Should we start our own left-wing shooting ranges?

[Joanne98]

We wouldn't need much just some land, picnic tables and targets with Sarah Palin's face on them.

They could be private clubs so no terrorists could get in!

[lapfog_1]

1. I want my "Open Season on Wing Nuts" bumper sticker - n/t

[Treo]

2. Oh, the irony NT

[lapfog_1]

14. It's a joke son, I say a joke.

[rrneck]

3. Sure,

But only if they serve a good latte and a nice organic salad there. The paper targets should be recyclable, as well as the ammo boxes.

[Treo]

5. You forgot

Brass is recyclable too

[rrneck]

6. Absolutely.

Into more bullets. :D

[Statistical]

4. Unless it is rural it is very very very difficult to setup a new range today.

It is incredibly difficult to even get a permit for a indoor pistol range.

The "gunz are bad" crowd and the "NIMBY" crowd have joined forces on this one.

Hell there was an attempt to stop a pistol range in my area because it would "increase crime" and it was NEXTDOOR (literally as in a strip mall) to a Police station. It was one of those neighbor police "outposts" but it still had a 24/7 Police presence.

I have some money saved and I have looked into opening an establishment with a gun shop, pistol range, and classrooms for training. The permitting process can literally take years and can get tied up with endless public disclosures, and townhalls, and reviews, and environmental impact studies.

Now in rural america hell all you need is a field and a backstop.

[slackmaster]

7. That makes as much business sense as starting an exclusively straight bar or white country club

It's much smarter to make everyone welcome.

[rrneck]

8. Careful

Sometimes that "big tent" talk doesn't go over so well around here.

[MineralMan]

9. Do gun ranges have politics?

The one I use doesn't really seem to. Some of the people who come to it have strong political beliefs, certainly, but I don't deal with them. I go to the range, accomplish the practice or testing I set out to accomplish, then leave. I can't remember the last time I had a political conversation there. Mostly, if there's any conversation at all, its about hardware and the like. I park in the parking lot with my Veterans for Obama and Al Franken stickers. Nobody ever says anything about them there.

I think you may be trying to stir up something. I further think that's a bad idea.

[rrneck]

10. Actually,

the last (indoor) range I was in had a portrait of Robert E. Lee and a confederate flag hanging up. And it was a very nice facility. I took my CHL class there. I never had a political conversation with anyone there, but I didn't have to since it wasn't too hard to figure out the politics of most of the people with whom I had a conversation.

Of course that was in Memphis, so location, location, location...

[MineralMan]

11. Well, that's Minfis for you. I'm in Minnesota, and folks

here own firearms, regardless of their party. You won't see any confederate flags or photos of Obama with crosshairs on them here. At least I've never seen anything like that. People go to the range to fire their firearms here.

Last time I was there, I was trying to get my deer rifle sighted in. I hadn't used it for years, so I figured it should have a few rounds run through it. Turned out that it was still hitting the same place it was hitting before. I took the new shotgun in, too, to pattern it with #4 shot. I just may have a wild turkey for Thanksgiving this year, if I can avoid getting shot by the amateurs on the public land I have to hunt.

[Tim01]

13. Yes. Some ranges are VERY political. nt

[Euromutt]

16. The ranges I frequent do tend to be apolitical

And as you say, most--if not all--conversation is about the hardware. Mind you, two friends of mine, a lesbian couple, used to go to the range I frequent and they did feel distinctly unwelcome there, though nobody was overtly hostile. But I do live in western Washington, and there's no shortage of gun-owning Democrats here.

And certainly the outdoor ranges I've been to around here are awfully PC; you know, no targets that even vaguely resemble the human form (even an NRA B-24), limited number of rounds in the mag, etc. etc.

[spin]

12. You can go to a regular shooting range...

The range I mainly shot at had shooters who were Democrats (including me). Sure, we took some good matured razing, but nothing serious. We didn't discriminate on the basis of race, gender or sexual preference. We welcomed everyone, as they were shooters. If they asked, we were more than willing to go on the range and help them shoot better.

I've shot at a number of Florida ranges in the Tampa Bay area, and never really seen any discrimination.

[old mark]

15. OP, I have been a member of a gun club here in PA for almost 15 years,

and have never been to a meeting, just use the range, usually when no one else is there. I will be going again next week - I have to sharpen up my skills in case of a Republican uprising.

mark

[rury]

17. With all these redneck wingnuts going out and buying guns

I think we should seriously consider arming ourselves for self-protection.
These people claim that they're stocking up on guns and ammunition because "Obama's gonna take their guns away."
But with all their racist hate talk, they might be planning something....maybe they want to wipe out everybody who doesn't look like them or share their narrow-minded, bigoted view of the world.

[benEzra]

18. Ahem...

:)

FWIW, most recent buying has stemmed from concerns over future availability of the most popular civilian guns, not confiscation. Several prominent Third Way/DLC types would like very much to resurrect the "assault weapon" fraud, and while the likelihood of them succeeding is low, few thought it would pass in 1994, either. So a lot of people are hedging against the small but nonzero chance of another ban going through, with the nightmare scenario looking something like H.R.1022 et seq.

[Katya Mullethov]

19. Better go with the 3-D targets

And get some with replaceable penises for bayonet / tactical roll-cock shot practice . Just based on my observations you may have found an emerging niche .

[AndyfromNC]

20. 19!

19! This thread made it to 19 before the first penis reference. Woohoo, there is hope yet ;^)

[SteveM]

21. You might have something, here...

I talked to a gun shop owner (retired, now), who saw a market in liberal/progressive folks. Sure, he (and most) shop owners are friendly and helpful, but there is an intimidation factor that comes not so much from politics as ignorance; some mother wanting to purchase a shotgun for her adolescent son can feel out of place when folks are talking lock time, buffeted shot, trigger settings, etc.

Some names: "Gunning for Liberals," or "Gunning for the For the Rest of Us."

Of course, I have a hare-brained idea that a good all-you-can-eat vegetarian restaurant might work, too. I think it would.

[rrneck]

22. I'm with ya there but

"Gunning for Liberals" is probably not the best choice...

:D

[Buzz cook]

23. Just invite all your friends to go shooting

Rent a bunch of different guns and have fun. Repeat frequently with more and more friends. Pretty soon that shooting range will start marketing to liberals.