All AZ ranges used to be that way. Ranges in other Western states still are. AZ hunters and shooters need to wake up to the way AZGFD is mismanaging this state’s shooting range program, and realize your rights to use YOUR shooting ranges are slowly being eroded away. They are being chipped away by the environmental and public health lobby (both anti-2A), by overly-cautious AZGFD attorneys and shooting sports staff, and by know-it-all safety officers who think they are the last word on guns, shooting, reloading and you-name-it.
The commission-owned ranges vary in terms of management and shooter satisfaction. Some (Mohave Sportsman’s Club) don’t seem too bad. Some are real problem children. The Sierra Vista range is run by misfits who think they are the brain trust of shooting in S. AZ but who can’t get along with anyone. That range is closed more than it’s open. However, if you are one of the officers, you can bring your buds and your family and use it anytime you want. How convenient. AZGFD just looks the other way.
I grew up in AZ, and remember very well going to the Usery Pass range (now Rio Salado) and having it all to myself – not once but many times. Years later, there may have been a range officer, but he didn’t bother anyone. He sure didn’t breathe down your neck like they do now.
After an absence of 30+ years for work, what have I found coming back? That AZ has become a nanny-state. Loss of personal freedom is everywhere.