Public Shooting Ranges

[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