New Local Shooting Areas and Opportunities Explored For Gun/Sports Enthusiasts
~ by Rick Langenberg ~
Teller County is gun country with more citizens owning firearms on a per capita basis than practically any burg in the nation, well almost.
But on the downside, the region has featured a lack of prime areas for folks to partake in shooting practice and training and public ranges.
However, that scenario could soon change, with the formation of a local marksmanship and self-defense group in Cripple Creek, and a push to open up a shooting area near the public works facility. A public meeting of the group is set for Feb. 24 at the Cripple Creek/Victor High School.
In addition, a new movement is getting started to open up the door for more recreational, sports shooting facilities in the Pikes Peak region, with a listening forum set for March 19 in Divide. This meeting is being organized by a group called the Southern Shooting Partnership.
So the tide could be changing for gun owners and sports enthusiasts in search of an area for target practice, and for kids and women to gain more education and training, and for folks to discover a little comradery among fellow weapon owners.
The Cripple Creek Marksmanship & Self Defense group is holding a community pizza dinner on Feb. 24 at the Cripple Creek/Victor High School Cafetorium at 5 p.m. This represents the extension of an effort that started a year ago.
“We want this to be different from what has been done in the past (with gun clubs),” said group leader Charles Solomone. He said their group is focusing on youth training and women’s self-defense programs.
Moreover, he said the group is open to everyone in the community. “We want this to be a benefit to the community,” said the group leader.
Another key leader of the group is Cripple Creek Councilman Chris Hazlett, the owner of Ralf’s Breakroom, and an avid hunter. Hazelett has stressed the strong support the group has experienced since having informal meetings a year ago.
“We have had a very positive response from the community at large of our vision of an organization that is not just home to a bunch of old gun nuts but one that will encourage the development of civic values among our youth through a program dedicated to them,” stated Hazlett, in a description of the group. In addition group, leaders say their effort is geared towards the “adoption of self-defense capabilities by the women of our community through programs that are tailored to, and focused on them, and generally be a venue through which competitions and social activities will engender a sense of community pride and cohesiveness.”
Although nothing has been finalized, the group hopes to open up a shooting range near the public works facility, once used by the police department. According to Solomon, the Creek Marksmanship and Self-Defense group has received much support from the local police and fire departments.
He said their organization kicked off a year ago with about 10 founders. Now, he said they have about 50 people actively involved in the group.
Another key goal is to keep the organization community-oriented and to keep membership fees extremely minimal. “Information and education is a key component of what we want to do,” said Solomone.
They plans to announce more details about the group during the meeting set for Sunday. The meeting starts at 5 p.m.
Shooting On Public Lands
This isn’t the only county and region-wide effort to provide more recreational opportunities for area gun owners, with several government agencies getting into the act.
The Southern Shooting Partnership (SSP), a group of counties, state and federal agencies and public utilities, are working to develop safe, recreational sport shooting facilities in the Pikes Peak region. They will be hosting a public listening tour in Teller County on March 19 at 7 p.m. in Divide at the Pikes Peak Community Center.
According to a press release, the event is the latest SSP gathering designed to “engage concerned citizens, sportsman groups, public land adjacent property owners, outdoor enthusiasts and other stakeholders. The group wants to identify viable locations for a variety of sports shooting facilities, develop an information and education program that promotes safe and responsible shooting and facilitate the sharing and leveraging of financial, technical and staff resources of partnering agencies.”
As part of the plan, they also want to identify spots where sports shooting should not occur.
Local, state and federal government leaders say they are sensitive to the fact that public lands are used for a variety of recreational uses, such as hiking, camping, skiing, off-road vehicle excursions and more.
“The U.S. Forest Service manages the vast majority of federal public land covered by this partnership,” said Dave Condit, deputy forest Ssupervisor of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests, Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands. “We fully support all recreational uses, but conflicts do occur. We want the public to share their views so that the partnership effort incorporates the needs of shooters, other recreationists and private landowners.
These details will be unveiled during the March 19 meeting.