Town hall held for proposed gun range outside of Calhan

Colorado Parks and Wildlife held a town hall meeting in Calhan to answer questions and concerns regarding the proposed plan of building a gun range in the northern part of Ramah State Wildlife Area.

Dozens came out to find out more about the range. CPW’s Frank Mcgee said they are still in the early stages of the project, but it would be free to the public with no membership needed.

At the town hall, people talked about what they would like to see at the range, which guns can be used, how is it going to be cleaned up, if there would be archery, and other shooting related questions.

One concern from the public is how much it was all going to cost. Mcgee says, as of now, they have $250,000 of federal funding but estimates the total cost of the project is going to be between $500,000 and $750,000.

Safety was also a big concern from those who attended, and that’s the main reason why CPW wants to put in a range.

Mcgee said there have been a lot of close calls over the years of people using Ramah State Wildlife Area land for shooting creating some dangerous close calls with other people using the area.

“The hope is we could provide places that would provide a better shooting experience for the shooting public,” says Mcgee, “but would also alleviate conflicts with people who just want to go hiking with their family, or camping, or horseback riding.”

The range, if developed, would be the closest one to those living in Calhan and far east Colorado Springs. As of now, the closest one that doesn’t cost a membership is Dragonman’s which is a 30-mile drive away.

Another meeting will be held in January. Officials hope to have the range up and running by the end of 2019.