The Westlock Shooting Sports Association has picked out a location for a future gun range in Westlock County.
President Mike Walmsley and vice-president Steve Tkachuk met with Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) representatives at the end of September to discuss land and lease requirements for a section of crown land northeast of Spruce Island Lake.
Two half-section parcels were picked on NW 7-64-25 W4 through NE 8-64-25 W4.
“This area was identified as a likely candidate due to the lack of local residents and the lack of infrastructure to the east with a west-to-east firing direction,” Walmsley said in an e-mail.
“Black Bear Grazing Reserve would be to the west and north boundaries. This, combined with the wetland areas to the east and south, would greatly hinder any future residential or infrastructure development.”
The next step is to meet with the association’s membership to come up with a layout for the range.
“I’ve got a pretty comprehensive drawing of what it entails, including the shooting direction because that’s the biggest concern, where everything is going to end up pointing,” Walmsley said in a follow-up interview.
“It’ll go from east to west, that’ll be primary. Again we’ll have to come to agreement with members, but it’ll be a bit to the northeast as well, but that’ll just be short-range stuff like hand guns.”
The Chief Firearms Officer has already tentatively approved the range, but Walmsley added they would also need to complete environmental studies and get area residents on board before the lease can be official.
The only neighbouring private land is just south of the parcel but no residents live there.
“That’s usually a tough one to get through,” he said. “That’s one of the concerns and that’s one bunch that can trip us up.”
Walmsley said he plans to meet with the county soon to discuss zoning and land-use bylaws. After that, the development would be advertised to the public so that neighbours have a chance to voice their support or objections to the range.
“I know the county so far has been very supportive of the idea because they’re hoping, as well as a bunch of us, that it’ll tame down a lot of the Wild West stuff in the bush,” he said.
As a registered non-profit, the association won’t need a business licence to operate, however it still has to overcome the obstacle of funding the range.
“Fundraising has been difficult because it’s a gun range — nobody wants to touch that,” he said. “As a non-profit it’s difficult but as a business it would work probably better because we could do a business plan and get loans, but if we do it that way, we’ll be right back to square one.”
The association is looking at charging a $150 membership fee, which includes insurance, but that is a ballpark estimate he said, as membership fees for ranges across the province cost anywhere from $50-$150.
“There lots to do before everything is official,” he said. “I’ve done lots of legwork but there’s absolutely nothing official. Everything is just tentative.”
The association formed March 31 and since then has pursued formalizing itself. It finally became an incorporated society at the end of August, which allows it to pursue a land lease, fundraise, and receive sponsorships and approval from the Chief Firearms Officer.
