting to deal with a weapon malfunction, of one sort or another, that led to one one the people recieving a fatal GSW to the chest.
Now in the past I have used this range on countless occasions, it has always been an unsupervised facility where all manner of gunowners can go to shoot for free. It seems to me that anyone and everyone who uses or has used this range needs to contact both the El Paso county Sheriffs office and/or the national park service ( the range is in the Pike National forest) to let them know that the range needs to stay open. When you have an unsupervised facility like this, it's a "use at your own risk". I dont want to see the responsible people in the area suffer because of the misdeeds of a VERY select few. If anyone wants to contact me I can give contact info for another individual in the Colorado Springs area who is sorta spearheading the endeavor to make sure that the range remains open to the public.
Lobo, I would be interested in the information. So far the best I have been able to track down is Bob Leaverton.
" Bob Leaverton’s business number is 719-553-1400He is head of US Forest Service Region 2 –right here is town."
Also, it might be a good idea to contact the local Sheriff for El Paso County, Terry Makita, he is pro gun and has gone so far as to get a volunteer "chain gang" in place to clean the range several times a year.
RonDog, I can only assume from your comment about "an unsupervised Bubba Range" that you believe in a nanny state and that no person should be allowed to do anything even remotely dangerous without state oversight.
There is such a thing as Personal Responsibility you know. When the Idiots roll in, that should be your cue to take charge and shut down the idiotic behavior. Not just look the other way and hope they go away. Most morons are quick to shut down when called on their idiocy.
I have been going to the range once a week (on average) for 19 years and, while I have had to shut some morons down, I have never had any real issues. Range safety is observed, and there are enough smart people out there to enforce general range safety rules.
I guess we are all bubbas though, huh? One incident in 19 years and they were quick to shut down the "unsupervised Bubba Range."
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"It is useless for the sheep
to pass resolutions in favour of
vegetarianism" ~ R. W. Inge
A recreational activity took the life of a man when he and a group of friends knowingly engaged in dangerous fun on government-regulated property. If authorities had prohibited the dangerous activity, the man would be alive.
Stop thinking shooting range.
The accident caused the June death of 61-year-old James Kennedy of Woodland Park. Kennedy and his friends, under the supervision of a professional guide, boarded a raft in order to challenge the white-water rapids of the Arkansas River in 2008. As the raft Kennedy rode in approached the F Street Bridge in Salida, it overturned. The water whisked Kennedy away, tossing him like a rag doll.
All on board the raft knew they were risking life and limb, and possibly putting others in danger. Only a week earlier, 67-year-old Oscar Stevenson III climbed aboard a raft on the Arkansas and died near Buena Vista. A few weeks before that, 26-year-old Subhashi Nelakurthi20boarded a raft on the Arkansas and died in the Royal Gorge. Dangerous. Needless. Costly to the public.
Kris Wahlers, boating safety coordinator for Colorado, tells The Gazette 10 people have died in Colorado rafting accidents so far in 2009, and two have died in boating accidents on state reservoirs.
These senseless deaths by recreation would end, if only government would block access to the river with concrete barriers and barbed wire.
The 10 killed rafting in Colorado this year would have been in more danger had they chosen to snowboard or ski at any of Colorado’s ski resorts, most of which operate on national forest land. Snowboarding is the most dangerous outdoor hobby in the United States, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. It is followed by sledding, hiking and mountain biking. All firearms accidents combined kill 1,150 people each year — in a country of more than 300 million privately owned guns.
Recreational shooting, therefore, may be the safest form of common outdoor recreation known to humankind.
The safety of recreational shooting is evident in the fact some 40,000 people each year shoot at the Pike National Forest’s Rampart Range Shooting Range, the only public range in El Paso County. It has been unsupervised since it opened in 1990. Hundreds of thousands of recreational shooters have used the range in 19 years of operation, yet the f irst death came Saturday. Otis Freison died when a member of his group tragically failed to clear a weapon of ammunition, leading to a negligent discharge.
