Target shooters assist forest agency to close unsafe shooting sites.

Responsible shooters know how to recognize a good place to shoot on public lands.  They also know what a bad place looks like.  If it doesn't have a high earthen berm backstop, it's not a good place to shoot.  If it's a tree, downed log or a stump, it's not a good backstop.  If it's heavily wooded with fire hazardous materials, it's not worth risking a fire.  If it’s on a roadway, trail, across water, near outbuildings or out into the wild blue yonder, it’s not safe.  These are the concerns a responsible shooter looks for when seeking out a safe place to shoot.

The increase in recreational shooting, over the past several years, has also increased the use of unsafe and fire hazardous areas.  This is a concern for forest officials, general public and target shooters as well.  Public and personal safety is first and foremost in mind for responsible shooters.

On Saturday, Oct 26, 2019, the Trash No Land organization and volunteers from Northwest Firearms forum teamed up with the Oregon Department of Forestry, in the Tillamook State Forest, to post and close six unsafe and fire hazardous dispersed shooting locations on the East side of the Tillamook Forest.  These are specific places that do not meet the standard (rules) for safe and lawful target practice.

Previously, representatives from Trash No Land partnered with ODF officials to evaluate many commonly used dispersed shooting locations to identify potential concerns.  Many places were marked Green and deemed safe and lawful, however, some were Red-Tagged as being unsafe and/or possess a risk of fire danger.  It was the Red-Tagged locations that no shooting signs were posted on the 26^th.

While choosing a safe place to shoot on public lands is common sense to most shooters, some are not thinking about the basic, (top priority), necessity of choosing a safe place.  It must have an earthen berm backstop, not be shooting into trees, stumps or downed logs, not shooting down a roadway or trails, across a waterway, near outbuildings, nor across valleys where other roads and trails may be.  Every shooter is responsible for each round they send down range and no rounds should leave the range.

Responsible shooters everywhere appreciate the cooperation of forest officials and we thank the Oregon Dept. of Forestry for their help in providing the materials and collaboration in the efforts to improve and promote responsible recreational shooting.

The photos record the days event.  You will notice we were joined by some nice folks who were simply out for a day of family fun and decided to invest a small part of their time to help clean up.  That’s what sharing our forest is all about!

Rogue Target Practice in Rogue Valley Oregon

In recent years, target practice has increased dramatically on public lands throughout the Northwest.  Each year more and more people are turning to public land to do their shooting.  Shooting ranges, gun clubs, agency management and law enforcement have not kept pace with the rapid growth of this kind of recreation.  Newcomers often do not have a clue about public land shooting rules and, apparently, some don't know how to shoot safely.  Conflicts are growing and the effects of rogue shooting has become a problem with neighbors, forest visitors and managing agencies.

Rogue behavior is not just a target shooter thing, as it happens in all kinds of recreation, however, using a firearm on public lands is, perhaps, the most serious kind of recreation there is.  And it should be treated as such by all who wish to partake in target practice.

Solutions are not easy to find.  The most common suggestion seems to be 'close it', period.  When that happens, conflicts of a different kind come to light.  Bickering, arguing and dissension sets in and no one gets anywhere in resolving the issues.  There is no ultimate one solution to resolve the situation.  It takes a multitude of consistent efforts to cause a change.

Such is the problem we face in the Anderson Butte recreation area, just outside Medford Oregon.  The Butte is surrounded by rural residence who value its pristine beauty and the many recreation opportunities it has to offer.  Their concerns are well founded and help is needed to resolve these issues.

The 'low-down' on the 'high-ground' in the Anderson Butte...

• Longstanding conflicts with visitors, neighbors and agency caused by irresponsible target shooters shooting illegally.  It only takes one person to cause big safety concerns and put others at risk, but when several do it, it's a huge problem.

• Target shooting happens in places where no responsible shooter would ever dream of shooting.  Places that have no backstop.  Bullets effortlessly leave the area and sail 1 to 4 miles across the valley.  The shooter has no idea where they landed, but, nearby residents and trail users do!

• High volume of illegal dumping, (even a low volume is illegal).  Some shooters think it's fun to take dumped trash and use it for targets.  Some think it's perfectly fine to bring trash from home and use it for targets.  Little do they realize, trash is not legal targets and they just signed all our names to it!

• Trash is being left behind after shooting.  Even if they are using legal targets, people still leave it behind.  I've heard some say; "It has no value... It's no good anymore... and... I'll leave it for the next guy".  Wrong and illegal!  If it didn't grow naturally in the forest, get it out!

• Recreation information signs are being destroyed, shortly after installation, with bullet holes from someone who thinks they're fun to shoot.

• Targets are placed on trees causing damage to natural resources.  In some cases, trees are shot down on purpose just to see if they could really do it.  Highly illegal and destructive.

