Houses hit; BLM bans target practice
Federal officials on Friday suspended recreational target shooting on public lands east of Temecula because target shooters were hitting nearby houses with stray gunfire.
No injuries or arrests have been reported in the Aguanga Valley, but the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Cleveland National Forest declared an emergency closure after complaints from homeowners. Federal officials say a surge in shooting and a housing construction boom near High Point Road along California 79 “has created an immediate threat to nearby residents and other public land users.” Bullets have struck houses more than 2 miles away.
The area includes popular plinking sites near the border of San Diego and Riverside counties. BLM officials plan to post signs, and a map of the area is accessible at www.fs.fed.us/r5/cleveland. Violators face fines of up to $5,000 and 12 months in prison.
-- Christopher Reynolds
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