On the range

Don't I wish. There are no ranges available for public use in Rapides Parish. There are two under construction, but construction proceeds at a snail's pace. I'm told to be patient, to just wait a little longer, that things happen in time, but I'm impatient.

I'm not a club shooter and even the club shooters are having trouble finding a place to shoot.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about safety. I understand, probably more than many, the damage a bullet can do. I don't want to go into an unsafe area and endanger anyone.

All I want is a place to sit at a bench, hunker down over my rifle and be alone with my thoughts, my rifle, and my ammo. I don't care if there are another hundred people there as long as I can be alone with my thoughts. Where I can look out over the field and settle my crosshairs on a target. Feel the wind in my face and work on my squeeze.

Is that too much to ask?

I'm just about to the point where I believe I'm going to have to build my own range. It'll be 100 yards, with a good back stop and a solid bench. Where I won't have to worry about someone else's stupidity or bureaucratic inertia. It'll be something I can pass on to my kids. I think that's a worthy project.

I know just the place.