PUBLICATION:
Red
Deer Advocate
DATE: 2004.08.09
SECTION:
Editorial
BYLINE:
Rick Zemanek, Editor
DATELINE:
Red Deer, Alberta
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Editorial:
Teaching safe shooting goes beyond the classroom.
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Learning
safe gun handling for first-time shooters is paramount. Canadas gun laws
emphasize that point by making a gun safety course mandatory for those applying
for a firearms licence, which legally entitles them to possess a gun. That
section of the law addresses the concerns of many Canadians who have made it
clear negligent use of a gun will not be tolerated in this country. Here lies
the problem: teaching safe shooting goes beyond the classroom. It requires a
hands-on experience, which means those applying for a licence require a place to
fire their guns. Thats why shooting ranges, such as the one run by the Red Deer
Fish and Game Association 20 km west of Penhold are a fact of life. Even the
RCMP use that range.
The
local fish and game association understands the importance of safe gun handling,
and must be commended for maintaining this range. Unfortunately, the club has
come under fire the last few years from former urban dwellers, seeking the
solace of rural life, who have chosen to develop their acreages along that
pristine area of the Red Deer River valley, knowing full well there was a
shooting range in the neighbourhood long before they arrived. They have been
fighting to shut it down. They dont appreciate the sound of a rifle crack
breaking the silence in their little piece of heaven. Understandably, they have
expressed safety concerns.
On
June 20, the range issue flared up again when some idiot fired a gun that sent a
bullet crashing through the bushes of a nearby residence, narrowly missing a
seven-year-old boy playing in a tree house across the road. Before people jump
the gun on this incident, it must be clearly understood the alleged shot was not
fired from fish and game property. The alleged shooter, who faces a charge of
careless use of a firearm, was outside the boundaries of the gun range, it is
being argued. What supposedly happened is no different than some idiot with a
wild-West mentality stopping along any rural road in Central Alberta and blazing
away with safety being the last thing on the back of his mind. That is called
careless use of a firearm; its a criminal act.
The
Red Deer Fish and Game Association, which applies very strict rules on the use
of its range, has taken a bum rap in this incident. Association president Harry
Wright is understandably upset. That (the shooting) wasnt on our property, he
asserts. The charge laid in that incident supports Wrights claim. There will be
an inspector from Canadas Firearms Centre visiting the range today to ensure it
meets the standards demanded by government regulations. Wright says the
inspection is routine and has nothing to do with the June 20 incident. But its
good timing, and hopefully will put to rest this controversy. The fish and game
association has nothing to hide, and welcomes the inspection with open arms. The
club has invited Red Deer county officials to accompany the inspector on the
tour. A report will be prepared by the county, which will be turned over to its
council for evaluation. That decision was made in light of concerns expressed by
area landowners who urged the county at a recent meeting to put a permanent
padlock on the gate leading to the range.
The
firearms debate has been, for years, fuelled by emotions. Its no secret that
some in the debate simply have a hate-on for guns, period. It is fair then to
examine the basis of the concerns voiced by residents near that range. Having a
disdain for guns does not justify closing down the range. Firearms are a fact of
life this area. If the firearms inspector finds something amiss, then, by all
means, slam the gate shut. But if the club is found to be complying with the
rules, then let the range remain open I for the sake of, among others,
first-time gun handlers. Our laws have made these ranges necessary.
Rick Zemanek is an Advocate editor.