That’s one fatal accident in 19 years. Imagine if other recreation facilities were that safe. One section of the Arkansas River took four lives in a week last year, yet rafting didn’t stop for a day.
This single shooting death in 19 years led Forest Supervisor Bob Leaverton to close the range indefinitely on Tuesday. That will cause some recreational shooters to practice their sport in more dangerous locations.
Closing Rampart, one of the safest recreational facilities in Colorado, is nothing other than an irrational bias against gun owners and their rights. Pike National Forest belongs to the public, and all must demand this anti-gun bureaucrat reopen the range immediately.
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"It is useless for the sheep
to pass resolutions in favour of
vegetarianism" ~ R. W. Inge
^ I agree, however in the event that is DOES reopen it has got to fall on people like us who are responsible gun owners to "police" the range. If we see unsafe conditions/actions we have GOT to speak up. A lot of the danger comes from people who are unfamiliar with firearms and the safety issues that go with them. In a week or so I'll be vacationiong out that way and plan to use a public range outside of Canon City that is much like Rampart Range in that it is unsupervised and on public land. I hope the officials in charge see this as, while tragic, simply an accident. I also read news articles in which the deceased man's father said he hoped it remained closed. That's most unfortunate, the fact of the matter is his son involved himself in an activity with inherent risks and didn't do his part to make sure certain measures were taken to ensure his safety and that of those around him. I am in no way intending to place blame on anyone as this was simply an accident, however what purpose will it serve to make the many suffer for the crimes of the few. Keep in mind that soldiers from Fort Carson used the range as did many off-duty LEO's. Not all who use the facility are ignorant, and those who are may just need some minor instruction on proper firearm safety/etiquitte(sp).
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" This house is protected by the good Lord, and a gun......."
RonDog, I can only assume from your comment about "an unsupervised Bubba Range" that you believe in a nanny state and that no person should be allowed to do anything even remotely dangerous without state oversight.
There is such a thing as Personal Responsibility you know. When the Idiots roll in, that should be your cue to take charge and shut down the idiotic behavior. Not just look the other way and hope they go away. Most morons are quick to shut down when called on their idiocy.
I have been going to the range once a week (on average) for 19 years and, while I have had to shut some morons down, I have never had any real issues. Range safety is observed, and there are enough smart people out there to enforce general range safety rules.
I guess we are all bubbas though, huh? One incident in 19 years and they were quick to shut down the "unsupervised Bubba Range."
Ain't no reason for you to get all pissy with me. If you like the place, fine. I don't. And I'm not about to "take charge and shut down idiotic behavior" by approaching armed strangers who may be drunk, high-on-God-knows-what, or have "something to prove to dey homies" by telling them to stop acting like fools and behave responsibly. That's suicidal, IMO.
And any place where people drag out TV's, refrigerators, etc. to shoot up and leave there, or drink beer and shoot the empty cans/bottles, yeah, that's a Bubba Range. I don't care for supervision by Range Nazi's either, and I'm not about to emulate them. That's why I joined a private club with a remote private range, where responsible adults can enjoy themselves in a clean, safe environment without fools or Range Nazi's to worry about. If I didn't have that, I'd be looking for a landowner that had a nice, safe gully he'd let me shoot in.
I said that I hoped Rampart Range gets cleaned up, improved and reopened, and I stand by that. I don't see any possible way for it to be supervised in any way, shape or form, so that ain't likely. I still won't go there, it's not even close to convenient for me. But I don't think it should have been shut down because of one incident either.
No reason for you to jump down my throat.
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I child-proofed my house, but they still keep getting in!
^ Didnt mean become a "Range Nazi", simply meant that those who know what they're doing need to assist those who don't when/if possible. As for policing the range, I simply meant we need to pick up after ourselves. In the military we called it Policing our brass, to ensure the range stayed clear of debris that could cause safety issues ( i.e somebody tripping on a spent shell while carrying a loaded weapon). I'm sure at your club you are not allowed to leave your brass layin around when your done. As for approaching others, you would certainly do so at your own risk, but that would be a common sense judgment call, if someone was acting in an erratic or beligerent manner and had a gun an you approach them......well, probably not a wise decision. Anyway, if it's not a convienient place for you to use then it's a moot point anyhow.
