The gates at the San Luis Obispo Shooting Range opened for the first time in more than a year on Friday.
"A social outlet was lost for a lot of people to come out and talk to people with familiar interests, and now that the range is back open again, it’s good to see people coming back out and see laughing, socializing. It’s why we did what we did,” said Robert Brennan, San Luis Obispo Firearm and Safety Training (SLOFAST) Treasurer.
When the range closed down in early 2025, people had to look elsewhere.
“We drove to Santa Barbara pretty much, which is quite a way away from Morro Bay, but yeah, we’d do that every weekend,” said Ray Griffigh, Morro Bay resident.
But that is no longer the case.
“Saves me money, gas and it’s cheaper,” Griffigh said.
Some competitive shooters like Brenda Austin prefer shooting in an open space with different long-distance ranges.
“Here it’s about 420 yards and at my home range, which is in Richmond, California, the Richmond Rod and Gun Club, our greatest distance is 200 yards,” Austin said.
Austin has competed at this range before and has been waiting for it to reopen.
“I was a member previously at this club but there are no longer club memberships,” Austin said.
The range closed late last year after the contract with the previous operator was not renewed, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, citing multiple violations.
According to the new operator, SLOFAST, one of those violations was charging for membership, which SLOFAST states is against California Code of Regulations, Title 14.
“This is a public range," Brennan said. "This is open to the general public. There are no memberships. If you want to come out and shoot, you come out. If you’ve never shot before, we have people that can help you. If you want to take classes, there are going to be classes to help teach you how to shoot, both men’s and women’s classes."
Previous memberships will not be honored.
Hours and pricing for the range can be found at this link.
