View Full Version : someone killed at rampart range.
A friend of mine just called me saying he heard on the news someone was shot in the chest and died at rampart range today. I wonder if they are going to shut that place down now.
hope it was no one from the board.
sorry I dont have any of the details but just got off the phone and thought I would post it up.
Carey
http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/51101667.html
heres a link to a story I found.
kidicarus13
07-18-2009, 18:11
How many people on this site saw that one coming?
Armed Springs
07-18-2009, 18:22
I guess you could say it was only a matter of time. That place was packed the other day when I went by on the road. Sorry for the family...
ryanek9freak
07-18-2009, 18:50
I've been saying for years that the forest service needs to shut that death trap down. It was only a matter of time before someone got killed there.
Reason #47 I will never go there.
It's sad that it took someone dying to open everyone's eyes.
mightymouse
07-18-2009, 18:55
Ugh. I'm so happy I have the in-laws place now. And private ranges to go to. This is just nuts.
SA Friday
07-18-2009, 19:31
I guarantee there were two gun rules violated to result in this.
Muzzle not controlled and booger picker on the bang lever...
I feel very sorry for the family of the victim.
On a side note, how many of you carry GSW first aid kits with you when you go to the range and know what to do and how to use the materials in the kit? I'm fortunate and received this training in the military and was allowed to keep my kit when I retired. It goes with me to the range every time.
Batteriesnare
07-18-2009, 19:39
Wow, that's scary, we were talking about going to Rampart today last night. In response to ^^, I always have what I call a "level two" first aid kit when I'm at the range, which would be sufficient to deliver first aid to a gunshot wound until paramedics arrived, but I don't think many people take one with them. Prayers to the family.
Well that stinks..Condolences to the family of the victim. Whenever I go its usually very early in the morning before the stupid people show up. Guess I am going to have to find another range. Any one know of any in the springs area? Private is ok so long as its not overly expensive.
one of the reasons I don't show people my shooting place (so it's still clean and safe)...
pickenup
07-18-2009, 21:47
Hate to hear about this kind of thing happening.
SAD all the way round.
sad story.
I doubt it will be shut down because of it.
sad story.
I doubt it will be shut down because of it.
I kinda think they have been looking for a reason to shut it down, and this just might do it.
Don't flame me because someone got killed because of not following rules of safe firearm handling.
Its not tragic, it was a stupid mistake. No I don't know the facts. But a round was fired and hit a person. So A dumb shit pulled the trigger on a firearm while it was pointed at a vital spot.
Until stupid people stop pointing weapons at others while doing stuff, others will die.
I get really pissed off if others point weapons at me. Dead guys don't get to complain about breaking the rules of firearm safety.
No the family does not get a free pass. They should get a safety course on handling firearms.
eneranch
07-19-2009, 08:23
Well that stinks..Condolences to the family of the victim. Whenever I go its usually very early in the morning before the stupid people show up. Guess I am going to have to find another range. Any one know of any in the springs area? Private is ok so long as its not overly expensive.
Dragonman's $10 All Day
Pistol,Shotgun, & Rifle out to about 220yds
kidicarus13
07-19-2009, 10:12
Dragonman's $10 All Day
Pistol,Shotgun, & Rifle out to about 220yds
It seems a lot of people on here don't care for Dragon Man's although I forget why. 've never been there so I'm not judging.
cdrissel
07-19-2009, 10:33
Don't flame me because someone got killed because of not following rules of safe firearm handling.
Its not tragic, it was a stupid mistake. No I don't know the facts. But a round was fired and hit a person. So A dumb shit pulled the trigger on a firearm while it was pointed at a vital spot.
Until stupid people stop pointing weapons at others while doing stuff, others will die.
I get really pissed off if others point weapons at me. Dead guys don't get to complain about breaking the rules of firearm safety.
No the family does not get a free pass. They should get a safety course on handling firearms.
I totally agree.
Not sad - STUPID and bad for the majority of safe gun owners.
SA Friday
07-19-2009, 17:00
Well that stinks..Condolences to the family of the victim. Whenever I go its usually very early in the morning before the stupid people show up. Guess I am going to have to find another range. Any one know of any in the springs area? Private is ok so long as its not overly expensive.
Ben Lomand Gun Club isn't that far from CO Springs and is pretty cheap and there is no waiting list right now (not for long at the rate we are getting members).
PM me if you want the info.
