Viriginia is really a gun hating state - here's why

[Rualert]

I know this is an old topic, but, I too had the same rude awakening when I moved here from SW FL. Where I lived there were two indoor rangse within 30 minutes, a gun club which I belonged to that cost a whopping $100.00 a year to be a member of with 24X7 access. And the cream on top, a public county range operated by one range master, who just happened to be an NRA instructor, and also taught the state required classes once a week at said range. That said the county range cost $5.00 to use, if you needed cardboard pre-cut to fit the posts another $2.00, and targets of various costs if you didn't bring your own.

So I was quite shocked when I got here, not researching prior, and found out then, that Dominion was my only choice at the time, and all ammo had to be purchased from them. I was an active IPSC shooter, long range pistol silhouette shooter, and pin shooter. I felt robbed and let down. Then I look into some of the requirements, and just dropped the whole thing due to the massive amount of red tape. I finally got my hands on 40 acres where my family and I can shoot, and made friends with a neighbor 5 minutes up the road from my house with 12 acres so we can shoot there too. So from my viewpoint it came down to finding and owning enough land far enough out of the city and surrounding counties to be able to shoot as I please outside of hunting season. Also nice to have a place where one can build a small hunting cabin, maybe with a solid structure under it.

[j1mmyd]

All,
Does anyone agree? Should we be pushing for ordinance changes and grant variants to allow for the building of more ranges in this state? The shooting sport is suffering guys and gals and I just wanted to point out that I appear to be the only one who sees it - and that scares me. Anyone with me?

I strongly disagree. I moved here from New York....metropolitan New York. No, you know nothing of gun hating states.

Virginia is under no obligation to "provide" places to shoot. Nor is this some conspiracy. If there is enough of a need, someone (or even you!) can or will open and operate a range.

I'm a former NYC resident, too. Imagine storing your *crippled* NY-compliant guns in Westchester an hour north of where you live and then going an hour north of that to a range. The range is run by the county and you can load - I sh1t you not - 1 round at a time. Even Northern Virginia is a shooter's paradise in comparison.

[HighExpert]

I have a house and 4acres for sale in Cumberland County. We shoot targets and deer in the backyard with the approval on LEOs. The main rule is don't shoot your neighbors and they won't shoot you. PM me if interested. The house is 28 minutes from 288/60.

[Kreutz]

The range is run by the county and you can load - I sh1t you not - 1 round at a time. Even Northern Virginia is a shooter's paradise in comparison.

Coyne or Sportsman Center?

Westchester county was by far the most miserable place I have ever lived.

[01bmf]

I feel your pain. I just moved here from the supposed tyrannical police state commiewealth people's republik of Massachusetts. There were places to shoot everywhere! I've now landed myself in Suffolk, and can't find more than 25 yards of indoor range. Talk about a let down. My club in Boston was five minutes away with 200 yard outdoor, pistol pits, indoor pistol, skeet, trap, trout pond. Damn. I actually miss Mass.

[dusterdude]

You will learn in general,virginia is a do nothing state when it comes to any kind of sporting stuff.hell,we cant even support a major league team of any sort here

[MarcSpaz]

I can say that around me, there is a pretty decent selection. I have 3 major indoor ranges and 5 major outdoor ranges within 30-45 minutes and any diections. I define major as 16 lanes or more and capable of supporting at least .308 and 30-06 for the indoor stuff and 16+ lanes and 100+ yards on the outdoor stuff.

All the indoor ranges are 25 yards. Big shock. The outdoor ranges vary from 100 to 400 yards depending on where you go and what you are willing to spend. Also, one of them offers 1000 yards. If I was to drive for 1.5 hours (double my trip time) now I have 3 ranges that all offer from pistol to 1000 yard rifle.

I also recently found out that I can build a range in my basement. That blew my mind... Of course the wife said no, but what she doesn't know won't hurt me. I'll tell her the traps and fans are for a new painting hobby. LOL I think once the kids move out, I am seriously going to build an indoor 15 yard pistol range in my basement.

