COUNTY GOVERNMENT:

Politicians mark dedication of county shooting park

$61 million park will occupy 148 acres in northern valley

Steve Marcus

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, left, Sen. John Ensign, center, and Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid, right, listen to a speaker during the dedication of the Clark County Shooting Park at the north end of Decatur Boulevard Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009.

By Brendan Buhler (contact)

Published Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 | 3:42 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 | 5:34 p.m.

Clark County Shooting Park

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Gun range opponents’ ammo: Environmental studies (8-19-09)

Politicians and a couple of hundred spectators gathered to dedicate the Clark County Shooting Park this morning.

Speakers at the dedication included Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign, Gov. Jim Gibbons, Rep. Shelly Berkley, County Manager Virginia Valentine and Clark County commissioners Tom Collins and Rory Reid. Sen. Reid brandished a family rifle, told of eating his mother's rabbit stew as a child and introduced NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre.

LaPierre praised Reid's voting record on gun rights.

The public facility will occupy 148 acres on a 2,900-acre park, with the non-shooting acres serving as a wildlife preserve and a buffer against development. The park cost $61 million, with money provided through the congressional Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. The county hopes the park will draw competitive shooters and serve as a training facility for law enforcement.

Ensign said the park could help with Las Vegas' 13.1 percent unemployment rate by attracting more tourists.

"When they talk about diversifying our economy, that's not only about bringing in different kinds of industry, it's also about different kinds of tourism," Ensign said.

County officials hope to open the first phase of the shooting park sometime in the next few months.

Discussion: 25 comments so far…

By neiman1

8/25/09 at 4:50 p.m.

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Does Nancy Pelosi know harry Reid is scrambling for the gun rights vote as his polls dip. She may get mad about this.
By justjoe

8/25/09 at 4:51 p.m.

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Senator Reid being praised by NRA President Wayne LaPierre? I guess Tarkanian and Sandoval, and maybe Lowden are crying in their beer. With many of the top Republicans on Sen. Reid's side, now the main 2nd Admendment advocate, the current is getting stronger against them.
By afveteran

8/25/09 at 5:03 p.m.

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Three years from now, Wayne will be taking potshots at "Pinkie" Reid instead of throwing flowers at him.
By ReverendKscribe

8/25/09 at 5:44 p.m.

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Two thing's I noticed about the pictures on this page.

1) Harry looks like Saddam with the shotgun.
2) Rory looks to be in worse shape that his father.

Sarcasm aside, this is a good move for Harry to make, but I doubt it will buy the goodwill of the voters!
By NVJJC

8/25/09 at 6:14 p.m.

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Harry Reid won 9 counties in 2004. He'll win more counties in 2010 after the campaign explains how seniority works in the US Senate.

Never give up seniority.
Never give up strength.
Vote for Nevada.
We need Reid.
By getalife

8/25/09 at 6:34 p.m.

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NVJJC, isn't that what the folks said to help Daschele?

Rory looks like he ate some bad clams.
By benighse

8/25/09 at 6:51 p.m.

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With that empty chair, I guess Ensign's mistress didn't stick around for the ceremony.
By JSpence07

8/25/09 at 7:32 p.m.

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TARKANIAN 2010!!
By bdover

8/25/09 at 7:40 p.m.

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Just what we need. A shooting park. Next we need a knife park. An Ice Pick park. Then a police brutality park, the Luke Morrison Killer/ Molester park. What a great state. Thank God we're turning out tip dependent dropout dumbbells daily from our schools-Gee, I'm just like my missing father/mother, so what's the problem?
By VegasInsider

8/25/09 at 7:54 p.m.

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Harry Reid is a bum. He can show up to a gun park initiation but doesn't have the back bone to face the public in the Health care debate. Hope all you dumbacrats are happy with your representation.
By Harley

8/25/09 at 8:08 p.m.

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A bunch of immoral, lying, thieving politicians at a shooting park and there were no reported casualties?
By isthis4real

8/25/09 at 8:34 p.m.

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Seniority in the senate....hmmmm...senate majority leader since 2006....what has nevada gotten...oh yeah...we are at the bottom of the list on the stimulus money.....wow....good job harry....

how do you know the empty chair was ensign's mistress....it could have been harry's....

yeah a lot of the so-called top repubs are bought off by harry....won't it be funny when tarkanian wins and harry is out in the cold....

so much for his B.S. and his millions....

harry represents harry and his cronies in and out of nevada and nothing else.....

vote harry out in 2010~!!!!
By steve7952

8/25/09 at 8:52 p.m.

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What a trio. Almost like taking raw osters, chasing it with buttermilk and caster oil. Sick!
By GABESTA535

8/25/09 at 11:14 p.m.

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The empty seat is for Gibbons
By SgtRock

8/26/09 at 12:28 a.m.

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Reid voted for the comfirmation of a judge who does not believe that Americans have the right to own guns.

I guess he is conflicted.
By General_Black

8/26/09 at 1:25 a.m.

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I lived in California when all the shooting areas in the National Forest were closed to shooting except for hunting. People bought hunting permits and ended up shooting anything and everything, including old logging buildings used by the Forest Service. With this shooting park, you know the direction people will be shooting and it will be the safe direction.

I've checked the shooting range layout in person (35 yr. Gov. Agent), and found that the gun noise will not be an issue. I'm sure that very low level popping sounds will be heard at times, however, car and truck noise from the neighborhood residents will be greater.

Most home owners nearby knew this shooting park was being built before they bought their homes. The only persons the home owners can blame are themselves and their sales person/developer.