DeltaKilo
07-19-2009, 21:37
I'm sorry to hear about htis, it was a huge shock. I know that they closed down part of the Grasslands up north here due to an incident where a bullet came too close to comfort to a house. This kind of stupid crap has to stop. [Bang]
Honestly, I think it should be shut down. We did that cleanup back in early May. What a shit hole that place was. We spent 4-5 hours cleaning it up, did a bad ass job...2 weeks later it was worse than before...
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/89Sunbird/rampart/Photo0003.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/89Sunbird/rampart/Photo0005.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/89Sunbird/rampart/Photo0006.jpg
ryanek9freak
07-20-2009, 05:46
You know, They should have been charging people to use the range from the get go. Just that right there would weed the morons out, even if there were no range officer.
I went there ONE time, when I first moved here to check it out, and I got the hell out after 30 seconds of what I saw. I was genuinly afraid for my life, and it turns out my fears were correct. I won't even drive PAST the range, for fear that someone could be shooting in the wrong direction.
Colorado Osprey
07-20-2009, 06:33
The problem with making it a pay range is people will just drive a couple more miles up the road and shoot in the forrest. At least the range keeps the morons all in the same place where you can avoid them.
Can you imagine how many more accidental shootings would occur if these hundreds of people per day were just out shooting in the forrest? No backstop, no checking for what's down range. Just blasting their hanguns sideways gangster style and bumpfiring their SKS's.
I have no problems with a supervised range. But start charging money and people won't go to the range. This creates a scarey situation in the woods. No more hiking or biking. No nature walks. I'd be afraid every time I went outside in Teller County.
Now if it is a 1st class facility, where people see what their money gets them, they are more likely to use the facilities and pay... at least in my opinion.
Ever been to Dallas? I've been to and attend Elm Fork (Run by city of Dallas)
http://www.elmfork.com/facilities.html
The city has a firearms range that is an excellent example of how to do it right. Recently renoved since 2004. It looks like a golf course with the club house, golf carts, indoor cafe/grill. They hold national and international events for Skeet, Trap, Clays, 5 Stand, Rifle and Pistol. They have rifle ranges out to 300 yards even although the web site says the100 yard range is not open, it hasn't been updated! Online doesn't even do it justice.
If the city would start something like this we could be a shooting destination from Denver and surrounding states and get more revenue and local sales for our area.
If the city would start something like this we could be a shooting destination from Denver and surrounding states and get more revenue and local sales for our area.
By doing something like would make people think that Denver was Pro-Gun, and we can't have that now. [Bang]
Is this the first death up there or has it happened before?
I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. Like many of you, I have stories to tell from shooting up there. Firearms are only as unsafe as the people handling them. I reckon something like this would have happened to those folks eventually no matter where they did their shooting.
Personally I think it would be silly to close the range. We don't close down a street after someone dies in a car crash. People have been shooting there for decades. One death in all that time is an accident, not a statistic.
As Colorado Osprey pointed out, lowlifes would just drive further up the road and shoot into the trees.
best to keep a basket open for the rotten eggs to shoot.
SA Friday
07-20-2009, 10:44
Those not willing to pay to go to a quality and safe range are those not willing to pay to learn how to shoot safely and accurately.
Rampart range is a nice place for the "not willing to pay" idiots to go. Keeps them from showing up at my range.
How can some of you say this is not sad??!!! It is incredibly sad! A kid got killed! Or isn't that sad enough for you?!
WTF is wrong with you?! If it was your kid I bet you'd be crying! I know I would be and I'd be after the asshole that shot him. Natural consequences, you know. And it's also sad because it is one more place we lose to shoot, even if it was a bad place. Never been there myself, however we go rockhounding for the topaz and amazonite in the area.
And it's also sad because this is just another feather in the cap of the anti-gun folks.
Fuqing sad all the way around. I really feel for the family. Of both.
Maybe I read the posts wrong, but I don't see how.
Thanks Ridge and the others that helped clean up!
Pancho Villa
07-20-2009, 20:47
Whenever I went, I left at about 8-9am.
Protip: unsafe idiots tend to sleep in on the weekends. It was just me and a couple crotchety old men zeroing in their rifles.
Terrible thing for the person who got shot. Owning a gun and not learning the safety rules is even dumber than buying a chainsaw and playing with it on full power.
That really sucks that someone got killed by another idiot. It's the worry I have any time I go to a un-managed range area. That is what makes me show up early and leave early.
I agree though that keeping it open is best, it gives those folks a place to shoot in a specific location.
People will find another place to go and at least here they are not shooting over anyones homes or a hwy.
