2017-01-17 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Hawaii Game Management Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes – January 17, 2017 you need to have a firearm that’s appropriate for the game that’s in season at that particular area. If you want to shoot under the guidelines of being a hunter. There is no legal publically accessible facility available for shooting rifles and pistols period. The current public shooting opportunity is Parks & Recreation Department is the only facility on the island – that’s the Hilo Skeet and Trap Range. It accommodates shot gun shooting sports only. Skeet, trap, some 5-station shoots and which, sort of, some sporty play stuff that various clubs put on and about 4,000 people visit the county facility annually. I see Gwen and Jerry are here – she’s a range attendant at the skeet and trap range – if I got that number wrong I’m sure she’ll correct me on it. That’s what it used to be, anyway. The operations is in East Hawaii so operation is limited and shooting activities are weather dependent. I know there’s one target shooting competition that’s held – that used to be held every year. It is almost like a four day event and almost every time they held it it got rained – you shot in the rain – not a lot of fun. Firearms education and training – a properly designed and managed shooting facility is required to support safe firearms education and training programs. On-Target Inc. currently conducts NRA certified basic shot gun shooting course through the county recreation program. We’ve been doing that for the past two years. The course provides students hands on training opportunity at Hilo Trap and Skeet Range is in compliance with HRS 134-… that’s safe firearms training if you want to buy a hand gun. In the past two years, 17 classes were conducted in safe firearms use – I see a few of our students here today – if you want to know what it’s about you can see them – by NRA certified volunteer instructions employing live- fire training at the Hilo Skeet Trap Range. Today 148 community members have been trained in safe and responsible firearms use. There’s the demographics so – a third of them were juniors, as young as ten, a quarter of them were seniors – I think the eldest one was 79 – a third were female and a half of all the people who take the classes are parents taking their children through, which is really encouraging for us. Additionally, range safety officer training was proved to the county recreation staff members, ah, we have provided public rifle and pistol education training when we can get a legal and secure facility to do it and that’s the hang-up. We’ve done it in the forest reserves under permits in the past, but it’s not an easy thing to do. Low cost volunteer instructed rifle and pistol education training programs could be provided to accommodate public demand if an appropriate shooting facility were routinely available for the required fire instruction and training. A range is an economic resource – properly designed, adequately equipped and effectively managed – shooting facility in this environment – this vacation rich environment that we have here in Hawaii with its amenable year round climate would attract competitive shooters from all over the world – not just the US – all over the world. We know this for a fact. Resulting tourism will generate revenue for both the 4