Spenceville Target Range & Legal AW's

[M1A Rifleman]

It appears from the DFG 2006 regulations the Speceville target range is still open and does allow all legal firearms. Has anyone familiar with that range contacted the DFG to request authorization to shoot legal registered AW's? Also, could you share the contact # if yo have?

[robairto]

weeeelll

I shoot mine there.Ain't no biggggeeeeeeeeeee

[hylander]

Spenceville is an Accident waiting to happen.
I would not recommend going there.
However if it is Legal to own in California you can shoot it there.

[M1A Rifleman]

I shoot mine there.Ain't no biggggeeeeeeeeeee

I would agree, but not going through with the requirement for express permission as required by the PC is risky. Recall another recent post where DFG informed somone they would be arrested if found with an AW in the National Forest - even though they are legal with permission.

[M1A Rifleman]

Spenceville is an Accident waiting to happen.
I would not recommend going there.
However if it is Legal to own in California you can shoot it there.

True, but now that the Lincoln range is all screwed up with respect to operating hours, it is the best place to go with an area beyond 100yd.

Not to bash all law enforecement, but Again, thanks to some careless LEO's, another nice range has been near shut down - Livermore was the first (it used to have 300 yd).

[QuickOnTheDraw]

My FFL and a friend were shoting at Spenceville and both had their registered AR15's. The friend was shooting his and was asked to provide his registration, upon checking it's legality he was asked to put it away and not bring it out again. Both had registration in hand as well as High capicity mag permit(FFL holder) and they were asked not bring those rifles again, regardless if they were registered or not. If it were me, I'd just bring something else to shoot or go to Nevada where it doesn't matter.

[milsurpshooter]

its so nice to have a private range on base.........ahhhhh

[robairto]

My FFL and a friend were shoting at Spenceville and both had their registered AR15's. The friend was shooting his and was asked to provide his registration, upon checking it's legality he was asked to put it away and not bring it out again. Both had registration in hand as well as High capicity mag permit(FFL holder) and they were asked not bring those rifles again, regardless if they were registered or not. If it were me, I'd just bring something else to shoot or go to Nevada where it doesn't matter.

My response would be that they have no legal right to ask me to keep my firearm out of there. I can legally hunt with it as well as long as I don't use a high cap.. Don't be affraid to stand for your rights. I've never heard of a ban of registered assault weapons by DFG. I may be wrong but have never heard it or read it. What the heck is a high cap mag permit? I have lot's of high caps which were obtained when they were legal.

[robairto]

http://caag.state.ca.us/fire

[CavTrooper]

My response would be that they have no legal right to ask me to keep my firearm out of there. I can legally hunt with it as well as long as I don't use a high cap.. Don't be affraid to stand for your rights. I've never heard of a ban of registered assault weapons by DFG. I may be wrong but have never heard it or read it. What the heck is a high cap mag permit? I have lot's of high caps which were obtained when they were legal.

The only areas you are allowed to use your legal, registered "AW" is where you have express permission. For hunting, that would be the CA BLM lands. Since the Fed does not have a "AW" defenition, they cannot give express permission for you to use one anywhere, therefore, its a no-no. Until we can get written clarification/permission from someone in the Fed, we are stuck.

[robairto]

I don't know

The only areas you are allowed to use your legal, registered "AW" is where you have express permission. For hunting, that would be the CA BLM lands. Since the Fed does not have a "AW" defenition, they cannot give express permission for you to use one anywhere, therefore, its a no-no. Until we can get written clarification/permission from someone in the Fed, we are stuck.

I'm no attorney but by that rational, if it's not defined then how can they ban it? They allow firearms and it's legally owned and they have no definition about which ones you can shoot then so be it. The state may be different and most hunting areas (NWR as well) are managed by the state then I could see it. Spenceville is a state property but I couldn't find anywhere that AW are banned from state wildlife areas. I'm not saying they aren't, I couldn't find it however.

[CavTrooper]

I'm no attorney but by that rational, if it's not defined then how can they ban it? They allow firearms and it's legally owned and they have no definition about which ones you can shoot then so be it. The state may be different and most hunting areas (NWR as well) are managed by the state then I could see it. Spenceville is a state property but I couldn't find anywhere that AW are banned from state wildlife areas. I'm not saying they aren't, I couldn't find it however.

Its not that "AWs" are banned, thats not the problem, the problem is they are not "specifically allowed", which they need to be in order to be used. Check the CA BLM website, they "specfically allow" "AWs" on thier property, if the area you want to shoot in doesnt, then you are SOL.

12285
(c) A person who has registered an assault weapon or registered a .50 BMG rifle under this section may possess it only under any of the following conditions unless a permit allowing additional uses is first obtained under Section 12286:
(6) While on publicly owned land if the possession and use of a firearm described in Section 12276,12276.1, or 12278, is specifically permitted by the managing agency of the land.

[M1A Rifleman]

The only areas you are allowed to use your legal, registered "AW" is where you have express permission. For hunting, that would be the CA BLM lands. Since the Fed does not have a "AW" defenition, they cannot give express permission for you to use one anywhere, therefore, its a no-no. Until we can get written clarification/permission from someone in the Fed, we are stuck.

Hmm, not all true. The Dept of Agriculture, which controls both the BLM and the NF does have a policy since 2000 with regard to legal AW's. Copies of the letters from both BLM and NF have been posted hear and elsewhere. Legal AW's are allowed and not restricted. Another option is to write a letter or speak with the NF LEO for the area you intend to vist. This has worked for me.

Also, I may have answered my original question now, but 12285 #3 Articles does say they may be possesed on a public or private target range - and Spenceville does have a public range. So it would seem that no further permission is required, and unless someone is acting like an A@@@, there would be no right for the DFG to request you not shoot it or worse. Cool.

[-hanko]

Spenceville is an Accident waiting to happen.
I would not recommend going there.
However if it is Legal to own in California you can shoot it there.

I've shot mine there,with and without friends and their ar's and fal's, numerous times.

If I go on weekends, I'm there at daybreak. Most weekdays you'll have the range to yourself.

Saturdays and Sundays later in the day are interesting.

-hanko