Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns I just might be done

This is how we lose folks.
Just received word tonight that my local rifle, pistol and shotgun range has closed off the rifle and pistol area due to safety concerns and complaints.
Seems folks got tired of tannerite being set off, basic bad behavior and turned the club into the dept of roads. State highway 1/2 mile away. State has jurisdiction to 1 mile.
Decided that insufficient access control and proximity to said highway constituted unsafe conditions. If this stands it will be subject to state approval to reopen.
So for now, no shooting, no reloading, nada unless I want to drive 40 miles and pay for daily access. May just be a sell off in my future.

I’m not familiar with your neck of the woods, but is there no public land or anywhere else you can go?

No. 95% of the land in Nebraska is private. 90% of the WMA’s are off limits to target shooting due to same bad behavior. Go figure.

May be helpful to point out how many fatalities the state has on their highway and compare it to an "unsafe" shooting range...

If that doesn't work, complain. Seems to work for others.

Maybe you can appease them with updated berms and baffles.

It's always a shame when a few jerks ruin it for everyone else.

You need to m as ke freinds wi th h local farmer ,who likes to shoot .

State has jurisdiction a mile away? WTH is that? I keep thinking I want to move where there’s less snow but everywhere I look, I see dumber laws. And who are these complaining, gender confused, candy azz’s. Don’t they know they live in Nebraska and not Connecticut?

There's a range less than two miles from my house. A couple of years ago someone lost control on full auto (so I was told) and one went over the berm and hit a house downrange. The owner of the house complained to the range, not the popo, and they made some changes to prevent any more of that, including having a R.O. at all times.

Separately, as a result of another complaint, they had to shut down the 400 yard range and redo it to address the county's concerns with the design. Ended up with a 200/250/300 yard range, and now shooters have to qualify to use it by shooting a 1" 5-shot group at 100yards(!). They also built a covered bench that features a window to keep the rifle muzzle pointed low enough to stay on the berms.

Not currently a member, but I definitely saw stuff there that was a little scary before they tightened up.

Sorry to hear this.....where's this range located?

A club I belonged to before retiring Lincoln Ike’s had the same thing happen. Shot went over the berm hit a house. So the 300 yard range was shut down except for scheduled matches. The 25, 50, 75 and 100 yard ranges had to have the berms redesigned and baffles installed.
Now their problem is that a new state bypass highway is going in exactly 7/8 of a mile behind the 300 so they are in a fight to be able to keep it open.
With the way it’s designed it’s going to be a bitch to put in baffles. They also made a rule that you have to qualify at 100 and 200 before you get to shoot 300. Can understand why as there were some who used the new baffles as 25 yard targets, full auto, holes through the bench covers and incendiary rounds being fired. We had the berms on fire twice in one year during a drought from that.
As far as the 1 mile rule the state figures if a rifle range is within that distance to a highway it can pose significant safety issues as a bullet could travel or ricochet that distance.

Nebraska, the range is located in Merrick county on the river. Right now it’s a toss up if it’s going to open back up. Thing is Merrick county Sherriffs and CC police used that as their qualifying range instead of driving to G. I.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Is that Louisville range?

No, the op is in Merrick County, between Columbus and Grand Island.

Correct. Some of the flattest bottom land in Nebraska. 62 miles of absolutely no hills. Corn from ditch to ditch. Most of it center pivot irrigated. Some areas within 3 miles of the river have ground water at 3 ft down. Some of the ground around here was going for 13-18K per acre during the 8.00 corn market. Still going for 7-8K per acre. Aren’t many farmers around here building berms for backstops.
Louisville or Eastern Nebraska Gun Club hasn’t got the problems. Shooting lanes are going North, away from the Highway.

Gotcha. Eastern Nebraska got partially shut down years back. Landowner claimed bullet struck their house or property.

Interesting hadn’t heard about that. I do know that Heartland Park in Grand Island had their 600 yard range closed for quite awhile do to that complaint. What is strange is that one you shoot thru a tunnel that’s 30 yards long. It was supposedly impossible to launch one over the berm. The 100- 600 range just outside Burwell closed in 2018 and a 600-1000 between Kearney and North Platte Shut down all but the 100-200 last fall.

The free public range on the Sleepy Creek WMA closed over that nonsense too. How the Fugg do you miss a mountain?

I belong to Eastern NE Gun Club so you'd always be welcome to come there and shoot or, even closer, you can also hit Oak Creek Sporting Club which ~1hr East of you (just past Brainard). The owner Terry is one of the best guys you could ever meet. They have a couple benches there and you can shoot 200-300 yards IIRC. They also have a really nice trap, skeet and sporting clays range too.

God bless America's public land.