It’s really great to be able to shoot outdoors, but it’s also easy to loose that privilege in certain areas due to bad behavior on the part of shooters. It’s really sad when the selfish actions of the few can cost the “majority” to loose their ability to shoot on private or public land. We all need to help out in order to keep as much shooting area open as possible.
So what can you do? Here’s a few things that we can all keep in mind that will help to preserve these outdoor shooting areas:
- Pack it in, pack even more out. Always strive to clean up your mess, and better yet, take a few extra minutes to pick up some extra trash and get things in order.
- Always follow the rules of gun safety and don’t be reckless. If the rules of gun safety are not followed, people could be injured, or even killed (this happens frequently in hunting areas). If people are putting others at risk, that will leave a bad impression with the shooting and non-shooting public that may be watching.
- Don’t tear up the area. This should go without saying, but trees that are shot in half, roads torn up by burnouts and other damage can lead to gates being shut!
- Be courteous to those around you. By pausing your shooting when people drive/walk/hike by, being courteous, and saying hello, we can help to paint shooters in a positive light. A bit of goodwill goes a long way.
- Volunteer. By offering to help out with road and trail maintenance, clean up crews, and other activities, you can help breathe life into areas that may be teetering on the edge of closure. Pro-shooter activism is another great way to get involved. Without an active voice, we stand to loose much of what have.
Cleanup following the Thanksgiving 2011 plastic santa incident - Image Copyright 2011 NWGUN.com
Do you have other thoughts about how to preserve our outdoor shooting areas? Please leave a comment!
-Gavin