Quote Originally Posted by Mitch10mm View Post
I've only been a member since last spring. I was using hell out of the range from spring to fall and never noticed damage or the property hogged up.
Well let me give you some background on how the club used to be. Ten years ago the club was not much to look at. We had no paving and the road in was pretty rough. We had the basic ranges with well worn covered benches that were not in the greatest condition. Not much to look at BUT we didn't have bullet holes through the trash cans and roofs of shelters. The target rails were not shot to hell and were replaced when they weathered to the point of failure. People policed their own brass/shotshells and things in general were very clean. We didn't have people walking beyond the firing lines and littering the ground. It was a nice basic range. As time went on and membership increased things got worse and the club thought that if they improved the conditions of the club grounds people might have more respect for it. We paved the road and parking areas to give better access. The benches and shelters were all rebuilt with sturdy materials of concrete and steel. Two additional pistol ranges were created to meet the heavier demand of new pistol shooters. Club activities have been organized to create more socialization among shooters.
With all these improvements has come a sharp increase in membership and a sharp increase in vandalism. People are shooting aimlessly at the target holders cutting them in half. There are holes in the shelter roofs and supports. The trash cans are shot from all directions. Rest blocks are destroyed or damaged. The clay thrower has been vandalized as has other club property including the gate and locks. Trash is thrown on the ground and there are a lot of people that do not pick up their brass/shotshells. So when you say you don't see what the problem is, then I guess your used to bad range conditions. The things that are happening cost money/time and are extreme safety concerns. The club is not in an unpopulated area and when somebody gets injured instead of just property damage because of this recklessness, the club's future will be in jeopardy. While the board is struggling to find solutions to solve these problems, they are getting undeserved negative pressure from the membership. Deal with it, the club is not the problem, help in finding solutions not hurting it with miss directed anger. You used to get a friendly wave and hello when you saw a fellow member whether you knew them or not. Not so much the case anymore.