GLENWOOD SPRINGS GUN CLUB · SOUTH CANYON RANGE

Range Rules & Safety

Plan your visit, know what is permitted, and help keep the range safe for everyone.

Last updated October 8, 2026

Sign the Waiver Download Waiver (PDF) Check the Calendar Emergency Procedures

Before you arrive · Safety & ceasefires · Ranges & ammunition · Guests & minors · Leaving the range

Before you arrive

  • Have a current Participant Waiver. Members, guests, and observers must have a signed waiver on file before entering. Complete one form per participant. Adults sign for themselves; a parent or legal guardian signs for each minor. An accompanying adult needs their own waiver.

  • Check availability and notices. Review the range calendar, website, email, and entrance notices. Check reservations before visiting. There is no public drop-in use.

  • Bring eye and ear protection. Appropriate protection must be worn at all times, including by spotters and scorekeepers during matches.

  • Carry your membership card. Keep it with you on club grounds and present it upon request.

Waiver renewal

Renew your waiver at annual membership renewal and whenever requested by the Club. A new adult waiver is required at age 18.

Membership and keys

New members are welcome year-round. Memberships are valid for the calendar year and must be renewed annually. New members must complete the membership requirements and in-person orientation before using the range. View membership, application, and dues information.

Check out a range key from the Glenwood Springs Community Center with your current membership card and government-issued photo ID. Return it within 48 hours. Do not lend keys or disclose the combination to nonmembers, except to facilitate emergency access. No unauthorized duplication or transfer is permitted.

Alcohol, drugs, and impairment

No alcohol, marijuana, or illegal drugs may be possessed or consumed anywhere on the premises, including vehicles. Lawful medication use is permitted. Do not enter, remain, or participate while impaired.

Firearm safety & ceasefires

Follow these four firearm safety rules whenever handling a firearm:

  1. Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.

  2. Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.

  3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to shoot.

  4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

See an unsafe condition? Call “Cease Fire.”

Anyone must call “Cease Fire” for an unsafe condition, a person moving forward of the firing line, or wildlife entering the range. Stop firing immediately. Notify a Club officer of safety infractions. Follow designated safety leadership at organized activities.

At the firing line

  • Cooperate with others during ceasefires for target placement.

  • Obey all range commands.

  • Shoot only in the appropriate direction from the designated firing lines.

  • When moving between your vehicle and the firing line, keep firearms unloaded and cased, holstered, or carried with any detachable magazine removed and the action open.

  • Before anyone goes downrange, unload completely, open actions, place firearms on the bench with muzzles downrange, and step back. Confirm every firearm is clear and all shooters have stepped back. Announce LINE COLD and obtain acknowledgment. Do not handle firearms while the line is cold or anyone is downrange. If someone is already downrange, stop handling and alert others. To restart, confirm everyone is back, the area is clear, and all shooters are ready; announce LINE HOT and obtain acknowledgment before handling or loading firearms.

Fire restrictions and smoking

No smoking, including in vehicles, or recreational open flames.

Follow posted Club closures and safety directions, and all fire restrictions or orders applicable to the property. Do not use a closed area or conduct a prohibited activity. Follow responder directions. No user may override a continuing restriction.

Read the Emergency Action Plan

Ranges, ammunition & targets

Where you may shoot

Only use firearms on their designated ranges.

  • Pistols — Pistol range and rifle ranges

  • Rimfire rifles — Pistol bays and rifle ranges; other rifles — Rifle ranges

  • Shotguns — Designated shotgun areas; other bays only with express posted or written authorization identifying permitted ammunition

Prohibited ammunition and targets

  • Tracer, incendiary, and armor-piercing ammunition.

  • Steel-core, steel-tipped, or bi-metal rifle/handgun projectiles.

  • Explosive targets.

  • Shooting rocks, glass, cans, bottles, or similar unauthorized targets.

Steel cartridge cases alone are not prohibited. Separate shotgun rules apply.