People also get killed at indoor ranges, or outdoor ranges with an officer. Stupid people will not stop shooting, no matter what is closed down, so why would you want this place to shut down? it is another place people can enjoy shooting. it is one accident out of how many years?
everyone says don't punish gun owners for criminals mistakes, so why are you wanting to punish shooters for a mistake?
I feel bad for the family and for the guy it happened to, but closing the place isn't the answer IMO.
Pancho Villa
07-20-2009, 21:39
Its a big "problem of the commons" question. The place is maintained and owned by the government, acting (supposedly) as an agent of everyone. An owner (rightfully) takes some concern with the goings-on of his property, even (or especially) those open to the public.
If the forest was owned by a private organization, no biggie - what the owner says, goes, and everyone who contributes to that organization is free to leave it if they don't like it.
Problem with govt-owned land is that we are forced to contribute, whether we like it or not - so now you have two constituencies, each being forced to pay into the common pot that maintains (or bought in the first place) the land/govt dept that oversees the land. One says "Close it down!" the other says "Keep it open!" And no matter what the govt does in this case they have wronged one or the other set of people - because, unlike with private organizations, you can't just say "fuck it" and stop paying whatever portion of your taxes go to the forest service.
I am all for keeping it open, but I also recognize that the forest service (or whoever maintains the area) is in a bad situation. Its one of the no-win situations that govt is very good at making.
Danceswithwires
07-20-2009, 22:14
I never even knew there was a range up there but it sounds a lot like shooting in the canyons in Southern California which were just a mess both in terms of gun safety and just tons of trash. I went a second time but just had to say no after that.
Rampart also has a rep as far as us quad riders go, I've known several who have been injured up there, I'll stick to the dunes. Saw my therapist today he knew both the guys involved, the two of them were long time friends, the guy who got shot was married, just sad. My condolences to both family's
Circuits
07-21-2009, 00:16
Ben Lomand Gun Club isn't that far from CO Springs and is pretty cheap and there is no waiting list right now (not for long at the rate we are getting members).
PM me if you want the info.
I could never do BLGC, since I'm primarily a full auto shooter. But I stopped going to rampart solo since I don't want to share a range with gangstas when i've got 30k in transferrables in my car.
I could never do BLGC, since I'm primarily a full auto shooter. But I stopped going to rampart solo since I don't want to share a range with gangstas when i've got 30k in transferrables in my car.
I think the 30k's should be able to fend off those in the hills :)
Kidding of course. The only time i went up there I bought some of my better toys to play with. There was probably 20 or so people there and it was a nightmare. Right side of the range called a cold range while the left side continued shooting. That was bad enough, but got worse when some douche on the left side shooting a Rugger 22LR started shooting across the ranges at something he wanted to try and hit on the right side. He said he did not know that people were walking out there to set up targets.
After I chewed his ass out, I packed up and left and have not been back since.
I think it should remain open and if need be, more visits by the forest service to keep some sense of control out there.
There are a number of uncontrolled intersections in Colo. Springs where there have been traffic deaths. Negligence again. That does not mean that we shut down the street.
I agree the range can be dangerous. I usually go early in the morning and on week days when I can to avoid the crowd.
DeltaKilo
07-21-2009, 11:34
Well, I got notice this morning that the DNR has shut down the range and will be blocking it off with barbed wire and concrete. They're not sure for how long.
DeadElephant
07-21-2009, 11:45
Never been to Rampart.
Tragic to see this happen to a young man.
DeltaKilo
07-21-2009, 12:10
KKTV link:
http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/51308467.html
And the range is getting closed...
FromMyColdDeadHand
07-21-2009, 13:09
Did he shoot himself?
DeltaKilo
07-21-2009, 14:13
Did he shoot himself?
No, says in the article he was shot in the chest.
this is not good:
The U.S. Forest Service announced this morning an emergency closure of the Rampart Range shooting range, where a man died in a shooting accident on Saturday. There is no decision on when the range will reopen.
The Forest Service plans to barricade access to the range with concrete and barbed wire.
well thats one more area gone, hopefully it reopens but i would not be surprised if they close it for good.
Now I have one less place to shoot because some fuckhead is a fuckhead.
The idiot that caused this needs to run for office, he's already off to a great start: I've never met him before and because of him I'm getting screwed over.
ryanek9freak
07-22-2009, 06:14
It amazes me that he probably won't face any charges cause it was an "accident". BULL SHIT. That was negligence, pure and simple. He needs to be charged with gross negilgence and have a manslaughter charge thrown in as well. Some people say "well, he has to live with what he did to his friend for the rest of his life, isnt' that enough?" NO, it isn't.
