We’re smack dab in the middle of National Shooting Sports Month, and the Buckeye State is celebrating in a big way this weekend.
On Saturday, August 16 the Ohio Division of Wildlife is waiving the usual fees to use their public ranges, giving folks the opportunity to visit and check out the facilities free of charge.
A complete list of range facilities, and the amenities offered at each, can be found at wildohio.gov.
Class A shooting ranges offer supervised rifle and pistol target shooting. Class B facilities offer unsupervised rifle and pistol target shooting, while Class C ranges host unsupervised clay target shotgun shooting.
Outside of Free Range Day, all persons 18 and older shooting on Division of Wildlife Class A, B, or C ranges are required to purchase a shooting range permit, available at all hunting and fishing license outlets, via wildohio.gov, or on the HuntFish OH mobile app. Daily permits are available for $5, or an annual permit can be purchased for $24.
Free Range Day is offered in conjunction with the National Shooting Sports Foundation Inc.’s National Shooting Sports Month. Division of Wildlife public shooting ranges provide comfortable, safe places to hone skills with rifles, shotguns, handguns, and archery equipment.
In addition to offering free access to all public ranges across the state, the Division of Wildlife will be hosting firearm instructors at the Delaware Wildlife Area and Spring Valley Wildlife Area from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with firearms and ammunition along with eye and ear protection provided by staff on site. This is a great opportunity to check out these ranges and see what they have to offer, but it’s also a fantastic way to introduce the gun-curious to the shooting sports without spending a lot of cash.
While most gun owners cite self-defense as the primary reason for purchasing a firearm, recreational shooting is pretty popular too. In Ohio, the Division of Wildlife estimates there are more than 1 million target shooters, who have a $2.6 billion economic impact on the state and help support more than 20,000 jobs. In fact, the agency says about 1 in 5 Ohio residents participate in target shooting at least once a year. That’s significant, especially considering how little attention the shooting sports receive in from most news outlets.
For those living outside of Ohio, the National Shooting Sports Foundation has a website highlighting other ranges that are participating in National Shooting Sports Month. And of course, even if there are no ranges that are officially participating near you, that doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate. I generally just shoot on my property, but with temperatures back in the low 90s and the humidity making it feel closer to 100 or more, I think I’ll be visiting an air-conditioned indoor range, even if I have to drive an hour or more to get there.
I hope that more states will follow Ohio’s lead next year and use public range facilities to actively promote the various shooting sports. The core purpose of the Second Amendment might be our ability to protect ourselves from harm, but the right to keep and bear arms encompasses hunting, competitive shooting, and recreational shooting as well, and public ranges are an invaluable resource for gun owners across the country.
Editor’s Note: One of the best ways to protect our Second Amendment rights is to exercise them.
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