Practice shot
laws. Knowing these laws can make the difference between a fun excursion with friends and costly fines.
According to the Cache County Sheriff’s Office, firing off in city limits is illegal. With many towns in the Cache Valley, it’s important to make sure when shooting to choose places that are outside any of the city limits. Shooting within 600 feet of any structure or livestock is also illegal.
In west Logan, there is a professional gun range that is open for the public to shoot. The Cache Valley Hunter Education Center is located a few miles west of the city on 200 North and has both indoor and outdoor ranges open for practice. The indoor ranges are open for small-bore handguns and rifles, with outdoor ranges used for all other high-caliber guns.
Kirk Smith, manager of the gun center, said students are welcomed to come down to the range. Range fees for students are $4 per visit, with additional charges for targets and earplugs as needed.
But for students like political science sophomore Jon Tolman and public relations junior Dan Sheets who are experienced gun enthusiasts, they prefer going up one of the canyons to go shooting. Tolman said he likes being out in the wilderness when he shoots and it saves him the $4 range fee.
Deputy Hess of the Sheriff’s Office, who also works with the forest service, said with all the many canyons, it would be good to be familiar with those rules too. He warns shooters to look for postings that will say whether or not shooting is legal in a particular canyon. Some canyons, such as Green Canyon, prohibit shooting unless in the pursuit of game, and hunting is only allowed during certain times of the year.
One general rule for when shooting in a canyon or anything other than a designated gun range is that shooters can’t shoot across roads or water. Hess said as long as there is a backstop, like a hill, and a surety no one will walk into where shots are being fired, it’s fine to go up in the mountains such as Logan Canyon.
Sophomore in aviation technology Creighton Anderson said, “I think anybody could go shooting and enjoy it.” Anderson, who doesn’t claim to be a big shooting enthusiast, says he enjoys the thrill of shooting a gun. “I had never shot a handgun before, it was awesome.”
Because guns have the potential for being very dangerous, Tolman says gun safety is always important. He said, “A gun should always be treated like it’s loaded. That way, you don’t end up pointing at something or someone you didn’t mean to.”
Sheets said when going shooting with a group of people clear communication is very important to prevent accidents. “The are certain things you just don’t do when shooting and goofing off is one of them,” Sheets said. He also advises his friends to be safe and be smart when he takes them shooting for the first time.
According to Tolman, shooting is fun, but is a pricey hobby. “I would go as often as time and money would allow.” Hess recognizes that ammo is expensive and to avoid more lost money he said, “Always know what you are shooting at and don’t shoot at anything you don’t intend to destroy or that you can’t afford to replace.”