Some 19 year old kid just got killed by the garden of the gods, after he was thrown out of the car his drunk, NEGLIGANT friend was driving ( Driver survived btw) and the driver just got charged with vehicular homicide.
The man who shot his friend obviously violated several basic firearms saftey laws, and for being a dumb ass, he should pay for it and be charged, maybe even some jail time.
Go ahead, flame me all you want.
Pancho Villa
07-22-2009, 06:55
I don't think any reasonable human would flame you for that opinion, Ryan.
Any proper justice system seeks to give restitution to the victim (or, if the victim is dead as in this case, set things as right as they can - ie, if you do kill someone, at minimum lose your freedom for a very long time, if not the rest of your life.)
If I accidentally destroy all your firearms, I don't think its unreasonable for you to expect me to pay you the value of the firearms back, regardless of the fact that it was unintentional. How much more valuable and important, then, is a human life?
If I accidentally destroy all your firearms, I don't think its unreasonable for you to expect me to pay you the value of the firearms back, regardless of the fact that it was unintentional. How much more valuable and important, then, is a human life?
If that were to happen I can guarantee I will be going to jail for a very long time. [ROFL1] [Beer]
It was just a matter of time! This is terrible that somebody had to lose their life but that place is a dump. It needs a range officer there. I went up there once and saw the way people were shooting so I got back in my car and turned around!
Pancho Villa
07-22-2009, 12:09
If that were to happen I can guarantee I will be going to jail for a very long time. [ROFL1] [Beer]
[ROFL1]
But you'll have no firearms and I'll have all of mine! I'll have a distinct advantage [M2] [Tooth]
jackmode9316
07-22-2009, 12:58
I would be pretty angry if someone shot me in the chest at a shooting range, then again I probably wouldnt.[Swim]
onedeadpirate
07-22-2009, 14:28
I do think that he should be punished for negligence but the main reason they can not (in my opinion) is that the firearm safety laws are not actually US or state laws (I could be wrong on this one, I am fairly new to the gun community). They are just good and smart safety practices. In the case of the kid being killed in the drunk driving accident there are laws that state you can't drive drunk. If he wasn't drunk I don't think that he would have been charged. There are laws that say you can not murder someone but this usually needs to have intent and/or some kind of aggressive nature for the killing.
It is a shame and sad that this event took place. Its a little harsh but maybe the rest of us will all be safer with one less idiot off the ranges. Who knows maybe his friend is just the idiot but if I was shooting with a friend and they were breaking safety laws I would give him a slap up side the head.
Laws have NOTHING to do with the presence/absence of negligence or not. He can be charged for negligence, and he should be.
Being negligent is the issue. There isn't a law that says that you can't watch your toddler drown in the pool because you didn't feel like getting up, but if you think that will get you out of charges, you are sadly mistaken.
colblaster
07-22-2009, 14:51
I contacted Congressman Lamborn this morning and suggested that he look into the closure.
My suggestion is that the range be re-opened as soon as possible with supervisory safety officers assigned. Safety officers would be funded by a small fee (3-4 dollars) keeping operation of the range revenue neutral. The range safety officers would also ensure the range is kept clean, could also provide target sales, etc...
This would keep open a structured place for people to shoot, the alternative is the incompetent fools roaming the forest, which is a recipe for even more negligent shootings.
With only 2 known ranges open to the public operating in El Paso County (Dragonman and Rampart Range), we cannot afford to lose access to these facilities.
I might encourage other members here to contact Lamborn's office and see what he can do.
Here's the real pisser, though.
The Pittman-Robertson Act levies a 10% excise tax on all pistols and an 11% excise tax on all rifles sold in the United States. This money is supposed to be used to foster outdoor education, wildlife preservation, and, explicitly states that the money should be made available for the construction and maintenance of shooting ranges.
In all the years that I've lived here I've heard excuses from the local government as well as the forest service that there was no money available to properly take care of Rampart Range.
If not, why not? We all pay a significant amount of money in the form of this excise tax. If that money can't be put to use maintaining a proper range (and Rampart Range was never a proper range, it was always a complete shit hole) where is it being used?
It seems very odd to me that the local officials did not avail themselves of this money in an attempt to actually build a proper shooting facility that could be manned by a Forest Ranger or other employee, at least during the day, and closed at night. Such a project could have even generated supplemental income by charging a small fee to those who wished to shoot there.