One major benefit for the neighborhood will be an increase in law enforcement personnel coming/going, doing their shooting quals. This will lower future crimes in the area.
By DessertSun

8/26/09 at 2:29 a.m.

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I can't wait until the jackass Senator Harry Reid is gone. Too bad we have to wait a year to kick his butt out of office. Mr TARKANIAN you have our full support and new votes next year sir!
By Nevada_Scandalmonger

8/26/09 at 6:31 a.m.

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Yes, it's always more fun to blame the victim, isn't it?
By rumrunner

8/26/09 at 9:12 a.m.

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What made me laugh most was when they asked ol slick Harry a certain question,he came back with if anyone wants to talk to him about anything,just call him.Still makes me burst out in laughter!
By porter1rockwell

8/26/09 at 11:56 a.m.

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Gen Black,
Yes, I agree on your points. It seems to me to be a no brainer to provide an area to shoot. We used to go behind Sunrise (Frenchman) Mtns. We used to go to Pabco. By the "B" in Henderson. Unfortunately it got out of hand with people that destroyed the landscape and left their trash and defaced etc. Growth of the town has necessitated this.
BTW, I think that empty seat could be for ANY of the partisans here. Their's 2 hats and a book to read.
By NVJJC

8/26/09 at 1:46 p.m.

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Too bad some folks put partisan politics before what's good for Nevada.

If they listen to the voices from outside the state and the partisan voices inside the state tell them how to vote they'll get what they deserve and we'll be back to no-clout Nevada in Washington.

Interesting that all the Harry haters don't say what it is that they don't like him for ... what vote on what issue? Is there another Elected Official that does everything right for you?

Vote for Nevada - Vote for Reid
By jsilver

8/26/09 at 2:14 p.m.

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Come on Harry Reid, WHAT ABOUT THE FACE TO FACE TOWN HALL MEETING. Dont't be scared, you are the majority leader, third most powerful man in Washington.

JSilver
By MarieDevine

8/26/09 at 3:21 p.m.

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There is no real harm in guns for skeet shooting and hunting if you have a real need, but there is an unseen dark side. For those who keep a gun for protection, they act contrary to the law of God which says, "That which you fear shall come upon you." When you think the power is in the gun you have a problem.

We have freedom of speech and can fight any politician or military with words printed in news articles and mailed to politicians and on blogs etc. The moment we carry a gun with us or start to gather weapons, we give the government etc. authority to lock us up or worse. Our major strength is in respecting the person in office and any law that does not command you contrary to the written word of God. Remember, we want repentance and change, not rebellion and confrontation.

Jesus said, "Love your enemies and do good to them that persecute you and dispitefully use you." It disarms them and gives them no power against us. That is how God is our Savior. We should be using that instead of war.

Tourism also has bondages and is contrary to God's secular wisdom. It separates communities. Strangers are temperary and you do not have opportunity to speak often with them. It enslaves people to sitting in a shop etc. waiting for someone to spend money with them so they can pay bills they would not have if they did not have that lifestyle. Life is interesting isn't it?
By NVJJC

8/27/09 at 10:27 a.m.

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Marie,

God gave to me my life and the lives of my family. I would never ever use lethal force except to preserve what God has given me. To do less would dishonor my gifts from God.
By Cyndyj

9/3/09 at 4:04 p.m.

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Interesting that Rory Reid thinks he knows Anything about Free Speech. Scroll down, an article he wrote in 2006 is very enlightening. My thoughts, first- then the link:
Free Speech is for everyone. Denying someone the right to even ask a question without being forced to sue the County just to be heard is a Free Speech Violation. Perhaps, Rory was so concerned about achieving his own desire to avoid having to hear requests for waiver or variance in the CMA that he forgot the basics of what Free Speech really is. I'm amazed that he used Free Speech as a defense for refusing to hear something as simple as the occasional request for a waiver or variance on item 35 of yesterday's agenda; when that is what he is being paid a salary to consider as a County Commissioner. I want to thank him for using that language in defense of his position on the record.
Here's Rory's other personality, from 2006:
'Graduating summa cum laude from a course on stupidity'(Web Browser will pull it up:
Posted by Rory on October 4th, 2006

In what I have to believe is the preeminent and most glaringly offensive non-decision of the Supreme Court in the modern age, the Justices have rejected an appeal on behalf of parents of Christian students in the Contra Costa County school district to stop an obviously unconstitutional Islamic portion of a 7th grade history course:

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday by evangelical Christian students and their parents who said a Contra Costa County school district engaged in unconstitutional religious indoctrination when it taught students about Islam by having them recite language from prayers.

The court, without comment, left intact a ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco last November in favor of the Byron Union School District in eastern Contra Costa.

If a teacher attempted to have students recite the 23rd Pslam, do you think the result would be the same? In fact, I doubt they would ever include curriculum that asked Muslim students to recite a prayer from the Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or any other conflicting faiths. This is fear at work.

Appalling, isn't it? I won't even ask where the ACLU was on this.

To be honest, if we had a public school system where free expression of religion was actually allowed and not constantly assaulted by the ACLU and other anti-Christian fanatics, I probably wouldn't mind this course at all -- so long as other major religions were represented in the same way. Going by their own decisions in the last fifty years, how can the Supreme Court in good conscience refuse to apply the same standard set for Christians (which presupposes a one minute prayer might as well be even to declaring an official school religion) to Muslims?

When did we become a nation of cowards? Are we that afraid?
Fair and balanced, California style.