Shooting Range Alert

It appears that there may be one or more out-of-state people soliciting contracts in Montana to do shooting range “inspections.” These “inspections” have resulted in the closure of one, maybe two shooting ranges because of safety defects alleged in the inspection reports.

Are there ranges in Montana with safety problems? Quite possibly. Is hiring one of these roving, self-styled “inspectors” the best way to address such problems? Almost certainly not. The resulting inspection reports may mandate remediation strategies far too expensive for a local club to afford, thus requiring range closure.

A Montana range-operating club’s first stop for information about ranges should be the “Montana Shooting Ranges” link on the MSSA Website. I’ve put a LOT of information there, including the Montana Shooting Range Protection Act (which I wrote and MSSA got enacted) and the Montana Shooting Range Development Act (which I also wrote and MSSA also got enacted), information about range insurance, information about shooting on private property, and much more.

If that’s not enough, I’ve done a lot of collaboration with local clubs about range issues in Montana, one of the topics about which I am accepted to do expert witness work in state and federal courts. I haven’t yet charged any Montana club for this collaboration. I consider it a part of MSSA’s mission, and I’m a volunteer for MSSA (although one club did make me an honorary Life Member for saving their range). For the clubs MSSA has assisted with range issues, we have suggested they solicit MSSA memberships among their members, but we have not insisted on that.

My admitted bias is to keep Montana shooting ranges operating and to build more ranges, not to document reasons why existing ranges should be closed (which may have been the bias of “inspectors” hired by clueless clubs in Montana).

So, your local club should think very carefully before hiring some out-of-state “inspector” to perform an inspection of your range, an inspection that could result in indefinite closure and loss of the range and loss of your investment in that facility.

Best wishes,

Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.org
author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com