Walton Sheriff's Office Opens Shooting Range to Citizens

Gun owners in soon will have somewhere to safely practice using their guns, courtesy of the .

“We have some work to do on the shooting range first and as soon as that’s done, we’ll be opening it up to residents,” said Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman. “We have some concrete lanes to pour and once that is complete, we’ll be opening the range to the public one day a month, probably for two hours on a Saturday morning, to see how it goes.”

The WCSO shooting range is behind the Walton County Law Enforcement complex at 1425 S. Madison St. in Monroe. Chapman said local gun owners don’t have anywhere they can safely practice the use of firearms without significant cost. He said there is an indoor range at the Trading Place pawn shop on Highway 11 and there are some private gun clubs around, but none close by that offer facilities that are relatively economical to use.

“We’re doing this for the safety of the community and as a service to Walton County residents,” Chapman said. “People regularly call and complain about people shooting. It used to be OK, but we’re too populated now. I thought it would be a good idea to give those people a safe place to go and become more proficient. It will be safer than people shooting at cans off the back porch.”

Chapman said he would decide how often to open up the range to the public, depending on the response.

“If we get say five people respond, we’ll keep it at one day a month, but if we get a bigger response then we will open it up more often,” he said. “We will probably charge about $10 for two hours of shooting. That will cover the use of the targets and the deputy assigned to handle that duty. We’re not in it to make a profit - we just want to offer a safe place for people to go.”

Chapman said many times people purchase a gun for protection, but never learn how to use it.

“I can’t tell you the number of people who have a gun, but have never even shot it,” he said. “The first thing I ask someone who wants a gun is, ‘do you believe you will be able to use it in defense of yourself or your family, and if so, be proficient - learn how to use it.’”

Chapman said he is restricting use of the shooting range to Walton County residents, at least until he can gauge the size of the response. WCSO - as well as Monroe, and police departments - currently use the firing range for practice and for state-mandated certification.

Deputy Charles Wilson, training officer for the WCSO, is handling the upgrades to the range and organizing the new program. He also handles the deputy citizen force, which has classes on a Thursday and practice at the range on a Saturday. Wilson said the deputy citizen force program doesn’t just teach marksmanship, it also teaches state law as it relates to gun use and ownership and walks gun owners through the correct permitting procedure. In all his years in law enforcement Wilson has never had to use his gun to shoot anyone - something for which he said he is grateful.

“I’ve had to draw it, just never had to shoot it,” he said. “But if I ever have to, I’m ready.”

Wilson said if weather permits the concrete should be poured in the next two weeks. People can then begin applying to practice at the WCSO shooting range. Anyone interested can contact him at 770-266-1556. The WCSO also is offering a for $20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 14 and in future on an "as needed" basis. Anyone interested can pre-register by calling 770-267-1434.