JANUARY 30, 2025|
Photo – Rawlins indoor shooting range – Bigfoot99 file photo
Rawlins Shooting Range board members updated the governing body about ongoing upgrades to the city’s gun ranges.
The Rawlins Shooting Range Advisory Board oversees both the city’s indoor and outdoor gun ranges. The indoor range, located in the Rawlins Family Recreation Center, reopened late last year after being closed for needed improvements.
During the January 21st Rawlins city council meeting, Shooting Range Advisory Board Chairman Brent Wilkes explained what improvements were made to the indoor range. Wilkes also mentioned that the board plans to upgrade the lighting at the range and find ways to attract more people to become shooting range members.
The Rawlins Shooting Range Advisory Board is also responsible for the outdoor shooting range, located north of the city off highway 287. The outdoor range features 300- and 1,000-yard ranges, 10 pistol bays, and facilities for archery, skeet, and trap shooting.
Wilkes reported that last year, the advisory board worked to improve visibility and access to the outdoor range. In 2025, the board is planning to implement additional safety upgrades and hold more tournaments to increase revenue.
Next, longtime Shooting Range Advisory Board member James Ainsworth updated the governing body about the various leagues offered at the shooting ranges. Ainsworth, who oversees the junior rifle league, mentioned that 37 young participants took part in the program last year, with 33 of them having no prior experience with firearms.
Ainsworth said roughly 35 participants use the range for 4H shooting programs, many of whom participated in the junior rifle league. He added that the range hosted the shooting competition portion of the 2024 Wyoming High School Rodeo competition. Ainsworth complimented the young competitors.
Ainsworth said both the indoor and outdoor ranges are used for hunter safety classes, with roughly 100 young people being certified as safe hunters last year.
Shooting Range Advisory Board member Megan McComas explained that the ranges offer a variety of classes, including concealed carry and firearms safety. McComas said many participants choose to purchase shooting range memberships after taking a class. Additionally, both the Rawlins Police Department and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office use the ranges for firearms qualification purposes.
McComas reported that the outdoor range hosted free sight in days last September, with nearly 600 shooters in total using the range at the time.
In 2024, 584 users paid to use the ranges. McComas added that this figure does not include the tournament, training session, and educational class participants.
Shooting Range Advisory Board Vice Chairman James Shearer informed the governing body that the range hosts a variety of tournaments each year. Shearer said participants come from all over Wyoming to compete in Rawlins.
Vice Chairman Shearer explained that every Shooting Range Advisory Board member is a qualified range safety officer, allowing them to perform any task needed at the ranges.
Additionally, Shearer said that last year, the board members volunteered roughly 1,000 hours of their time working at and promoting the shooting range, which has saved the city considerable money on staffing.
Shearer said in the upcoming year, the Shooting Range Advisory Board plans to continue improving the amenities and safety at the ranges as well as update the 2006 Shooting Range Master Plan. Having an up-to-date master plan will allow the Shooting Range Advisory Board to apply for grants to fund future improvement projects.
