The lowlands corridor along Interstate 90 some 38 miles east of Seattle which runs through the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is being closed to recreational shooting starting this weekend and continuing for at least 12 months, while the Forest Service determines whether the closure should become permanent.
The problem: Slob shooters. The bane of all responsible gun owners, these people are responsible for other such closures on public lands all over the map. For years, they have brought their garbage onto public property, shot it to pieces, and left it as an eyesore. On rare occasions, they accidentally shoot one another while ricocheting bullets off of boulders against which they have propped a target.
Their litter in the North Bend-Snoqualmie Ranger District – where this closure is taking effect – has included aerosol cans, televisions, computer monitors, appliances and even stolen cars. In the shooting community, these individuals are not simply black sheep, they are social lepers. Responsible shooters don’t want them around, as they are typically responsible for the low image some people have of all gun owners.
Days before the closure was announced, Snoqualmie District Ranger Jim Franzel contacted me about the problem. In 2005, Gun Week – a publication owned by the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation that is something of the “newspaper of record” in the firearms community – launched a series of stories under my byline that criticized arbitrary shooting closures on national forest lands. That series, which continued for two years, led to a memorandum from the Forest Service in Washington, D.C. clarifying shooting regulations on national forest lands.
This is not an isolated problem. There have been recreational shooting troubles all over the place, in New Mexico, South Carolina, California and Colorado (where it stirred up a hornet’s nest and got plenty of news coverage), often times the result of a conflict between shooters and expanding nearby development. In some cases, the problem has been addressed with the establishment of elaborate regulations that try to find common ground and give shooters some opportunity on public land. Unfortunately, slob shooters don't follow the rules, instead preferring to act like swine.
Franzel put me in touch with a contractor who had been doing road repair work along the Tinkham Road between Exits 42 ands 47. Asking not to be identified, the contractor – himself a recreational shooter – reported that while he was on the job, he found bullet holes through signs posting a temporary road closure, and in one incident, a group of boneheads had set up targets so that they were shooting in the direction of a popular trailhead. A wildlife agent showed up and ran them out of the area.
Franzel said several citations have been issued, primarily to people who have been shooting along the road, an act that is not simply in violation of the national forest regulations; it’s also against state law. On top of that, shooting along a roadway is simply stupid.
This closure, Franzel assured, will not prohibit hunting in the area, nor does it apply to the higher elevations overlooking the I-90 corridor through the upper Snoqualmie South Fork drainage, an area the locals call “High Valley” that reaches all the way to the top of Snoqualmie Pass.
It will also not prohibit someone from carrying a firearm on a hike. Some of the region’s most popular trailheads are located here; when I hit the trail I always have a handgun, and am not alone in that practice.
Slob shooters are on the same level as trailhead and campground vandals. They spoil things for everyone and contribute to a backlash against all shooters.
Visit with other Gun Rights Examiners:
For more info: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Comments
Unfortunately, this is neither a new problem or one with an easy fix. Before gentrification, my daughters and I used to go shooting in the Sultan Basin area. Almost all the backstopped areas were littered with dangerous junk. It was very hard to organize and execute volunteer cleanups.
More than once, it was small comfort that we were armed when we encountered drunken shooters firing across the dirt road. The local deputies were polite and professional, but they were too undermanned to do more than take reports.
This is a issue that the shooting community needs to take seriously before the last casual, outdoor shooting areas are gone from West of the Cascades. I am certainly open to joining in cleanup and other activities.
Suggestions for an appropriate forum for organization and the appropriate approach to the responsible authorities?
Before fleeing California for good, I saw what slob shooters did to what open areas that were still available.
All of the ones in Southern California closed due to the trash problem. Lytle Creek was my favorite spot, and it has at least reopened as a controlled range. All of the ones along Orange Crest Highway closed permanently.
Unfortunately trash begets trash both in people and places. When trashy people see a trashy place they tend to leave their own trash. When an area is clean and tidy most (not all) people tend to leave the area clean. I think that we need to practice what is called the Wilderness Ethic. When you see trash even if it isn't yours; pick it up, pack it out, and dispose of it properly.
Ward - I agree with everything you say. My family has been going to Gifford Pinchot National Forest (South Cascades) for well over 20 years to enjoy the many accessible public areas for hunting, shooting, fishing, and camping.
Every time we go, it never fails that we pack out more trash than we create, knowing that these slobs endanger our continued enjoyment of the public lands.
I would gladly support and participate in voluntary clean up of these areas. The problem, in addition to organization of people, lies mainly in knowing where the areas are that need attention. I would be happy if the Forest Service would publish a list of areas that need attention.
In the end, I don't see a solution to this problem other than continued vigilance by responsible users of public lands. Gun owners taking a well publicized lead in such efforts would provide a positive side-benefit as well.
Remember that shooters who shoot "targets of opportunity" aka - dumped stuff, may not have had ANYTHING to do with the dumping!
I don't see an issue in shooting things like computers and the lot I see the problem with not cleaning up the mess you made.
OK, so we can't shoot in those places. Does anyone have a list of good places where we can shoot? I'm new to this and I want to practice safely in a safe place.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!