Amy Lathen thinks the U.S. Forest Service is “playing politics” with the South Rampart Shooting Range. The range was closed in July of 2009 after a person was killed in a fatal accident.

 The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office found no safety flaws in the design of the range that led to the fatality and Lathen thinks it’s time to re-open the facility. “This has become a political issue,” she said, “not because we’re talking about rafting on the Arkansas but because we’re talking guns.”

The U.S. Forest Service is not willing to move so quickly.  The federal agency wants a couple of things done first: It wants the range cleaned up, some infrasture improvements put into place, including berms, and an on-site manager.

“It’s junky, I’ll give it that, but we have a high number of concealed handgun permits and those folks need a place to practice,” she said.