I got up this morning, loaded my gear and drove out to the shooting range to discover it closed. It seems, and they've posted it on the website, that they're having some sort of kid camp. While I was there, getting the bad news from the range officer, I observed that they were using about half of the rifle range. None of the pistol range, nor the shotgun range. There was plenty of room for recreational shooters, yet the range is closed. God forbid that the public get to use a public range on a weekend. That's simply out of the question.
That seems to be the standard procedure for the LDWF. Any time they can close the range, they do so. Any thing they can do to hinder recreational shooting is part of the scheme.
Just so everyone understands, I'm not against teaching kids to shoot. Quite the contrary, I've taught lots of kids to shoot. On public ranges. With other people present.
While I'm ranting, I might as well cover the cutesy name they gave the camp. Families Understanding Nature (FUN) camp. How very touchy-feely. Without seeing the curriculum, I bet that nature's indifference to kids was not covered. Nature doesn't care about us, we're just another lump of protein and some trace elements to be used when we quit breathing. Nature is totally indifferent to us and if you want to understand nature, you've got to understand that harsh fact. That's all you need to know about nature, and I've just covered it in fifteen seconds.
What horseshit.
4 comments:
Look at it this way, PawPaw: if such a camp was held in OR (and I'd wager that they are held), you can bet your last dollar that it would NOT include any form of shooting instruction. OTOH, it probably WOULD include all things "green", and "how to recycle", and the most useful thing it MIGHT have would be bicycle repair...
Bullshit, Rivrdog. The public range is closed to the public enough weekends that it isn't a public range. I've been having this conversation with these bozos for over four years now.
They're using it as a personal fiefdom paid for with public dollars. That ain't right. It should be open to the public every day of the year, including Christmas.
I'm with Pawpaw here. While its great they are teaching kids to shoot, the size utilization for what they have there is crap. Pending that the range officer is not there full time, and required to be so for the range to open, it should be open 24/7 365 days a year, with the only exception to be for repairs or the like. The public ranges around here, while very expensive to use in my opinion for the amount of work done with them, they are at least open all the time.
I'm with Paw too... something stinks about that 'public' range...
Post a Comment