Editorial: Shooting range incident provides sobering lesson

In the wake of the tragic death of a Huntington minister, law enforcement and state park officials are exploring greater security for the shooting range where the incident occurred.

Police believe two Army deserters went to the range early one morning last month, hoping to steal guns. When they encountered the Rev. Mark McCalla, theft apparently turned to violence, and the pastor died of a single gunshot wound to his head.

When we think of the possible tragedies at a shooting range, many might think of an accident, where a stray bullet hits someone inadvertently in the line of fire. But this range and many others like it on public lands in West Virginia have operated safely for years.

Particularly before hunting season in the fall, outdoorsmen tune up their weapons and skills at 26 ranges across the state managed by the Division of Natural Resources.

Security at the range at Beech Fork Wildlife Management Area has been minimal. It is not staffed, and shooters can access it by foot 24 hours a day.

Visitors can bring any legal firearm, including fully automatic weapons, and use one of the eight spaces. While state police and the Wayne County Sheriff's office patrol the state park, there has been no regular patrol of the shooting range.

Wayne County Sheriff David Pennington has suggested more controls, particularly limiting the hours the range is open. Law enforcement agencies also are looking at more regular patrols. Those are both good ideas.

Yet, even with more patrols and oversight, this tragedy might still have occurred. Investigators believe McCalla was shot about 9 a.m., which would be a normal hour for operation.

Unfortunately, this crime is more likely a sign of the times, one that highlights a less talked-about danger about firearms -- their value to criminals. Police believe the deserters went to the range specifically to steal guns and then sold two of McCalla's weapons in Virginia -- a cold-blooded and desperate crime, to say the least.

Both of the defendants are from out of state, and it seems implausible that they just stumbled across this remote shooting range. More likely, while staying with a friend in the Huntington area, they heard from someone about a place where it might be easy to steal weapons. Earlier this year, authorities had received a couple of reports of guns being stolen at the range while shooters were changing targets or away from their stations.

In firearm safety classes, we learn how to carry and handle weapons to avoid accidental shootings, but we should probably add a chapter on the dangers of walking into remote areas with a piece of equipment that very bad people find extremely desirable.

For hunters and shooters in our area, the Beech Fork case is a sobering reminder that it is best to go into the woods with others, or if you must go alone, recognize the growing need to be aware of your surroundings.