COLORADO SPRINGS — It might just be the only firing range that can shoot back.
At Pikes Peak Community College’s south campus where local law enforcement officers train and practice, so much lead is buried in the ranges’ earthen berm that bullets have been known to ricochet up to 30 yards back toward the shooters.
“A million bullets is a lot of bullets,” said El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa, referring to the number fired each year.
Since the ranges were last cleaned up in 2005, some 4 million rounds have been fired by Colorado Springs police, sheriff’s deputies and the college’s criminal justice students. The ranges also are used to practice with the military, he said.
“We’ve had some people hit in the arm or torso, and that’s an indication the berm is at saturation and we need to mine it out.” Maketa said. No one was seriously hurt, but it shows the need to clean up the ranges, he said.
The last cleanup cost roughly $39,000, and drew a half dozen bidders.
But on Monday, 25 contractors flocked to the pre-bid meeting hoping for work in a sagging economy.
“It’s a “sign of the times,” said Scott Nelson, a contractor from Pueblo. “Anybody looking for work is going to come out for this.”
Get more about the range clean-up at .
