The Valley Gun Club has sent in a request to the RM of Arm River to establish an outdoor shooting range on a quarter of land in the municipality.
John Ackland, secretary-treasurer of the Valley Gun Club, said gun enthusiasts are no longer able to shoot at their outdoor range in the RM of Craik because it has been turned into an active gravel pit. He said the 30 to 35 members of the long-standing club then had to find a different spot and the Craik RM mentioned the gravel pit in Arm River as a possible location.
“It’s a very good spot,” said Ackland. “It’s near the highway (or) it’s not far from the highway, so it’s easy to get to. It’s a clear area for a lot of miles, so we shouldn’t have any trouble establishing a pit and having it sanctioned there.”
Ackland said the outdoor range would be a 500-metre section of land where members could practise their handgun, rifle and archery shooting on paper targets posted in front of a dirt or sand backstop. He said if the RM approves the range they would still have to develop the site and get it inspected and approved by the RCMP chief firearms officer.
“This will be the third range that we’ve had,” he said. “We used to have one at Martin Luther’s (pasture) and then we moved from there out to the gravel pit where we are now and now we’re (hoping) to move to this other quarter.”
Lorne Willner, Reeve of the RM of Arm River, said before the RM can approve the Valley Gun Club’s request to establish a range they first need to see if any people are opposed to it. He said the RM has not taken a position on it and it is up to the ratepayers to file their objections at the RM office before Aug. 9 if they don’t want one going in there.
“We’re not opposed to it,” said Willner. “We just want the ratepayers that might be impacted to give their opinion first.”
Dwight Puckett, owner and operator of the Davidson Indoor Shooting Range, said the club has been shooting at the outdoor range in the Craik RM for the past 25 to 30 years. He said the new site, if approved, should be just as good.
“Looking at the location, it’s kind of out of the way and it won’t bother anybody,” said Puckett. “It’s got good potential.”