By Michael A. Black | Contributing Editor
With the cancellation of this year’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, my annual trip to see the latest in the gun industry products and techniques was severely impacted.
Although the NSSF did provide daily virtual updates, the effect was hardly the same. However, R. Scott Decker, a member of the Clark County Shooting Complex, arranged a tour of the facility for me. Decker, a retired FBI agent and author of Recounting the Anthrax Attacks, is a board member of the facility. The tour and my conversation with Senior Management Analyst Steve Carmichael proved both enlightening and inspiring.
The Complex is located at 11357 North Decatur Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nev., next to the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. It’s also adjacent to the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, which is known for being one of the largest areas of fossil and dinosaur bones in the United States. It is rumored that in the early days before the Complex was built there was a huge, fossilized tusk from a mammoth that arced out of the ground and attracted many sightseers. The whereabouts of the tusk is not known today, but was responsible for the area being declared a National Monument. There is no fossil collection or off-road driving allowed in the area.
The Complex itself is quite massive, possibly the largest of its kind in the world, spanning 2880 acres, of which only about 900 is currently developed. It is the only 5-Star Outdoor Range in the State of Nevada recognized by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and normally hosts the Sig Sauer shooting event during the Shot Show. The Complex was recently awarded the “Best of Las Vegas” Gold Award for 2020 in the Best Shooting Rangecategory, which was added to the previous awards, the Gold in 2016, and the Silver in 2017. The closest comparable 5-Star range is the Ben Avery in Phoenix, Ariz.
The Complex has several classroom facilities, a number of educational ranges, an archery range, and public firing ranges. The public rifle/pistol range has a 50 yard, 100 yard, and 200 yard distances and 60 firing points allowing shooting from 3 to 200 yards. The educational ranges are 50 yards, with 20 firing points, and 100 yards, with 10 firing points. The Shotgun Center has 24 trap and skeet fields, with 30 stations for sporting clays. The archery range is 90 meters with 40 firing points.
The Complex rents weapons and equipment for all of the centers, and ammunition can also be purchased there. These rentals offer a wide selection of makes and calibers, ranging from Sig Sauer, Glock, and Ruger pistols in .22, .380, 9 mm, .40, and .45 calibers to various brands of shotguns. Rental fees for firearms are $12 per hour and require new ammunition only, no reloads. Daily fee for the public range is $10 per day. The facility’s normal operational hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, and 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but the recent COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the hours of operation.
Registered User Groups of the facility may conduct classes and train at the Education Center 7 days a week from 7 a.m.- 10 p.m. It should be noted that during our tour there was a group of shooters on the range and the sound of bursts of gunfire was reminiscent of the SHOT Show’s Industry Day at the Range.
Carmichael has been with the facility for about ten years now. He, along with a seven member appointed advisory committee, oversee and manage the complex. The mission statement includes the goal of educating the general public about guns and weapon safety, providing a venue for shooting programs and registered shooting group activities, and providing a safe environment for the public to engage in recreational shooting. To this end, the Complex hosts numerous groups which provide classroom instruction on such topics as Beginner’s Shooting, Concealed Carry, and Self-Defense Techniques. Additionally, the Complex is also used by the Clark County Sheriff’s Police for their firearms training. All shooting is done under the supervision of trained range masters, and safety is always the first priority. All shooters must first watch a safety video prior to using any of the ranges.
Carmichael has an extensive history with shooting and firearms. Growing up in Kansas City, he was exposed to guns and shooting at an early age. While still in high school he began competing in trap shooting. He won the National Junior Trap Shooting Championship and caught the attention of an army major who ran the U.S. Army Trap Shooting Team.
Upon graduating from high school, Carmichael enlisted in the Army and after completing Basic Training was handpicked for the Army shooting team. In the three years that followed Carmichael trained at Fort Benning where the trap shooting team was based. He was introduced to both the American style trap shooting and the International style of trapshooting, which is used in the Olympics.
“The International style is a bit more challenging than the American style,” Carmichael explained. “In American style shooting the target moves at around 42 miles per hour. In the International style it’s moving at around 70. The angles and heights are also more severe.”
Despite these more challenging aspects, Carmichael continued to excel and the Army team established a very competitive record. The team competed in 83 international tournaments over the next few years and never lost a single team or individual event.
After his discharge he returned to American style shooting and garnered five additional national championships between 1974-1980. He also either managed or owned and operated recreational shooting facilities for over 24 years following his competitive years. In February 2011 he was hired to manage the Clark County Shooting Complex. Having a familiarity with the gun industry, he established business contacts with numerous gun manufacturers, including Sig Sauer, Beretta, Winchester, Glock, to provide the rental weapons for the facility. The shotguns for the trap shooting, for example, are provided by FAIR, a conglomerate of four different Italian gun companies.
I asked Carmichael for any insights into the current state of the gun industry and the shooting complex and he mentioned the tremendous rise in the number of first-time gun owners who have no experience with firearms. A good portion of the complex’s educational classes this year deal with the basic instruction of how to safely and effectively use a gun. Carmichael also noted that there is a critical shortage of ammunition, the demand for which has gone up an incredible 400%. He attributes this to the COVID-19 shutdowns of ammunition producing plants and to the hoarding of ammunition that these turbulent times seem to generate. The Complex has slowed its own sale of ammunition to avoid a shortfall, and has halted or limited range participants purchase of ammo until the situation improves.
No tax dollars were used in building the facility. All operational funding is derived under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA).
My only regret was that time constraints prohibited me from renting a gun and getting some shooting time in while at the Complex, but hopefully next year I’ll be able to attend the Sig Sauer shooting exhibition there. The next time you’re in Vegas, whether it’s for business or fun, do take some time out and stop by the Clark County Shooting Complex. You won’t regret it.
For further information, visit www.Clark CountyNV.gov/shootingcomplex or contact Steve Carmichael directly at 702-455-2005.