• The party crowd on a weekend night seem to like some night shooting and leave a big mess in the woods.  They don't realize, nor seem to care, it is illegal to shoot firearms after the sun goes down.  Some are mixing alcohol with firearms and shooting into the darkness just to see the flash.  Then, jump in the car and leave the trash behind.

All of the above concerns are ruining the reputation of responsible shooters, sportsman and hunters.  It is also the cause of many places being closed to shooting.  More closures and more restrictions are bound to happen if we do nothing to help correct the wrong that is being done.  We must all be aware of these concerns and actively work together in collaborative efforts to correct them.  It's a team effort.  A community effort.  But it needs to happen if you wish to see target practice available for the current and future generations.

This is why we are meeting on Saturday, June 15th on the Anderson Butte for a cleanup of several recreation areas.  We are making it known that bad behavior is not condoned, nor tolerated, and is not a part of our ethical recreation DNA.  We will be working together, side by side, with other groups, clubs, neighbors and concerned citizens to send our message, seek solutions and start a movement of promoting responsible and respectful recreation.

So come join us as we have a little chat about this, do some spring cleaning, share a BBQ lunch, win some neat prizes and make new friends.

http://trashnoland.org/6-15-19_anderson_butte_recreation_appreciation_day.html

Hope to see you there,

Bill Cogley
CEO/President Trash No Land

THE VALUE OF FREE TARGET SHOOTING.

What is the value of ‘FREE’? 

You know, free as in receiving something of value at no cost to you?  It depends on whether you see it as a value or not!  If not, you may have no respect for it.

Shooting on public land is FREE.
However, some people put little-to-no value on it and, therefore, have little-to-no respect for it. Those are the ones who are ruining Recreational Shooting for the rest of us.  They don't VALUE it and they have no RESPECT for it being free.

Shooting on public land is NOT FREE. 
It does have a cost.  It costs the tools to do the recreation, the ammunition to test your skill, the cost of the targets that don't lie yet give excitement and pleasure to each hit, the fuel and vehicle wear-and-tear to get there, the taxes you pay out of your paycheck and the disposal cost of your spent casings and trash when all is said and done.

To many people, the cost of all that does not translate into the VALUE of free shooting and does not generate a feeling of RESPECT for the privilege.  On the flip side, many other people DO value and respect the privilege and it's embedded in their souls as part of their everyday life.

So how do we create a perceived VALUE that would instill RESPECT?

I don't have the answer, but I think about it all the time.  It is so overwhelming, at times, that I often think I should just leave it and let it run it's coarse into closure and restrictions.  But then, I also think of my kids, and their kids, and where will it be years from now if I give up.  Shutting down shooting on public lands would have devastating effects on the shooting sports, hunting, access to the great outdoors, would hurt private enterprise, inflict further restrictions on gun owners and weakens our ability to become proficient in the use of a gun.  All of that is the VALUE I see in being able to shoot, FREE, on public land.  And I RESPECT that privilege.  So, I can't stop trying to come up with solutions.

The free dumpster in the woods idea...  Again, free = no value, no respect.  "Why take it to the dumpster?  There are 'do-gooders' who will do that.  And look, let's bring out that pile of trash at the house.  It's free to dump here!"

“It's that black AR15 assault weapon with the high capacity magazines that looks like a war machine and puts too many holes in the microwaves, computers and milk jugs!”  I disagree.  It's the user.  Just like all the other crimes committed with a gun, the user did it, not the gun.  I do agree with the fact that many more people are getting carried away with the fun of blasting a thousand rounds as fast as they can at anything that's out there (even the trees).  Lose of control can easily happen and the lose of common sense often happens.  "But hey, I saw it on YouTube and that looks like fun!"  No, it's not the type of gun, or the magazines, or the color, or the 'look', or the caliber, or whether it's full or semiautomatic...  it's the CHOICES THE USER MAKES when they shoot.

So how do we create a perceived VALUE that would instill RESPECT?

Should we propose a bill that requires a permit to target shoot?  It would be a way to generate funds for future shooting improvements and maintenance, and it might help reflect some VALUE in shooting.

Write a bill that would require a deposit on shotgun hulls?  I’m sure we would not see so many hulls on the ground in the woods.  Just like cashing in that brass for cash, hulls would quickly vanish from the ground floor!

A 'Three Strikes You're Out' bill that would take away your privilege to shoot?  We would need more law enforcement to issue those 3 citations.

How about a grant from a foundation that would pay the wages for more law enforcement for at least 1 year?  The revenue generated from the fines they dish out would go toward their next year’s salary.

A sting operation?  I would still like to do that, but it can get rather risky and close to the vigilantly side of things.

OR, should we sit back and let it soon disappear?  Not an option in my book!

So how do we create a perceived VALUE that would instill RESPECT?

Thinking, thinking... Always thinking!  (It drives me nuts!)

Bill