Whitehorse will be hosting the Junior Canadian Rangers in their summer enhanced training exercise. These youth come from across northern Canada to experience a variety of outdoor and skill  building activities. Included in the schedule for these 300 or so youth is a day of live fire rifle shooting at the WRPC range.

For seven days starting Thursday June 16, 2016 at 8 am through to the end of the day on Wednesday June 22, 2016, the Whitehorse Rifle and Pistol Club will be closed to general access by members and user groups while these youth are on the gun range.  Members are welcome to access the range  after 4 pm for the regular schedule of activities.

During the same time frame the adult Canadian Rangers will be using the PPC Range every evening from 6 pm to 9 pm for selection of team members to participate in the Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Competition.  The regular Trap and Silhouette matches will continue as usual. The Bench Rest Rifle range, the falling plates and silhouette handgun ranges continue to be available for use by members in the evening.

For information about 1CRPG check their website

http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/1-crpg/index.page

This is a reminder regarding wildlife on the range.

Bears have been observed at the range over the past few weeks and while they do appear friendly and cuddly-looking, they are still wild animals and unpredictable when stressed. Sightings of wild animals can also include fox, deer, caribou and bobcat.

The Range Rules state that all wildlife at the shooting range is protected. Primarily, this means that they are given the right of way when observed moving in and around the various shooting venues and people should not be shooting near them in an attempt to scare them away. Call a cease fire and wait for them to move away before you resume your shooting activity.

Fines can be levied for feeding wildlife as it is an offense under the Wildlife Act to leave attractants around for wildlife to then become a nuisance. This means that if you bring your lunch or snacks when using the range that any food that you do not eat will be either taken home with you or put into the covered dumpster in the main parking area.

Respect the animals. Do not entice them with people food.

Saturday May 14th from noon to 3 pm you will be challenged with  a variety of targets out to 200 yards. Novelty targets, steel and paper. You will require 40 rounds for the targets – a few spares for sighters or misfires.

Canadians need to be aware of the recently submitted private member’s bill  S-223 that proposes changes to the Firearms Act that will have significant impact on all responsible firearms owners and  the gun clubs in which they hold membership.

The proposed changes will  amend the Firearms Act related to the transportation and storage of firearms that are not considered hunting firearms. The proposed changes will define firearms that may be kept in the home for hunting purposes and those that are classified as circumscribed and will need to be stored at a gun club or other approved facility and require an authorized transporter to move them.

Read for yourself. Here is the link to the proposed bill.

http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=8177232

Many of you have been following this issue closely. The national watch dogs are providing updates. Go to the WRPC Weblinks Tab  for those connections.  https://wrpc.ca/weblinks/

Please note date change!

It’s that time of year, again. Spring clean up day is Sunday May 8, 2016  starting at 9:00 am. There will be a cease-fire on the entire range during the clean up activity. The range should resume live fire status after 4:00 pm.

Any amount of time (even an hour or two) you can give to cleaning up YOUR gun range is appreciated. Dress for dirty work! Don’t forget to wear shoes suitable for working in the rough areas of the range. Bring your work gloves. Maybe some sunscreen, too! A rake or brush cutters, if you have them.

There are jobs for all skill levels from retrieving the paper and other debris that has been blow into bushes, picking up brass, removing rocks from the shooting lanes, cutting brush that has grown up to block your line of sight, replacing target boards, painting targets, fixing the outhouses and shooting benches, washing windows and just helping to get the place tidied up after the winter.

Hope to see you there!