Would it be nice for there to be a cheap 500-1000 yard range within 30 minutes of everyone's house... sure. The problem is, there is just not enough real estate to safely make that happen everywhere in VA.

Plus you need a person or company to own all that too. I have to tell you at an average of $26 per square yard in PWC... who the heck is wealthy enough to get a 1000 yard range going? it would cost over $25 mil just for land for the range, never mind the safety zone beyond it.

[tinner666]

Has anybody tried Sussex Shooting Sports Park near Waverly? I haven't, so I can't offer any input.

[Reverenddel]

It may not have been in the past, but with Terry Mac as governor it sure as hell is now!

[Remek]

^^^this.

[ChristCrusader]

I agree that there are not enough options of places to shoot.

I think local governments should be bending over backwards to give to their local shooters, access to whatever range their LEO train at, with dedicated times/days/week set aside for appointments for civilians. On a rotating basis of interested civilians, once a month if demand and space allows, you should have the option to reserve 30 minutes of lane time at that range. Beyond a hobby or sport, its promoting public safety for those who carry in public, and serves the very real purpose of keeping the local militia sharper than perhaps without. Landfills should be an easy place to provide shooting options too.

Gander Mountain here is on the verge of a massive expansion to their retail space for more guns, but while a firearms range addition (they already have an archery range) would be a natural feature to try out guns and provide a newer, better facility that people for miles around would flock to, the city of Fredericksburg is apparently keeping that option off the table.

Population density is cramping options for shooting practice, desirable for the public good.
I envy the videos of people in AZ and NV who say they're going out to the desert to shoot, and then can just do it. Just not an option here in VA, despite the vast swaths of forested parks and preserves.

[Kreutz]

I envy the videos of people in AZ and NV who say they're going out to the desert to shoot, and then can just do it. Just not an option here in VA, despite the vast swaths of forested parks and preserves.

yeah, those desert rats do have a lot of fun; from shooting to riding ATV's they can apparently just drive out a bit and do it.

I think you can shoot on private land in VA, just have to be X yards away from roads or dwellings. Someone with a spot of land may know for sure.

[MarcSpaz]

Keep in mind... out in the desert, you can see at ground level for as far as the eye and scope can see. You will know if a person or living creature is beyond your target.

In the woods in VA, wide open spaces are limited and typically populated or close enough to population that its not happening safely. Even if you are surrounded by 50 miles of woods; you can't see through the trees well enough to know if a human is 300 yards out.

[AdamG]

Their are a lot of pistol ranges in Hampton roads area but not a lot in the way of rifle. I have seen a few signs for clubs on the side of the road but when you try to look them up on the net they have no web pages.

When I lived In New York it wasn't much better. All the ranges were full and to join a Gun club you had to know a member who would sponsor you and then get you name on the list and wait for an opening. Then go to a meeting and speak in front of it then they would vote on if you were in or not. Most clubs were 450 to 500 dollars a year and required at least 2 days of service and if you were low man on the pole you didn't get to pick the days as it went by seniority.


Getting a new gun range is hard but you just have to play the game right and get public support behind. You need to convince people that its a good idea to open one because it provides a safe place for people to go with a proper back stop and that the members will clean the lead up every so often as apposed to bill bob just taking pop shots off in the woods where no one knows where the round will land. You have to play the game just like the polticians do if you cant then you need to ally your self with someone who can.

[Kreutz]

When I lived In New York it wasn't much better. All the ranges were full and to join a Gun club you had to know a member who would sponsor you and then get you name on the list and wait for an opening. Then go to a meeting and speak in front of it then they would vote on if you were in or not. Most clubs were 450 to 500 dollars a year and required at least 2 days of service and if you were low man on the pole you didn't get to pick the days as it went by seniority.

The only big range closest to me is identical to this.

