Motorcyclist says he caught irresponsible gun owners ignoring safety in Pike Forest

A motorcyclist said he caught two gun owners ignoring essential safety measures while shooting in the Pike National Forest and plans to hand over the video to the U.S. Forest Service.

Richard Whittaker was riding his motorcycle when he came across two men who had set up target practice on a road. The men had blocked off the road and told Whittaker it was a dead-end road. However, Whittaker pointed out there were trails downrange that would have placed trail users in the line of fire.

“I could have taken this bike right up that hill and basically ridden right downrange of where those guys were shooting,” said Whittaker.

Whittaker and the two men were close to a rock quarry. The men said they were shooting into a berm, but Whittaker said it wasn’t safe.

“The berm they were shooting into was a pile of rocky mine tailings, which is the worst possible backstop because it’s a great way to ricochet a bullet,” said Whittaker.

Whittacker was riding in an area five miles away from Rainbow Falls. Over Fourth of July weekend, Glenn Martin, of Monument, was shot and killed by a stray bullet while camping with his family. His family heard people shooting near their campsite earlier in the day. Investigators believe it was a stray bullet but have not been able to track down the gun or its owner.

At a press conference in July, Martin’s family said they were shocked and devastated.

“That person needs to know what they have done because they have ruined our lives right now,” said Martin’s daughter, Carlie.

Whittaker posted the video of his encounter with the two gun owners on YouTube. He hoped it would remind people the importance of gun safety.

“Make sure you walk downrange and are shooting into a proper backstop, not something that’s full of rocks,” said Whittaker. “Make sure there are no other entry points because it’s very dangerous.”

Whittaker plans to hand over the video to the National Forest Service to investigate.