Shotgun and .50 BMG rules

  • Use No. 7½ shot or smaller in designated shotgun areas. Authorization for other bays must identify permitted ammunition; it does not implicitly authorize buckshot or slugs.

  • Fire .50 BMG only at targets specifically approved for .50 BMG, regardless of who owns them.

Trap machines

All Club-owned and personal hand or electric clay throwers may be used only at scheduled Club events with designated Safety Officers. Operators need not be Club officers.

Protect the range

Shoot only authorized targets into designated backstops. Never shoot frames, signs, rails, posts, or other fixtures. Steel targets must be rated for the firearm and ammunition and used only at approved locations. Follow the manufacturer’s minimum distance and other requirements, approved placement, and any stricter posted limit. A shorter posted distance cannot override manufacturer requirements. If unsure, do not shoot. Financial responsibility is governed by section 3 of the Participant Waiver.

Hunting on Glenwood Springs park land in South Canyon, including areas leased by the Gun Club, is strictly prohibited.

Keep food and trash secured in bear-resistant containers.

Guests & minors

Bringing an ordinary guest

A sponsoring member must directly supervise the guest during firearm handling. The member must:

  • Verify the guest’s waiver.

  • Remain immediately physically present.

  • Enforce the rules and stop unsafe activity.

Financial responsibility is governed by section 3 of the Participant Waiver.

Classes, events, and agency sessions

Approved participants follow their organizer’s supervision and waiver procedures. No individual member sponsor is required. Financial responsibility remains governed by section 3 of the Participant Waiver.

Bringing a minor

  • Member accompaniment: Every minor must be accompanied by a Club member. Junior Members must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who is a Regular Member.

  • Parent’s waiver: A parent or legal guardian must sign a separate waiver for each child.

  • Direct supervision: A parent/legal guardian must supervise, or, for other minor participants, an adult age 18 or older authorized in section 10 must supervise at all times.

  • Supervisor requirements: The supervisor must have a current adult waiver, be legally permitted and able to supervise safely, remain with the child and within immediate physical reach during firearm handling, and stop unsafe activity.

When another adult supervises

Arrange this with the club before the visit. The child’s waiver must include:

  • The parent’s signed authorization naming the supervising adult.

  • A stated expiration date.

  • The supervising adult’s child-specific signed acceptance. Authorization ends at its stated expiration, the child’s 18th birthday, or earlier written withdrawal to the Club and supervising adult.

Permission to supervise does not authorize signing the parent’s release.

Arrange supervision with the club · Sign the adult or parent waiver

Leaving the range

  • Clean up: Collect all spent brass, shotgun hulls, used targets, empty ammunition boxes, and other waste. Use designated bins; take waste away when bins are full. Do not leave overflow on the ground.

  • Secure the gate: Lock it after every entry and exit, even if others remain, except during managed events or emergency access. Preserve authorized neighboring access. When safe, a helper may open and keep it open for responders. Do not delay escape or lifesaving care to open it.

  • Return your key: Return checked-out keys within 48 hours to the Glenwood Springs Community Center front desk.

Rule enforcement

Unsafe activity must stop immediately and may result in removal or protective access suspension. Permanent membership expulsion is decided by the Board under the bylaws.

Before shooting, check ammunition, targets and placement, visible fuels or debris, accessible fire equipment, and clear access. Monitor downrange conditions and impacts. Stop affected shooting and report target damage, hazards, blocked access, or missing equipment to event leadership or the Board.

Report non-emergency criminal activity to sheriff non-emergency dispatch at 970-625-8095 and the Board. Call 911 for an immediate threat.

Emergency readiness

The trauma kit hangs outside the storage container at the main rifle bay; no key or combination is needed. Fire extinguishers are at each bay. Before shooting alone, confirm you can call for help from your firing position without driving to find service; otherwise, do not use the range alone. Review the Emergency Action Plan and brief your guests before shooting.

Questions before your visit?

Contact the club for help with range rules, waiver requirements, or supervision arrangements.

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