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" This house is protected by the good Lord, and a gun......."
Ain't no reason for you to get all pissy with me. If you like the place, fine. I don't. And I'm not about to "take charge and shut down idiotic behavior" by approaching armed strangers who may be drunk, high-on-God-knows-what, or have "something to prove to dey homies" by telling them to stop acting like fools and behave responsibly. That's suicidal, IMO.
And any place where people drag out TV's, refrigerators, etc. to shoot up and leave there, or drink beer and shoot the empty cans/bottles, yeah, that's a Bubba Range. I don't care for supervision by Range Nazi's either, and I'm not about to emulate them. That's why I joined a private club with a remote private range, where responsible adults can enjoy themselves in a clean, safe environment without fools or Range Nazi's to worry about. If I didn't have that, I'd be looking for a landowner that had a nice, safe gully he'd let me shoot in.
I said that I hoped Rampart Range gets cleaned up, improved and reopened, and I stand by that. I don't see any possible way for it to be supervised in any way, shape or form, so that ain't likely. I still won't go there, it's not even close to convenient for me. But I don't think it should have been shut down because of one incident either.
No reason for you to jump down my throat.
Look RonDog, I like you. Your posts are fun to read and you generally seem to have a good grasp of what is going on. This issue makes me so freaking angry that any opposing view is going to set me off. The bottom line is that we have such an anti gun forest service that they have been begging for any excuse to shut the range down for years. With their blatant anti gun attitude, I am wondering how the range got opened in the first place. This was the only free place to shoot in El Paso county, and up until this month had a shiny clean safety record.
As far as the trash up there goes, call the sheriff and report illegal dumping. I have done it in the past and, if it ever reopens, will continue to do it in the future. Usually I just catch the person on the way out and explain where the public trash cans are located on the way down from the range. It works. The range has been getting less trashy in the past few years, in large part thanks to the efforts of our sheriff. If you think someone is high or drunk, call the sheriff and report it. Specify that you will be waiting to speak with the deputy for the report, it is a 15-20 minute drive, but they will get there asap if you think someone is dangerous.
The houses up there are relatively new and have been getting closer every year. They were not there 10 years ago.
If we can't take personal responsibility when using our forests, we will slowely lose all rights to it. We are half way there now and this train wreck leading to a nanny state is not slowing down.
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"It is useless for the sheep
to pass resolutions in favour of
vegetarianism" ~ R. W. Inge
Just thoght I'd let y'all know bout the place down in Canon City, it's a couple miles north of town, theres a little turn off on the west side of Red Canyon road that takes ya up to the top of the hill. Clear (but old) signage telling you where the range is after you make the initial turn-off. Once there at the range it posted "No shooting east side of road" and theres at least one sign telling you that policing your shells/brass is required. IMO, a MUCH better place than Rampart Range, as far as cleanliness and since not a whole lot of people know about it, it doesnt have the overcrowding that was common above Garden of the Gods. Just thought I'd let y'all know.
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" This house is protected by the good Lord, and a gun......."
went to my favorite out of the way place today that was a semi-secret two months ago. Packed and trashed worse then Rampart ever was. It was a real bummer. I woudln't let anyone know about your secret spots right now. 40,000 people are looking for a place to go.
I may try it out tomorrow though!
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"It is useless for the sheep
to pass resolutions in favour of
vegetarianism" ~ R. W. Inge
One thing I notice is that it says People with Hunting Licenses are exempt from the rule. It doesn't say you have to be hunting at the time. So, does this mean you can go there & practice if you have a hunting license? Heck, I'd get a hunting license to be able to go there & shoot. It'd be a heck of a lot cheaper than most of the ranges around.