Instead, what we had was a range that was used as an open garbage dump, abused by the people who went there, and was a generally unsafe place to be by any sane standard of what a shooting range should be.
oh well, just head back in to the national forest and blast away at the hills and what not. at least with a known range you will have people in one area and the trash can be removed relatively easily instead of finding shit dumped everywhere.
One mistake doesn't constitute closing the range. if not, then we need to shut down waterworld because today a kid almost drowned.
and what about the kids that died at elitches...I think that needs to get closed down too....and the big 6 car pile up on SB I-25, that should get shut down or someone may get killed there too. and look at the sides of the roads, trash all over the place on that. the whole highway needs to be shut down.
closing the range is ignorant.
From the Gazette editorial page, they used a large font for the headline too.
Opinion-An outrageous anti-gun move
Comments 0 | Recommend 0
July 21, 2009 - 6:57 PM
A recreational activity took the life of a man when he and a group of friends knowingly engaged in dangerous fun on government-regulated property. If authorities had prohibited the dangerous activity, the man would be alive.
Stop thinking shooting range.
The accident caused the June death of 61-year-old James Kennedy of Woodland Park. Kennedy and his friends, under the supervision of a professional guide, boarded a raft in order to challenge the white-water rapids of the Arkansas River in 2008. As the raft Kennedy rode in approached the F Street Bridge in Salida, it overturned. The water whisked Kennedy away, tossing him like a rag doll.
All on board the raft knew they were risking life and limb, and possibly putting others in danger. Only a week earlier, 67-year-old Oscar Stevenson III climbed aboard a raft on the Arkansas and died near Buena Vista. A few weeks before that, 26-year-old Subhashi Nelakurthi boarded a raft on the Arkansas and died in the Royal Gorge. Dangerous. Needless. Costly to the public.
Kris Wahlers, boating safety coordinator for Colorado, tells The Gazette 10 people have died in Colorado rafting accidents so far in 2009, and two have died in boating accidents on state reservoirs.
These senseless deaths by recreation would end, if only government would block access to the river with concrete barriers and barbed wire.
The 10 killed rafting in Colorado this year would have been in more danger had they chosen to snowboard or ski at any of Colorado’s ski resorts, most of which operate on national forest land. Snowboarding is the most dangerous outdoor hobby in the United States, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. It is followed by sledding, hiking and mountain biking. All firearms accidents combined kill 1,150 people each year — in a country of more than 300 million privately owned guns.
Recreational shooting, therefore, may be the safest form of common outdoor recreation known to humankind.
The safety of recreational shooting is evident in the fact some 40,000 people each year shoot at the Pike National Forest’s Rampart Range Shooting Range, the only public range in El Paso County. It has been unsupervised since it opened in 1990. Hundreds of thousands of recreational shooters have used the range in 19 years of operation, yet the first death came Saturday. Otis Freison died when a member of his group tragically failed to clear a weapon of ammunition, leading to a negligent discharge.
That’s one fatal accident in 19 years. Imagine if other recreation facilities were that safe. One section of the Arkansas River took four lives in a week last year, yet rafting didn’t stop for a day.
This single shooting death in 19 years led Forest Supervisor Bob Leaverton to close the range indefinitely on Tuesday. That will cause some recreational shooters to practice their sport in more dangerous locations.
Closing Rampart, one of the safest recreational facilities in Colorado, is nothing other than an irrational bias against gun owners and their rights. Pike National Forest belongs to the public, and all must demand this anti-gun bureaucrat reopen the range immediately.
Armed Springs
07-22-2009, 20:57
From the Gazette editorial page, they used a large font for the headline too.
Opinion-An outrageous anti-gun move
.
The Gazette let this be published? I wonder what happened, they only put out what they want, after they review and discredit everyone. This may be the first time I would read something from them.
GunTroll
07-22-2009, 21:13
Never been there and never will. This is sad anyway you look at it. Sad for the loss of life. Sad for the loss of public lands.
Now........the old debate of ND vs. AD. I say ND and he is negligent (the shooter) and should be held responsible for the death. Not an accident in anyway from how I see it.
Rampart Runner
07-22-2009, 21:19
The Gazette let this be published? I wonder what happened, they only put out what they want, after they review and discredit everyone. This may be the first time I would read something from them.
That was an *editorial* not a letter to the editor. The Gazette editorial board is IMHO extremely libertarian (aka classic liberal) and completely for the RTKBA.
