Money saving tips

Here's where being a brother/sisterhood can really make a difference.

Find officers who live out in the country, or officers that have a relative that lives out in the country. Ask for volunteers. I know this sounds rednecked, but hey...it works...lol. That's what we did if we wanted additional practice If you have officers that don't mind having parties (a lot of us don't, just BYOB) then bring over the "family" for some practice. Just be sure to have a range officer on duty and keep it safe. And Ask Steve for some tips on form and technique ;-)

Another thing officers can do is dry fire a bit more. But just becareful not to tear up your weapon. One of my fellow officers explained to me about a cap that goes inside the area where the pin is so that it doesn't get worn out. I forget what it was called of the top of my head. Visualizing and dry firing is very effective in getting accuracy. The down side is...you don't have a range officer keeping an eye on your form, etc. I would only suggest this for shooters that are experienced.

Another thing is if polce departments have a police academy near them, then maybe those departments can shift the range over to the academy. There would have to be organization in the scheduling making sure that agencies don't overlap or interupt academy recruits and their shooting training. I guess it is a way to get rid of building maintenance costs.

If the police department can buy up a piece of land or have a donation of it, then take the range outdoors. Who are we kidding when we go to nice airconditioned buildings to shoot and practice? Real life shots fired scenarios are going to be out in the elements (might be raining or snowing) and that will affect your vision and sighting. Try shooting outside in the dark with the red and blue lights going off. See how well your officers hit the target. It's a heck of a lot different than a environmentally controlled building. But having an outdoor range would eliminate any building costs, maintenance, etc. Plus give officers shooting practice in real life type setting.

"Is your number still 911?" - Ofc. Rachel T.

RE: May 2009: Disappearing Police Ranges

Fortunately for me, Texas is still a pretty gun friendly state. We will continue to have plenty of police ranges available. But, even here, we have seen this problem. Luling is a rural city of 5500 in a county with 45000 population. It lost its range when a neighbor finally moved onto the property he had owned for years, about 1/4 mile behind the berm.

I think most places can continue to maintain ranges if they are good neighbors. A lot of ranges have rules now for no shooting after 10:00 p.m. or before 8:00 a.m., to reduce the noise imposed on neighbors. Working with the people in the area is always a good way to keep the range.

And one possible way to get a range in an urban area is to look for land that is already unusable for other purposes. Landfills cannot be built on for normal uses, and the nighbors are generally far enough away that the noise will not bother them. The owners have to find good ways to use the land after it gets filled in, and allowing police ranges is one way. I know fo two agencies in Texas that got very nice ranges this way and expect the lease on the land to last for the next 25 years.