• Do I need to reserve a lane ahead of time?
• Do you sell ammunition?
• Do you sell targets?
• Do you provide hearing/eye protection?
• What are your hours?
• Do you have a tactical course?
• How much does it cost?
• Do you also sell firearms?
• Can I fire firearms currently on display for sale?
• Is there a day or time that you are generally slow?

Utah Valley Local Shooting Ranges

UTAH COUNTY

• Orem Fitness Center: Shooting Range – .22 cal. Rifle & Pistols up to .45 cal. 580 w. 165 s. Orem UT; (801) 229-7154; 7156

• Range Masters: Interactive handgun targets. One rifle lane. Pistols & machine guns available for rent. 712 w. 1300 n, Springville UT; (801) 491-0909

• Spanish Fork Trap/Pistol Range: Shotgun Competitions. 2445 Spanish Oaks Dr, Spanish Fork UT; (801) 798-1479

• Provo Gun Range: Trap, skeet and outdoor gun range. 1 mile up Squaw Peak Road; (801) 437-0595; (801) 852-6600

SALT LAKE AREA

• Utah State Government – Wildlife Resources Division: State operated trap range, pistol, rifle and muzzle loader areas. 6000 w. 2100 s. SLC UT 84128; (801) 972-1326

• Salt Lake Archery & Sporting Good CO: 1130 Wilmington Avenue, SLC UT 84106; (801) 486-8242

• Doug’s Shoot’n Sports’: 4926 South Redwood Road, SLC UT 84123; (801) 966-1802

• “Get Some” Guns & Ammo: Retail gun store: Rifle and pistol ranges, gun rentals available. 6651 South State Street, Murray UT 84107; (801) 562-1222

• Bonneville Lions Club: 1350 Skyline Drive, Bountiful UT 84010; (801) 298-0301

• Impact Guns: Gun retail & shooting range; www.impactguns.com 2710 s. 1900 w, Ogden UT 84401; (801) 532-3760, ext. 1; (801) 393-2474

• Golden Spike Trap Club: 1330 w. 330 s, Brigham City UT 84302; (435) 723-3427

• Magna Gun Club: 4006 s. 8400 w, Magna UT 84044; (801) 250-9818

• Sportsman’s Archery: 9352 s. 670 w, Sandy UT 84070; (801) 562-0093

• Cache Valley Hunter Education Center: 2851 w. 200 n, Logan UT 84321; (435) 753-4600

When teaching Utah concealed carry classes I sometimes wish that I could bypass the state ccw instruction requirements and take out the section that discusses justifiable force. I would replace that 1 hour lecture with a discussion about the emotional repercussions that come from taking someone’s life and where we should each draw the line.

Don’t misunderstand me; I see the value in understanding the law and how it is applied but I am always nervous that my students will leave the class more focused on what they can do instead of what they should do in self-defense scenarios.

I often explain this concept by making this point, “you would rather be in prison than dead.” Or just as often, “you would rather loose your flat screen tv than kill someone’s father, mother, child, or spouse. Human life truly is valuable and while the Utah Concealed Carry laws (Justifiable force) allow for us to defend our habitation and the lives of complete strangers we should all keep in mind the spirit of those laws.

I strive to be a law abiding citizen in our society but in regards to personal protection and self defense I honestly admit that its the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law that stays in my conscious. Here is the question that I always explain to my students, that I would pose to myself before firing the gun: ” Is this action worth any consequence?”

Truly I hope that most of us would draw that line in the place where we wouldn’t care what the consequences were in order to protect our own lives or the lives of our loved ones.

Jacob S Paulsen