Forests grapple with 8,500 gun incidents

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Perched around a secluded campfire in the Rocky Mountains, Glenn Martin jerked forward, said, "Ow," and died. The wayward bullet that struck him in the national forest has campers and other users calling for changes in recreational shooting policy.

Martin, 60, died July 3 in the Pike & San Isabel National Forest, 30 miles southwest of Denver. The 3.1-million-acre forest holds the record for the most gun-related violations reported in the country, a review of federal records by the USA TODAY Media Network shows.

Since 2010, United States Forest Service officers handled 8,500 shooting incidents across the country. Of those, 926 were in the Pike-San Isabel. The reported illegal shooting has intensified precipitously in recent years.

"You never know when you're going to go; you could be sitting at a campfire waiting to roast marshmallows with your grandchildren," Martin's daughter Carlie Cordova said at a news conference. "We didn't know what happened. We thought he was stung by a bee or had a heart attack."

Earlier in the day, Martin's family reported hearing shots to park rangers. The report was similar to 3,000 others since 2010 nationwide in which a violator was not identified or found in the vast forestlands.

The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington state, and Tonto and Coronado forests in Arizona each had more than 500 gunfire incidents since 2010. Officers field shooting reports and issue warnings about three times as often as writing actual tickets. Those 2,272 citations usually resulted in fines of between $100 and $400, even though incidents can lead to a $5,000 fine and six months of jail time.

Martin's case remains unsolved. Douglas County Sherriff's tested five volunteered rifles since the incident to rule out shooters. None has matched the bullet that killed Martin, said Sgt. Ron Hanavan, the department's spokesman, who stressed the case is "very much open and active."

It's unclear how many incidents are related to hunting, because the Forest Service does not distinguish firearm violations. The agency doesn't track injuries or deaths related to guns in forests, said Denise Ottaviano, a national Forest Service spokeswoman.

Shooting and hunting is largely allowed across the 190 million acres that make up the U.S. Forest Service — roughly the size of Texas. In recent years, closures of some areas have pushed shooters to illegal areas, said Erin Connelly, supervisor of the Pike National Forest. In August, a string of incidents prompted the closure of an area just east of where Martin was killed. A couple's Jeep was struck by a bullet while they ate lunch inside.

She attributes the shooting issues to the proximity to the major metro areas Denver and Colorado Springs, with droves of gun enthusiasts. Three law enforcement officers patrol the vast forest.

"We've heard the concerns about shooting, and what we've done is implore folks to make sure they know how to use their firearm and what their target is and what's beyond," Connelly said. "Recreational sports shooting and its impacts have been an issue we've looked at intensely since the 1980s. There's no easy answer, but we're exploring how we can allow use on public land and not let this happen again."

Camping or hiking comes with the nervous sound of ricochets and gunshot echoes, said Mel Bernstein, of Colorado Springs who owns a public shooting range.

"It's getting ridiculous. It's a shooting gallery up there," Bernstein said. "No one I know would hike or camp there with bullets that go 3 miles. The Forest Service needs more rangers, but it's a real mess."

Just north of Denver in the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest, 374 incidents have been reported since 2010.

Rangers there are wrestling with the same questions — and are shaping a new policy on target-practice shooting in designated areas — which might include berms and other safety measures.

The National Rifle Association issued an alert to members in May to oppose closures. The alert suggested 80% of the forest is "suitable for shooting."

The organization is in favor of keeping options open for responsible shooters, said Lars Dalseide, a spokesman for the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action.

"Recreational shooting has the lowest injury and death rate of any recreational activity on national forest land," Dalseide said. "(That includes) swimming, boating, hiking, off-road vehicles, etc."

Nationally, Forest Service administrators say several factors can contribute to variations in shooting issues from forest to forest, including enforcement policies.

There are sufficient "regulatory tools" across the network of forests to mitigate shooting risks, said Ottaviano, the national Forest Service spokeswoman.

"Despite this isolated activity, recreationists should feel safe visiting any national forest," she said.

Contributing: 9News in Denver