If one thing stood out at the Project 2000 Shooting Range in El Cajon Thursday afternoon, hours after the Supreme Court's monumental decision to strengthen the Second Amendment, it was the wide spectrum of gun owners represented at the range.
SCOTT LINNETT / Union-Tribune
Tom Socie of Clairemont (right) checks out the target after Gil Howard of Spring Valley emptied his .40-caliber Glock.
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Not all of those contacted wanted to be quoted, which begs the question: How proud are gun owners to be gun owners?
Some knew about the Supreme Court's 5-4 vote that overturned the District of Columbia's 32-year ban on handguns. Some learned about it for the first time from a reporter.
But the reluctance to be identified was interesting. Could it be they've been beaten down by political correctness, that being a gun owner has been so stigmatized and stereotyped that they don't want to be identified as one? Have they been hammered into submission by California's restrictive gun laws that seem to multiply each year? Whatever, some shooters who offered opinions about the landmark decision asked that their names not be used.
Others had no problem talking on the record about their right to own guns, whether for hunting or for target shooting.
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“I was raised in Tennessee, so I've been around guns my whole life and I've been hunting since I was 9 or 10 years old,” said Santee's Jim Crayton, a Californian since 1986. “Everyone in my house can use a weapon.”
A man next to him who wished to remain anonymous said: “I think this decision reaffirms what the Constitution says about the basic gun rights of every law-abiding American citizen. We have the right to bear arms to defend our families and our country when needed.”
He didn't want his name used because he feared someone might break into his home and steal his guns once they found out he was a gun owner.
The man added, “I don't think anyone has the right to own a gun if they haven't taken a gun safety course.”
Dennis Rohman, general manager at Project 2000, said that even before the Supreme Court vote business had been booming, so to speak. Rohman runs the largest indoor shooting range on the West Coast, one that has a reputation for being family-and woman-friendly. He has pictures of members of the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team blowing off some steam by blasting targets with every rental gun they could get their hands on.
On Wednesday nights, the range hosts a Bullseye Pistol League that Rohman said is really growing in popularity, drawing both men and women shooters.
Rohman welcomed the Supreme Court's decision, but he didn't at all like the vote margin.
“I'm disappointed it was only 5-4,” Rohman said. “That scares me. It's an instant fix for the District of Columbia, but how it plays out for the states remains to be seen. States have their own autonomy and make their own gun laws. They can create more restrictions, all in the name of safety. In California, what these laws do is restrict commerce and have nothing to do with safety.”
Rohman wasn't surprised that some shooters at his range didn't want their names used. As a youth sports coach, Rohman recalled parents being fearful when they found out he operated gun ranges and was around guns. He said one of the other coaches also was a gun owner and enthusiast, but both were surprised to learn that about each other because both had kept their gun ownership quiet.
“It's just something a lot of people aren't comfortable talking about because there is so much anti-gun sentiment out there,” Rohman said.
It all leaves this question: After the Supreme Court's decision, will more gun owners rally and be proud of their gun ownership now that their right to bear arms is protected by a Second Amendment that is stronger today than ever?
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
