The Echo Point Shooting Range in Allegan is Closing. Here’s Why:
Allegan County locals are not going to be too happy about this!
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that starting today, May 3, the public shooting range in Allegan's State Game Area is set to close. What gives? Here's what we know so far:
Drive by the Echo Point shooting range on any given weekend and you're bound to find it packed with plenty of local marksmen (and women!) perfecting their aim. In fact, I just drove past it over the weekend and the parking lot was full, as expected.
So why would the Michigan DNR close its only public shooting range in the area?
New and Improved
According to a press release by the DNR, the Echo Point shooting range will be undergoing construction for the next several months saying,
We anticipate the range will remain closed until July 2023...The shooting range was renovated in 2018 and 2019, but post-construction studies revealed that additional sound abatement measures were warranted.
Local Reaction
Although the shooting range only just closed, I can't imagine West Michigan residents will be too thrilled about this news. In the past locals have complained about the lack of communication regarding changes to the hours of operation for the public shooting range saying things like:
- "Quietly, under the radar, while you weren’t watching, DNR has changed the hours on Echo Point Shooting Range so now it is only open 3 days per week. The State of Michigan recently poured over a million dollars into the range- only to have it closed more days per week than it is open." - Paul Donohue
- "So nice that they made it open on weekends only just to close it on the weekends" - Angie Peña-Smith