Shooting partnership announced in El Paso County

Providing more and safer options on public lands for recreational target shooting is the goal of a group of local, state and federal agencies.

The Southern Shooting Partnership announced its plans Tuesday at the Cheyenne Mountain Shooting Complex on Fort Carson.

The SSP has been in existence for two years but is only now revealing its plans to study and provide more shooting locations in state parks, national forests and other publicly used lands.

“We’re seeing more conflicts,” said Frank McGee, of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “Some of that looks like motorized vs. non-motorized (activity) but we’re also seeing conflicts between recreational shooters and hikers and campers. Some of those kinds of conflicts are because there are no real, clear designated places to shoot.”

The CMSC opened in January 2013 as a response to similar concerns by a previous shooting partnership. Prior to opening, a man was accidentally shot to death at the former Rampart Shooting Range, which has since closed.

Rampart was an area in the mountains above Colorado Springs where authorities allowed gun owners to set up targets and shoot with no admission fee. However, the range was closed because of safety concerns and trash accumulations.

The CMSC also opened near an illegal shooting range in the Midway area. That range also was closed because of concerns about safety, trash and several grass fires igniting nearby.

McGee said gun owners want a variety of shooting opportunities — some in a more controlled setting and others that are less controlled.Earlier this year, Teller County authorities cracked down on unsafe target shooting in the Pike-San Isabel National Forest after a man apparently was wounded by a target shooter.

The SSP is considering the opening of a shooting range at the Ramah State Wildlife Area near Calhan, and will hold the first in a series of public meetings on Dec. 7 at the Calhan VFW Post, from 5 to 7 p.m.