Guns are a tool and have a purpose.
I am also an avid hiker and love to lose myself above Palmer Lake on U.S. Forest Service property. I wish I’d kept track of the number of times I’ve heard gunfire that sounded alarmingly close.
Others have said the same.
Do we have many examples of people being shot mistakenly in Pike National Forest? No, but it has happened.
Do we have evidence of people using trees for target practice and leaving shells and spent shells in our lovely forest? Plenty of it.
Let’s start from a place of agreement: One of the many things we love about this region is our proximity to the wilderness. You can leave downtown and be in Pike National Forest in less than 10 minutes. Few cities are as lucky.