Letter to the Editor

I moved to Wyoming in 2010, hoping to become a Wyoming resident and to retire in this beautiful state. I support the conservative thinking and the freedoms we enjoy here. I am originally from South Dakota, where, like Wyoming, it’s still legal to target practice on your own property.

Those of us who have relocated to this state did so because it is an improvement over our previous location. I can’t think of one thing that a person could bring to Wyoming, from their home state, that would make this a better place to live, except maybe grandkids.

When our grandkids come to visit, we like to shoot clay pigeons and target practice by shooting tin cans with the .22 rifle. I’m not ready to give that experience up just because someone moves in and expects others to change their lifestyle so they can have things their way.

Too many people relocate here, get established, then want to change things like rules, laws, roads, etc. so things are more like they were “back home”. If you are one of those people, you should have stayed “back home” or go back where you came from.

We like good neighbors here and, yes, we do have some. Being a good neighbor means helping out when the need arises, and working things out when problems arise.

We have had cattle in our yard quite often this summer. They are very hard on the flowers, shrubs, etc. not to mention the manure. We don’t own cattle. We didn’t call the County Sheriff or spread rumors to our neighbors, we just pushed them back down the road and into the rancher’s pasture where they belonged. Yes, it was a nuisance but not worth losing good neighbors over.

I urge any and all County Commissioners to come out and visit about this “shooting” concern and get a look first hand at the target range in question. It belongs to a neighbor of mine. I feel confident that you will agree that “stray” bullets to the complainer’s property are impossible.

I believe the main concern is the noise. The noise generated by the few days a month of target practice is not new. It was here years before the complainer purchased property and built a home. I know, because I am a neighbor to the target range also.

Doug Price