I found out some irritating news today. I had some handloads for my .300 WM and my 450 Marlin i wanted to run through the crony, so i loaded everything in the truck and drove down to my shooting area - only to find out it's illegal to shoot there, and has been for a long time.
It seems there is a sign stating that shooting is off limits, but it is so full of bullet holes that it's unreadable. The spot is right at the west end of KGB. There's a small airstrip there, and a large open area next to it with a safe background - a bank flanked by a dense treeline.
I have been shooting there for a couple of years now and today was the first time I knew it was illegal. A man was out on the airstrip plowing and he came and told me about it. Now, common sense is mandatory when using any firearm, and I used it - stop shooting when a plane is landing or taking off, even though the probability of a stray bullet hitting one is almost nil. Not a problem though - it's not exactly a high-traffic landing strip.
Not that it matters - it's illegal, so I won't be shooting there again. I always wind up throwing a bunch of other shooters' discarded targets in my truck for disposal. Sad as it is, I've grown used to this. It seems there are "bad apples" at any known shooting area. Because these bad apples have filled the "no shooting" sign so full of bullet holes, I was unaware of the shooting prohibition.
The plow operator was understandably upset, even threatening to call the troopers. I think he finally was convinced that I'm not a valdal though, and he went back to plowing while I cleaned up some discarded targets and other trash for the last time.
It's too bad, because it only takes me 10 minutes to drive there. I guess I'll have to find another spot. I would hate to have to drive all the way out to Birchwood every time I want to try out some new handloads.
Okay, I'll stop my rant now. It just ticked me off, because it's people like those who shoot up signs and leave their garbage behind that are "ammo" (pun intended) for the anti-gun lobbyists who are getting laws passed like those recently (can't remember the state) which prohibit shooting ANYWHERE except for an established range or gun club.
It seems there is a sign stating that shooting is off limits, but it is so full of bullet holes that it's unreadable. The spot is right at the west end of KGB. There's a small airstrip there, and a large open area next to it with a safe background - a bank flanked by a dense treeline.
I have been shooting there for a couple of years now and today was the first time I knew it was illegal. A man was out on the airstrip plowing and he came and told me about it. Now, common sense is mandatory when using any firearm, and I used it - stop shooting when a plane is landing or taking off, even though the probability of a stray bullet hitting one is almost nil. Not a problem though - it's not exactly a high-traffic landing strip.
Not that it matters - it's illegal, so I won't be shooting there again. I always wind up throwing a bunch of other shooters' discarded targets in my truck for disposal. Sad as it is, I've grown used to this. It seems there are "bad apples" at any known shooting area. Because these bad apples have filled the "no shooting" sign so full of bullet holes, I was unaware of the shooting prohibition.
The plow operator was understandably upset, even threatening to call the troopers. I think he finally was convinced that I'm not a valdal though, and he went back to plowing while I cleaned up some discarded targets and other trash for the last time.
It's too bad, because it only takes me 10 minutes to drive there. I guess I'll have to find another spot. I would hate to have to drive all the way out to Birchwood every time I want to try out some new handloads.
Okay, I'll stop my rant now. It just ticked me off, because it's people like those who shoot up signs and leave their garbage behind that are "ammo" (pun intended) for the anti-gun lobbyists who are getting laws passed like those recently (can't remember the state) which prohibit shooting ANYWHERE except for an established range or gun club.
Comment