I have lived in places where the editorial board of the paper would be gunning for the closing of the range and the outlawing of firearms. The Gazette is a breath of fresh air.
RR
ChunkyMonkey
07-22-2009, 22:15
sorry if this is a repost...
This is from the Open Carry forum...
Rampart Range needs our help!!
Those of you in Colorado Springs are probably familiar with Rampart Range. Those of you elsewhere in Colorado may not.
Rampart Range is a free, unsupervised shooting range in Colorado Springs above Garden of the Gods. It's had mixed reviews, and, since it IS unsupervised, has had a spotty reputation and the occasional problems you'd expect from an unsupervised range.
Well, the other day, two guys from Aurora were trying to clear a firearm (probably unsafely), and one was shot in the chest and killed. It was the first fatality at Rampart Range, and the authorities reacted as government always does: by attempting to close it down.
I heard it was already closed by now, but I heard on the news today that there will be a vote tomorrow (Thursday) on whether or not to close the range. I don't have any more information than that, but I was at work and at the time I'm composing this message, all government employees have gone home for the day.
Please, any of you that can, call in tomorrow morning to Sheriff Maketa, the Forest Service, and any other places you think might help to suggest that Rampart Range stays open and that one bad apple shouldn't spoil it for the thousands of other people who shoot up there.
I've heard many people concerned about unsafe practices up there, drinking, 'gangsters', and so on, but it's a free, public range. It is we, responsible gun-owners, who should be using our judgement about the safety up there, setting good examples, and discouraging and driving away reckless shooters. If we aren't responsible enough or confrontational enough to make the range safe ourselves, by being responsible (ourselves) and 'having a talk' with those who aren't, then there are still other options. Like volunteer range-masters, for instance.
Please help save the range any way you can. It's a good range, and it's the only forest land in El Paso where people can shoot.
Here is some contact information:
Sheriff Terry Maketa
719.520.7333
http://shr.elpasoco.com/
U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Forest Service)
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/BLM_Information/directory.html
Good luck, and fight the good fight.
Shoot straight, and carry on!
**********
theGinsue
07-23-2009, 00:17
My schedule has kept me away from the Forums for the last several day but I have kept informaed on this sad event. Now, I'd like to offer up my input.
[START OF RANT]
Well, I got notice this morning that the DNR has shut down the range and will be blocking it off with barbed wire and concrete. They're not sure for how long.
I have forward the information on to my "2A Friends" list asking for immediate action. I agree with the logic of keeping this range open if for no other reason than to keep all of the rotten eggs in one basket. I will be contacting the individuals identified in MB888's post first thing Thursday morning!
Thanks too for posting the information on the Pittman-Robertson Act. I understand that the USFS was supposed to perform a safety study of the range to determine the best course of action. Given that this vote is happening so quickly I think our officials are bowing to anti-gun pressure to permanently close the range and that the vote is nothing more than following a required process to make it look good.
As others have suggested (and I'll be suggesting in m communications with our officials), I think the best course of action would be to use some of the Pittman-Robertson taxes to clean up and enhance the facilites @ RR to include providing a range officer. A small $3-4 daily fee, as someone else suggested, isn't too cost prohibitive and shouldn't keep away any of those who currently use RR because it's free.
No, says in the article he was shot in the chest.
As someone else posted here, the information is that the shooter was "clearing" his firearm when the shooting occured.
Some might say that it was just a tragic accident; I disagree. Very bad firearm discipline was practiced and negligence was certainly present. I know a guy who was talking on his cell phone while driving, allowed himself to get distracted and ran a red light - crashing into a car and killing a woman. This man served 3 years @ Limon for vehicular manslaughter due to his negligence. Two families were distroyed by that "tragic accident". This shooting @ RR displayed no less negligence and another 2 families are distroyed because of it.
We all know that one of the greatest problems with RR is that there are just way too many people who use the range that have no idea what proper, safe, firearms handling is all about and this shooting has been a long time coming.
We, as responsible and safe firearms owners/users need to take a more active role in educating those who won't abide by safe firearms rules. I realize that it's often easier to just keep our mouths closed and leave a potential dangerous situation but that approach just won't improve the problem. Call tehm on the unsafe behavior - the live you save may be your own!
Perhaps the only real solution to the RR issue is to make it a supervised site. In the mean time, I feel badly for the families affected by this horrible event and pray that, in time, the survivors will be able to move on with their lives.
[RANT END]
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