http://www.abqjournal.com/news/167250news11-03-00.htm
Friday, November 3, 2000
Gun Club Reassures Neighbors
By Andrea Schoellkopf
Journal Staff Writer
Liz Brown and Adam Armijo have feared for the safety of their young
daughter in day care as the teen-age family has attended classes next to an
outdoor gun range in Rio Rancho.
Thursday, however, the Independence High School students said their
fears of the Del Norte Gun Club were unfounded after getting a tour of the
club's Idalia Recreational Shooting Facility.
"For a while, you felt like you had to run and duck," said Brown, 17,
who could hear the shots echoing into her campus. "(But) there's no way
any of those bullets could have hurt us."
She said she felt secure that shooters were firing away from the school
— which is about 45 degrees south of the targets — and wouldn't hit
someone.
Members of the school's student government had launched a protest of
the gun range last month, saying they feared for their safety in light of the
accidental shooting death of one of its members at the range and an
unrelated shooting death last spring of a driver on nearby N.M. 528.
"At first it was a concern," added Brown's fiance, Armijo. "We didn't
know which direction they were firing.
Students said they wanted the gun club to refrain from shooting during
class hours. Ideally, they said, they wanted the range to move.
Club members said they want to move to a larger location but have no
intention of curbing their hours.
But they wanted the students and their teachers to understand what the
gun range looked like. For the past few weeks, club members have given
tours to students and faculty.
"When you held your first protest," club president Dave Leestma told a
group of students Thursday, "you based it on what you knew at the time."
The tour itself resembled any school field trip, with handouts on bullets
and how they work, along with statistics of the membership. One member
even provided refreshments for the students from her minivan.
Leestma said it was the first time the range had opened itself up for an
organized public tour, but it probably wouldn't be the last time. He said
local neighborhood groups from River's Edge might be interested in an
explanation as well.
Leestma said students were apparently confused about what happened
when they found an empty bullet cartridge case on their campus. He
explained that the cartridges have to be removed from the gun after the
shot or bullet is fired.
Members shoot into dirt alleys, where the targets are against berms
ranging from 24 feet high to 32 feet high in the 100-yard range. Leestma
said the berms are 8 to 15 feet higher than National Rifle Association
regulations.
The gate of the shooting range is locked, and only members who have
paid dues and have gone through an orientation may enter to use the facility
under their own supervision. Safety rules are prominently displayed on a
large white sign in front of the shooting area.
Students wanted to know where the body of the 62-year-old man who
accidentally shot himself was found. Leestma said it appeared that the man
had been clearing a round from his gun. When it failed to shoot, he must
have inadvertently tipped the barrel to his head when looking to see what
was the matter.
"The guy's real experienced, and he's a real good man," Leestma said of
the deceased.
He also told the students that from where they were standing near the
shooting area, it was impossible for someone to have shot the driver who
was mysteriously killed last spring.
"The easiest place to point (at the location the man was shot) is in front of
your school," he said.
One student asked about the effect of lead on the ground water.
Leestma said it is not a concern in the desert climate, but areas with acid
rain on the East Coast would have concerns. Besides, he said, there is
more lead out on the mesa where people shoot illegally.
The club, which has a patent for the land from the Bureau of Land
Management, wants to sell its rights and move to a 3,000-acre location
near Zia Pueblo.
The club wants to create a new 1,000-foot shooting range and have
military-style targets of varying ranges and silhouette targets. Additionally, it
wants to hire national trainers and share part of its land for a law
enforcement shooting range.
Before such a move, he said, the club would have to get the lead levels of
the soil tested at the current location and perhaps move the berms to the
new range if the soil is deemed hazardous. The berms are rebuilt every two
years, he said, when they start to erode.
Despite the assurances from the club, the school's principal remained
skeptical.
"We're going to try to co-exist with these people," said principal Buck
Glenn. "We have their assurances the site is safe. But we'll have to endure
the sounds of gunshots with the hope they will relocate."
He said he still had fears about the safety of the shooting range, however.
"It's even closer than I thought," he said. "We're definitely a huge target
for someone that would be acting carelessly."
Club members, however, did convince Glenn that the club members had
safety at heart.
"I believe that's what that whole gun club is about, is safety," Glenn said.
"The number one rule is 'be safe,' '' Leestma said. "The number two rule
is 'keep the gate locked.' ''
Target frames can be made only of wood, Leestma said, to eliminate the
danger of a ricochet.
Several students asked for membership information after the tour was
over. However, the minimum age is 20 years, although members can bring
younger people as guests to shoot.
It makes you feel good that with a little education, some open mindedness, and a lot common sense...People can overcome media hype and PC brainwashing. After reading this I feel "a little" better about the people of this country and where we are headed. It's kind of funny though that from how the article is written it would appear that the student's are smarter than the staff!
