We had an opportunity to discuss the problems at the US Forest Service's Candy Rock Gun Range
this morning, among other things.
Sheriff Kuntz tells us that the Stanislaus Forest Service Supervisors came to his office to discuss his enforcing laws and taking care of the many problems that occur there.
According to the Sheriff he told them that since the USFS cannot handle the alcohol, trespassing, the filth, shooting anywhere and everywhere, etc. at the USFS' Candy Rock Gun Range, that they should bull-doze it down. He refuses to be their personal law enforcement to an illegal gun range.
The residents in that area have endured years of the local Hathaway Pines USFS office first donating materials to build a gun range, and helping set it up.
Since that time, we are aware that they actually send even more people there, when shooters ask where they can shoot.
Today is April 15, not just tax day, but the day they open the locked gate so that their gun club friends can access the Candy Rock Gun Range more easily.
Of course the locked gate did not keep many shooters out. We have witnesses who have seen them carry their alcohol and guns around the gate and walk to the range anyway. Criminal activity goes on down there day and night and the USFS refuses to do anything about it.
In fact the USFS encourages these people; the same people who make physical threats to anyone who challenges their right to shoot at what we hear they state is their personal Candy Rock Gun Club, near people's homes.
The reputation of the USFS has gone downhill so badly because of this disgusting situation, and wait til you hear this.
One of the USFS District Supervisors told us that no shooting is allowed at Candy Rock if there is even one person there not a shooter. ARE THEY KIDDING?
People have been physically run out of this area by shooters!! The USFS lies and protects these criminals, and has no respect for the public.
These people just want a place to shoot for free and without any supervision. And the USFS encourages it; building them a gun range. This is INSANITY!!
The Sheriff is right!! Criminals should not be allowed to own their own personal gun club in our national forest system.
We do not blame him for washing his hands of them and their USFS Candy Rock Gun Club.
2 comments:
At least Sheriff Kuntz realizes that he does not have the resources to keep sending his deputies out to the gun range because of the out of control behavior out there, the drinking and shooting, shooting towards residential areas and towards Candy Rock Road, shooting wherever they feel like it. The USFS has not figured out they don't have the resources, either. The area will continue to attract the wrong kinds of people and it will ruin the beautiful area for everyone else. Good for the Sheriff for telling the USFS the truth. The forest belongs to all of the people, not to just the gun community. They think they own the place and they don't.
Where's the outdoor shooting range the county uses? What happened to the squabble over it? Wasn't it lead?
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