The nearest public rifle range here when you factor in travel to and from time, set-up, clean up etc. is a day trip.

[AdamG]

Well I am lucky enough to have one not to far from me with a 300 yard range. I just haven't made the trip their. Its C2 which is pay to use. its only 15 bucks an hour which isnt bad.

[Viper21]

I feel for you guys that don't have anywhere to shoot. I lived in a sardine neighborhood most of my life but, a couple years ago moved to the boonies. I can literally walk outside my door, empty a magazine, & nobody would care..... better than that, it wouldn't even alarm anyone, no cops being called, no neighbors bothered, etc. I have a tree stand about 400 ft from my front door that netted 2 deer last fall.

Probably once every couple months, I hear one of my neighbors having fun with his AR-15. Then again, we hear gun shots all the time. It would be rare to not hear a single shot for a whole month. Usually somebody somewhere is having fun, practicing, or whatever. During deer season... forgedaboudit. You won't go a day without hearing a shot.

Don't get me wrong, it's a 30 minute drive to get a McMuffin but, we can shoot anytime, & do.

[ChristCrusader]

Keep in mind... out in the desert, you can see at ground level for as far as the eye and scope can see. You will know if a person or living creature is beyond your target.

In the woods in VA, wide open spaces are limited and typically populated or close enough to population that its not happening safely. Even if you are surrounded by 50 miles of woods; you can't see through the trees well enough to know if a human is 300 yards out.

Yeah, but we have hills (traslate berms)

[cpttango30]

http://wheretoshoot.org/Find_Range/wts_subresults.asp

Plenty on that list. Plus Virginia has more IWLA sites than just about any other state.

I live in Stafford, I have Quantico, IWLA in stafford, The range, IWLA Fred, Fredericksburg Rod and Gun plus more.

I do most of my shooting at my Hunt Club as we have built a decent range there. You have to do some leg work to find a place to shoot that is all.

I moved here from NJ and I grew up in California. Sure you would think there is little to no places to shoot in CA. Ha 30 minutes outside my home town and you can shoot what ever you want. Not anymore because more than likely you would get killed my some mexican pot farmers. We would drive 45 miles to a public range. It sucked there was trash everywhere and when I say tray I mean broken toilets and appliances that people have shot up. All sorts of dumb crap like that. I myself prefer a private club. Check your area for hunt clubs or private shooting ranges. There there you just need to do some leg work....

[ShortMan]

I know this is an old topic, but, I too had the same rude awakening when I moved here from SW FL. Where I lived there were two indoor rangse within 30 minutes, a gun club which I belonged to that cost a whopping $100.00 a year to be a member of with 24X7 access. And the cream on top, a public county range operated by one range master, who just happened to be an NRA instructor, and also taught the state required classes once a week at said range. That said the county range cost $5.00 to use, if you needed cardboard pre-cut to fit the posts another $2.00, and targets of various costs if you didn't bring your own.

So I was quite shocked when I got here, not researching prior, and found out then, that Dominion was my only choice at the time, and all ammo had to be purchased from them. I was an active IPSC shooter, long range pistol silhouette shooter, and pin shooter. I felt robbed and let down. Then I look into some of the requirements, and just dropped the whole thing due to the massive amount of red tape. I finally got my hands on 40 acres where my family and I can shoot, and made friends with a neighbor 5 minutes up the road from my house with 12 acres so we can shoot there too. So from my viewpoint it came down to finding and owning enough land far enough out of the city and surrounding counties to be able to shoot as I please outside of hunting season. Also nice to have a place where one can build a small hunting cabin, maybe with a solid structure under it.

Based on that logic California is a gun loving state. I lived about 30 minutes from a HUGE open range that allowed any kind of gun or target (except glass bottles) and only cost 100 dollars a year. It had a basic padlock gate and any member was allowed to come and go at any time. They didnt even have a clipboard for signing in & out.