Friday, November 3, 2000
Gun Club Reassures Neighbors
By Andrea Schoellkopf
Journal Staff Writer
Liz Brown and Adam Armijo have feared for the safety of their young
daughter in day care as the teen-age family has attended classes next to an
outdoor gun range in Rio Rancho.
Thursday, however, the Independence High School students said their
fears of the Del Norte Gun Club were unfounded after getting a tour of the
club's Idalia Recreational Shooting Facility.
"For a while, you felt like you had to run and duck," said Brown, 17,
who could hear the shots echoing into her campus. "(But) there's no way
any of those bullets could have hurt us."
She said she felt secure that shooters were firing away from the school
— which is about 45 degrees south of the targets — and wouldn't hit
someone.
Members of the school's student government had launched a protest of
the gun range last month, saying they feared for their safety in light of the
accidental shooting death of one of its members at the range and an
unrelated shooting death last spring of a driver on nearby N.M. 528.
"At first it was a concern," added Brown's fiance, Armijo. "We didn't
know which direction they were firing.
Students said they wanted the gun club to refrain from shooting during
class hours. Ideally, they said, they wanted the range to move.
Club members said they want to move to a larger location but have no
intention of curbing their hours.
But they wanted the students and their teachers to understand what the
gun range looked like. For the past few weeks, club members have given
tours to students and faculty.
"When you held your first protest," club president Dave Leestma told a
group of students Thursday, "you based it on what you knew at the time."
The tour itself resembled any school field trip, with handouts on bullets
and how they work, along with statistics of the membership. One member
even provided refreshments for the students from her minivan.
Leestma said it was the first time the range had opened itself up for an
organized public tour, but it probably wouldn't be the last time. He said
local neighborhood groups from River's Edge might be interested in an
explanation as well.
Leestma said students were apparently confused about what happened
when they found an empty bullet cartridge case on their campus. He
explained that the cartridges have to be removed from the gun after the
shot or bullet is fired.
Members shoot into dirt alleys, where the targets are against berms
ranging from 24 feet high to 32 feet high in the 100-yard range. Leestma
said the berms are 8 to 15 feet higher than National Rifle Association
regulations.
The gate of the shooting range is locked, and only members who have
paid dues and have gone through an orientation may enter to use the facility
under their own supervision. Safety rules are prominently displayed on a
large white sign in front of the shooting area.
Students wanted to know where the body of the 62-year-old man who
accidentally shot himself was found. Leestma said it appeared that the man
had been clearing a round from his gun. When it failed to shoot, he must
have inadvertently tipped the barrel to his head when looking to see what
was the matter.
"The guy's real experienced, and he's a real good man," Leestma said of
the deceased.
He also told the students that from where they were standing near the
shooting area, it was impossible for someone to have shot the driver who
was mysteriously killed last spring.
"The easiest place to point (at the location the man was shot) is in front of
your school," he said.
One student asked about the effect of lead on the ground water.
Leestma said it is not a concern in the desert climate, but areas with acid
rain on the East Coast would have concerns. Besides, he said, there is
more lead out on the mesa where people shoot illegally.
The club, which has a patent for the land from the Bureau of Land
Management, wants to sell its rights and move to a 3,000-acre location
near Zia Pueblo.
The club wants to create a new 1,000-foot shooting range and have
military-style targets of varying ranges and silhouette targets. Additionally, it
wants to hire national trainers and share part of its land for a law
enforcement shooting range.
Before such a move, he said, the club would have to get the lead levels of
the soil tested at the current location and perhaps move the berms to the
new range if the soil is deemed hazardous. The berms are rebuilt every two
years, he said, when they start to erode.
Despite the assurances from the club, the school's principal remained
skeptical.
"We're going to try to co-exist with these people," said principal Buck
Glenn. "We have their assurances the site is safe. But we'll have to endure
the sounds of gunshots with the hope they will relocate."
He said he still had fears about the safety of the shooting range, however.
"It's even closer than I thought," he said. "We're definitely a huge target
for someone that would be acting carelessly."
Club members, however, did convince Glenn that the club members had
safety at heart.
"I believe that's what that whole gun club is about, is safety," Glenn said.
"The number one rule is 'be safe,' '' Leestma said. "The number two rule
is 'keep the gate locked.' ''
Target frames can be made only of wood, Leestma said, to eliminate the
danger of a ricochet.
Several students asked for membership information after the tour was
over. However, the minimum age is 20 years, although members can bring
younger people as guests to shoot.
It makes you feel good that with a little education, some open mindedness, and a lot common sense...People can overcome media hype and PC brainwashing. After reading this I feel "a little" better about the people of this country and where we are headed. It's kind of funny though that from how the article is written it would appear that the student's are smarter than the staff!