Ben Avery Shooting Facility facts for kids
The Ben Avery Shooting Facility is a huge outdoor place in northern Phoenix, Arizona, where people can practice shooting. It's the biggest public shooting area in the United States, covering 1,650 acres! The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) runs it. It's even known as one of the "Phoenix Points of Pride" because it's a special spot in the city. The facility is named after Ben Avery, who was a local person who loved the outdoors.
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History of the Facility
How it Started
The Ben Avery Shooting Facility began because three friends, Ben Avery, Glenn C. Taylor, and Jim Beaman, wanted a safe place for people to shoot. This was back in the 1950s in Arizona. Ben Avery wrote a letter to the Maricopa County government. He explained that the desert around the city had become a bit messy with people shooting everywhere. He worried about public safety.
Once the current location was chosen, Ben Avery even helped pay for the first buildings. He gave a $5,000 personal loan and raised $3,000 from local people. Building started in late 1959. The facility was finished and opened in 1960, with Maricopa County running it.
Growing and Changing Names
In 1961, Mr. Avery asked the Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association (ASRPA) to help with the money side of the range. This partnership lasted until 2009. The ASRPA still helps support the range, shooting competitions, and safety classes.
The facility was first called the Black Canyon Shooting Range. It grew bigger with help from the AZGFD. With support from the National Rifle Association, the facility was chosen to host the 1970 ISSF World Shooting Championships. This was a huge international competition! It brought worldwide attention to the area and the facility. Getting ready for the competition meant building even more. Phoenix became only the second city in the U.S. to host this big event.
In 1992, the facility's name changed to the Ben Avery Range. Then, in 1995, Maricopa County decided they would no longer run the facility. The AZGFD took over in 1996. That's when it got its current name, the Ben Avery Shooting Facility.
What You Can Do There
From its start as mostly a rifle range, the Ben Avery Shooting Facility has grown a lot. Now, it has many areas for different outdoor activities. These include:
- 67 covered shooting points and special shooting areas
- 5 outdoor archery ranges
- An International Archery Federation archery range
- A campground with 99 spots for camping
- The Clay Target Center
The facility also offers many safety classes. The NRA and ASRPA teach gun safety courses. The AZGFD teaches hunter safety classes. Many other special courses and competitions happen at the range throughout the year.
The Clay Target Center
The Clay Target Center is a special part of the Ben Avery complex. It's all about shooting at clay targets. It was first built in 1964 as part of the Black Canyon Shooting Range. In 1996, a private company rented the facilities and made big improvements. In 2006, the AZGFD took over running it. They made more updates, which were finished in 2007.
The center hosts all the traditional clay target games. These include skeet and trap shooting. They also have newer games like sporting clays. Many competitions are held here. Plus, there are special programs just for young shooters!
