Opening With a Bang : Sheriff Gates Gets Off First, Best Shot at Renovated Range

Like the first crack of a baseball bat in April, the sound of the first shot fired at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department pistol range Friday signaled the start of something new.

With dozens of onlookers on hand, Sheriff Brad Gates fired the first round on the new computerized pistol range at the sheriff’s training facility in Orange, which was unveiled amid much fanfare.

Gates then challenged others at the opening, including local police chiefs and members of the media, to a shooting match--and won easily. He was awarded a marksmanship plaque by Supervisor Don R. Roth. Gates later said it had been eight years since he had fired his .38-caliber service revolver.

The pistol range was closed in October, 1984, after tenants of an office building across Katella Avenue began finding rounds in their parking lot and on the roof, Lt. Dick Olson said. After adjustments failed to solve the problem of stray bullets, the range was closed. Deputies since have been practicing at an outdoor range that was set up at the South Coast Gun Club in Irvine.

At the ceremony Friday, Roth praised the county’s decision to close and renovate the pistol range.

“First of all our concern was the safety of the citizens of this community and then secondly the economic feasibility of putting it to use again,” Roth said. “I’m glad to see today that we’re going to cut the ribbon and be able to utilize it.”

The cost of the renovation was about $316,000. The facility will be open to all law-enforcement agencies, and a separate facility has been set up for the public, Olson said.

The problem of ricocheting bullets was solved by building ceilings over the shooting facilities. “Any chance of any round getting out of here is a slim possibility,” said Sgt. Ken Chism, the new range master.

Olson said the only other shooting facility in California with an automated and computerized system such as that at the new range is in Modesto. Olson said training will be more efficient with the new system because the shooter now can fire all sequences from one position while the targets are moved from one spot to another automatically.

Previously shooters were required to change their positions and the target remained stationary, Olson said.

The facility also has the ability to pre-program up to a hundred different shooting programs for the trainees in the academy, Chism said.

“We will have shoot and don’t-shoot programs. Some of the silhouettes may look like little girls, or a guy with a gun. Maybe even a reporter.”