Sights set at refurbished Orem Recreation Center

OREM — Adrian Hinton entered the Orem Fitness Center, put down his bag, towel and oil on the counter and asked for a target.

Hinton's not here to hit the treadmill or pound out a few sets on the weight bench.

Most of the 72-year-old man's effort will be done with one finger — his trigger finger.

A million-dollar upgrade at the center's shooting range, made possible by an anonymous donor, was completed several months ago.

Orem's 50-foot, five-station range was built in 1979 and provided .22-caliber rim-fire target-shooting practice for police officers, Boy Scouts and anyone else looking to improve their shot.

The facility now has a new ventilation system to clear the smoke. There's also a new bullet-resistant observational window to allow supervision of people taking aim at targets.

On the night Hinton and some family — a son, nephew and son-in-law — visited the center, retired Orem Police Sgt. Jay Fletcher joined the men on the range.

Fletcher was recruited as a range master by center manager Mike Johnson.

Retired officers like Fletcher are in charge of safety at the range, clearing jams and other technical matters. Not only is it important to have range-masters at the shooting range, Fletcher said, but they also can respond to a problem anywhere in the building.

"It's a real asset to have this kind of a place supervised," he said. "I went in just yesterday to help someone who had laid a rifle down — accidentally pointed at his buddy instead of at the rack."

People can now bring in their .22 rifles or handguns up to a .44 magnum. For those who enjoy popcorn and a movie more than the pop and clack of a gun range, those are "the kind of guns Dirty Harry used," Fletcher said.

They were the most powerful handguns at the time of the Clint Eastwood movies.

"Guns are a great hobby," he said. "It's the heritage of the West. The majority of homes today have firearms, and it's a parent's job to make sure their son or daughter knows how to be safe around them and when to leave them alone."

Fletcher thinks a few hours at the shooting range would help quell fear-based reactions to news bulletins about killing sprees carried out by depressed teenage X-Boxers who spend most of their free time stealing virtual cars with virtual firearms.

"High-school shootings are not as common as people think," he said. "Kids have taken guns into Orem High School before, but there have never been any shootings. More kids are killed by cars, bikes and lightning. . . . There are a lot more dangerous things in this world, but guns make the press."

After a few rounds, Fletcher retreated to his observatory behind the glass to watch the Hinton party argue about who was closest to which target.

Dylan Evans and Leann Mecham also spent the evening at the fitness center as Mecham tried to perfect her shot.

"He likes to hunt and so I decided to take the hunter safety test, so I can hunt with him next year," Mecham said.

If you go...

Visitors can bring their own guns and targets or rent from the facility. The range is open weekdays from 4—9 p.m. and Saturdays from 11—3 p.m. The cost of a one-hour session is $3.50.

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E-MAIL: utahcounty@desnews.com

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