I would also venture to say that they only closed it because they are not making any money off of gun owners here, unlike gun ranges that charge so damn much just because they piled up a large mound of dirt...gimme a break. I really wish some of the gun ranges would offer a coupon or something like "Visit 2 times, 3rd time is free." but, they don't.. And I don't want to pay into a privately owned, snobby club.
The government also hires folks to be Camp heads at camp grounds on government land. Why can't they hire someone to watch over the gun range? Be sure no dumbasses are being stupid and make sure they take their trash with them. Makes sense to me. I wouldn't want them to "run" the range...just watch out for the good visitors and report any wrong-doings to the local sheriff/ranger. But, the govt. hates gun-owning citizens, so they will do all they can to oppress us into submission and extinction.
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Don't let their ignorance and hate intimidate.
Just an FYI - it's a long ways out there, but on US40 between Hot Sulphur Springs and Parshall (on the way to Kremmling), there's a really nice D.O.W. range that's free to the public, and unsupervised. It's always been clean, and someone keeps the target boards refreshed. They use that white corrugated plastic posterboard stuff for target boards, so they last a long time.
There's a pistol range, a shotgun/archery range, a ".22 rifle only" range, and several high-powered rifle ranges. I'd say they're probably 300 yards deep, maybe 400, I'm no judge of distance. There's also a large Law Enforcement practice range at the east end, but it's gated and locked. It's a nice place to shoot, with benches, a porta-john, and a dumpster. Sometimes it's a good place to find brass, unless I've been there.
Oh, Ivan, BLGC isn't a snobby place, it's just a long drive, and very easy to join. Cherry Creek Gun Club, now THAT'S a snobby place. If you went to BLGC, I think you'd really like it.
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I child-proofed my house, but they still keep getting in!
Emailed to me a few days ago. I have not verified anything in it.
Colorado: Support Needed to Re-Open Rampart Shooting Range! Following an accidental shooting last July, the Forest Service closed the very popular and heavily used Rampart Shooting Range on the Pike National Forest. In its nearly 20-year history, Rampart had never before experienced a shooting-related injury or fatality. Rampart is the only free public range in El Paso County and receives 40,000 visitors a year. The Service called the closure a "time-out" in order to assess whether the design of the range was a factor. An investigation determined that the range was not a factor in the accident. Safety experts have said that the accident could have happened at any range. But after it closed Rampart, the Forest Service devised a scheme to keep the range closed permanently. The Forest Service has listed requirements that must be met before it will reopen Rampart. There is no timetable for meeting these requirements and likely no money to cover costs. The most significant issue is the requirement of full time supervision. Most ranges on federal lands operate without supervision and this requirement could place all such ranges in jeopardy. Rampart Range is in need of improvements which were identified more than two years ago. Such improvements can be addressed and implemented with the range reopened. The Forest Service has said that it could take up to five years before Rampart is reopened, but there is no guarantee that it would reopen Rampart in that timeframe or at any time in the future.NRA has been working to get Rampart Range reopened since the day it was closed, but we need the help of Colorado hunters and shooters to show the Forest Service and your elected officials that the federal government cannot continue to close public lands to recreational shooting, and certainly not without replacing those areas lost with other areas of the same or great value. Rampart Shooting Range is an important resource for the shooting community along the Front Range. There is no incentive for the Forest Service to reopen Rampart unless the shooting sports community demands it!Shooting ranges on public lands are few and far between in Colorado. In addition to the closure of Rampart, the Forest Service has closed its lands to recreational shooting near Boulder and on the Pawnee Grasslands, and large acreage closures have occurred west of Sedalia. The Forest Service is not planning for recreational shooting. Closures are imposed without opening new areas and needed improvements to existing areas, including the Rampart Shooting Range, have not been made. Recreational shooting is not being treated by the Forest Service in Colorado as a legitimate and valued recreational activity on forest lands.
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"It is useless for the sheep
to pass resolutions in favour of
vegetarianism" ~ R. W. Inge
