The Police Jury would like to let the citizens of Grant Parish know that we are listening and doing our best to address your questions and concerns regarding the Grant Parish Range. Thank you for the outpouring of support!
Members of the Grant Parish Police Jury and Grant Parish Sheriff's Office met with the Louisiana National Guard's 922nd Engineer Vertical Construction Company for a tour of the progress being made on the construction of the new Shooting Range.
The Grant Parish Range will be a specialized facility designed for firearms qualifications, training, or practice. It will offer safe, local shooting opportunities for all Grant Parish residents, members of the 4-H Shooting Sports, and Grant Parish Sheriff's deputies. The goal is to be able to practice rifle shooting at distances of up to 180 yards and provide a full qualification range on pistol. There will also be an area designated for shooting skeet with shotguns.
*Calibers will be limited, although most hunting rounds will be accepted.
The proposed site is located on Landfill Road in Police Jury District 2, which is Juror Johnny Jamison’s district.
There will be specific hours of operation set with neighbors and worship services in mind. Once the days and hours are established, we will update this information.
Yes, there will be safety rules very similar to the ones listed below:
We will establish an age limit similar to the one below: (Please note, this is not the actual age limit, only a sample. Once the actual rules and age limits are agreed upon, we will update this page.)
There are a number of sound reduction techniques used to deflect and dampen sound waves, and are very effective when used in conjunction with each other. Obviously, distance is a major factor when measuring sound.
The most effective sound reducing strategies utilize high berms, covered shooting positions, side berms, baffles, and barriers behind the firing line.
Trees and plants are also an antidote to noise pollution and sound absorption, and of course, they offer many other benefits. Outdoor shooting ranges that take sound reduction seriously can mitigate the vast majority of noise pollution, and avoid being bad neighbors to local residences.
When modern outdoor shooting ranges make safety and sound reduction a priority, they set themselves up for commercial success and have the opportunity to be a positive influence on the community.
GRANT PARISH YOUTH
Kaden McFerren - Competitive shooter
.22 Rifle
Pistol
GRANT PARISH 4-H SHOOTING SPORTS
National 4-H Shooting Sports Champions! These Grant Parish 4-Hers achieved honors at the regional, state, and national level in their respective disciplines. One of our goals from the beginning has been to have a safe and proper environment for our youth to receive training and practice within the parish.
GRANT PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Firearms and Qualification for the Grant Parish Sheriff's Department
GRANT PARISH CITIZENS
Firearm Safety and Concealed Carry Training Courses will be available. http://www.lsp.org/handguns.html
HUNTERS
Women, in fact, are the fastest growing demographic in hunting; they now account for as much as 15 percent of hunters nationwide, according to a study from the Fish and Wildlife Service. Across the country, the number of first-time adult male hunters declined by over 30 percent over the last 15 years, while the number of women hunting for the first time increased at roughly the same rate.
Basic Instruction Courses:
If you are brand new to guns and want a safe introduction, this is the controlled environment you and your instructor are looking for.
I once read that the greatest military snipers come from the South. Certainly Marine Sniper Carlos Hathcock from nearby Arkansas comes to mind. Hathcock had 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam, and is the most legendary sniper of all time. Here in the South, we grow up hunting in the outdoors, and handling a gun is as easy as riding a bike.
In Grant Parish, we are blessed to have more acres of Kisatchie National Forest than any other parish. This bonanza presents many excellent hunting opportunities. Growing up, the week before deer season we all headed out to the gravel pits in Fishville and sighted in our rifles. That was a different world however, and all of that land is posted now. But we still hunt, and we all desperately need a shooting range for the benefit of our parish.
I am excited to report that the Grant Parish Police Jury intends to establish a shooting range! On May 13, 2020, Police Jury President Don Arnold sent correspondence officially requesting assistance from the Louisiana National Guard to help with construction of a shooting range. The proposed site would be located on Landfill Rd in Police Jury District 2, which is Juror Johnny Jamison’s district. Mr. Jamison has championed this cause from the start. This effort is also being supported by Sheriff Steven McCain and his capable staff. Grant Parish officials are waiting for an official reply from the National Guard to their request, but all indications are positive!
One of the compelling reasons to construct a new shooting range is to have a venue for the Sheriff’s Office to train. A new range would result in better training opportunities for our law enforcement officers, which equates to improved safety for the citizens in Grant Parish. Other neighboring parishes such as Winn have such a range for its law enforcement officers.
A rifle range would also provide firearm instructors and shooting teams with a safe place to train and qualify. On that note, I am proud to say that the best young shooters in Louisiana hail from Grant Parish! This bold proclamation is evidenced by the multiple state and national championships won by our youth through Grant Parish 4-H Shooting Sports! When you attend these shooting matches, the only question is who is going to win the silver medal. Because when the dust settles, everyone knows that Grant Parish will be atop the medal stand!
There is overwhelming need and public support for a firing range in Grant Parish. Our Founding Fathers intended for American citizens to bear arms. Simply put, there is no better way for us to honor the 2nd Amendment than to establish this shooting range in Grant Parish.
Whether you’re preparing for the military or police academy or just out for a recreational activity, going to a shooting range can be a stress-relieving adventure. Believe it or not, the benefits of participating in shooting sports can improve your health both physically and mentally.
Here are the Top 10 from Health Fitness Revolution and author of the book ReSYNC Your Life Samir Becic:
Builds physical discipline: In an age of the “couch potato,” this sport can help build many physical disciplines that are not only healthy but enjoyable. Increased strength, stamina, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills are just a few of the physical disciplines acquired in the shooting sports that apply, not only to this sport, but to all of life.
Arm strength: Shooting a gun requires strong, sturdy arms and hands; in order to aim and shoot your target you must keep your hands and arms steady.
Focus: Keeping your eyes on the target while aiming a gun requires a lot of focus. Removing your mind from any other activities, you find yourself in the present moment in which there is only one thing at hand to do, and it straight in front of you.
Eyesight: Practicing your shooting can’t fix any eye deficiencies, but it can exercise the eye capabilities that you already have. By giving your eyes a break from staring at computers, TVs, phones and tablets, you will be relieving this eye stress.
Increases mental discipline: To the surprise of many, shooting sports are primarily mental sports. Experienced marksmen think sport shooting is 90% mental. Concentration levels are sharpened and expanded. Multiple problem solving activities involving logic, mathematics and creative thinking (thinking “outside the box”) are needed and employed to succeed at any level of the shooting sports.
Advances personal responsibility: Personal responsibility is taught throughout the shooting sports to advance both safety and skill development. Shooting sports also cultivate personal responsibility because they are a foundation for both security and liberty in any family or nation.
Promotes liberty: Shooting sports provide a natural environment to educate all citizens with an historically honest view of freedom. It is no mistake that the tools mastered in the shooting sports have been called “the people’s liberty teeth.” This is one of the reasons the Second Amendment in America’s Bill of Rights was adopted.
Courage and confidence: For some people, shooting may seem like a very dangerous or scary thing to do. However, being trained properly is a great way to build confidence and courage.
Adrenaline: Hold a weapon and firing it can be an exhilarating thing to do! Your adrenaline will be spiked and causing a surge of energy to pulse through your blood. Increased levels of adrenalin in your blood signal your liver to break down glycogen, the substance that provides your muscles with glucose, the primary source of fuel in your body.
Physical balance: Remaining perfectly still in your shooting stance while aiming your gun at the target exercises your core muscles, which supports proper posture. When the abdominal muscles are weak, the lower back holds additional pressure and weight from simple daily tasks like walking. Strengthening the abdominal muscles allows the weight of the upper body to be evenly distributed over the front and back, improving balance.