Public Shooting Ranges in North Carolina

280AI · Joined: Posts: 12 Location: Western, North Carolina

Hello.I found this url and am glad i did.I live in WNC and have been trying to get the wildlife commission to build more public target ranges on our game lands and i'm having very little luck.I've called them several times and keep getting the same answer "We're not in the business of building public target ranges and the 1970 amendment to the pittman-robertson(wildlife restoration act) act dealing with the establishment,operation and maintaince of public target ranges is a public misconception.Any help would be appreciated.Anyone interested in having the NC Wildlife Commission establish,operate and maintain public target ranges,please contact the Wildlife or go to the district meetings and voice Your concerns and questions. Thanks

Admin · Joined: Posts: 68

Unless you know a landowner who will enable you to use their range, then your choices are very limited. This is where public lands come into play.

The WRC has the land and the equipment to built such a hunting instrument (shooting range), but will the wildlife commission build a public range? The first thought that runs through my head is L-I-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y. I am unfamiliar with how other states furnish hunters with public ranges but it can be done. I find it very easy to understand how and why it is important to have a range, especially when the WRC encourages and stresses to everyone the importance of marksmanship from both a safety and humanitarian point of view. As for how to get it implemented, the first step is to voice your opinion on several fronts. Mentioning it on this forum board is only a first step to test the interest among others. A second step is to ask the WRC for such a range. It appears that they will be having their annual public hearings coming up very soon. I do not know where you live but you did mention the western part of the state so here are the dates for the mountain districts:

EDIT: Old public hearing dates.

They are supposed to listen to all information presented at such public hearings. But, why wait for their reply? Continue with your efforts and go to step three: Contact your local state representatives and express your views to them. See the Weblinks for a link to your local elected official. Remember they are here for you. Call them, write them, or do both, but one thing is for certain, if you do nothing then nothing will be done. If the NCWRC is to build and maintain such a shooting range for the benefit of all sportsmen and sportswomen, then it will occur when they (WRC) are told to build it by those who are responsible for telling them what to do (our state representatives and senators). It is like this: if you ask me to do something, I have the option of saying no and will probably do so, depending on what it is. However, if you get my boss to instruct me, then that changes everything, agreed?

I personally like the idea of a public range. I would like to have access to one as well. It can be done at minimal expense, and quite possibly, it could be done with some of the $55 million dollars or so of endowment funds. I fail to see where or why the Pittman Robertson Act has anything to do with this discussion at all. They have the money, they can build it at no cost to the taxpayer.

I just had a thought, maybe if we had a public shooting range to sight in our equipment then maybe the 3 Strike Buck event would never have occurred!

280ai

Thanks for the reply.I fully understand liability.My Father and I both have contacted our federal,state and local reps.We have been in constant contact with the NCWRC for several months and We're getting nowhere with them.The Pittman-Robertson Act has a 1970 amendment that states funds are derived from a 10% tax placed on handguns and a 11% tax on archery equiptment to include funding for hunter safety programs and the development,operation and maintenance of public target ranges.The NCWRC received $1.2 million for 2004 and $1.7 million for 2005 under this amendment and they state they have used it for hunters safety education.Don't get me wrong I'm 100% for hunters ed. ,at the same time We all should be provided with places to sight in for the hunt or pleasure.In my opinion the current NC Hunters safety training course is incomplete, without being able to train them with live weapons, ammo,proper target practice training and sighting in. Maybe i haven't talked to the right people at the NCWRC.The $55 million You speak of, is that the NCWRC'S budget or is that grant amounts available to them for range development?If nothing has changed SC has 11 ranges,Georgia has 16,Tennessee has 14 and Virginia has 16 Public target ranges on gamelands or forest service property.I live in Henderson County.

Admin · Joined: Posts: 68

Quote::

The $55 million You speak of

This is roughly the amount in the NCWRC Endowment Fund. What is it? If you or someone that you know have purchased a Lifetime Hunting or Fishing License, or a Lifetime subscription to the NC Wildlife magazine, then that money went into the NCWRC Endowment Fund. As I understand it, the current total is roughly $55 million dollars, plus or minus a few million or so. The principal of this money can not be touched but must remain intact, unless instructed to be used by the NC Legislature. However, the interest from this massive depositary receipt brings in, at 4% interest, $183,333.33 per month. The interest income from this endowment fund can be used for other means. It may go into their general revenue fund, I don't know.

Would endowment account funds be necessary for this project? No, I doubt it. Put it on land that they already control, hence, no land purchase is necessary. Use their existing equipment to dig a backstop, no additional purchase necessary.
Put a fence around it for control. Some expense required.

Concerns from their end? Liability.
Liability Control Measures?
1- Place the range adjacent to buildings and depots that they already control and are manned on a daily basis. Then they can be operated within certain days and hours.
2- Use a fence (High fence) with razor wire to further control access. Any danger to their employees being in such a close proximity to high powered rifles? None. If there is any concern, then they will finally know how it feels to have a road hunter in front of their own home.

280AI · Joined: Posts: 12 Location: Western, North Carolina

Thanks for the info.

Admin · Joined: Posts: 68

Some interesting pictures of the unused rifle range on the North Carolina DuPont State Forest Game Lands has been uploaded. 280AI, did you upload them? That is a neat rifle range.

280ai

Hello.Yep I took the pixs 1/08/2006 and uploaded them today.I have planned on taking them to the NCWRC district 9 meeting the 18th of this month in Sylva.The Dupont Corp. and the Dupont Employees Recreation Association had invested considerable time,effort & money to establish,operate and maintain this range until it's sale to the State of North Carolina.This is the site I have been trying to get the Wildlife and the supervisors of DSF gamelands to reopen.If reopened it could serve the Buncombe,Henderson and Transylvania area very well and anyone else that wants to use it.The costs to reopen this range would be considerably less than building a new one.The Dupont State Forest Gamelands Property belongs to all NC residents and this range should be utilized to benefit of Sportsmen,4H Clubs,Target Shooters,Hunter's Safety Education,School Shooting Teams,Law Enforcement and Casual Plinkers.

Guest

I think having public shooting range on gamelands would be a good idea.I hunted south carolina and they had them,it gives you a safe place to shoot and allows you to shoot any time during daylight hours seven days a week.It's difficult to find places in nc to sight in your rifles,I'm sure all the money sportsmen spend each year in nc somewhere some money could be used to build ranges.sc had 100,50,25 yard ranges with concrete tables to shoot off of,seemed to be very safe,

Admin · Joined: Posts: 68

North Carolina has sufficient public land available to build shooting ranges for the general public. As discussed at some Public Hearings this past year, should the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission be charged with the task of building and maintaining public shooting ranges for all the citizens of North Carolina?