Lapeer — Everything the government touches gets ruined. That’s the prevailing sentiment from those who once frequented the pyromaniac’s dream gun range called The Lapeer Pit. Here, automatic gunfire and bowling-ball cannons once rained down destruction on junk-metal targets.
But for nearby neighbors of the once-unruly gun range, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources takeover of the pit in 2020 has made their lives better.
Many of the comments on The Pit’s public Facebook group, however, blame the state for the lack of iconic stunts that used to happen in the glory days.
These include shooting up copy machines, snow blowers, and propane tanks with the kinds of automatic weapons used more often in video games than in real life.
There are videos of earth-shaking explosions from Tannerite-filled targets. The largest explosion video I’ve come across features the detonation of 20 pounds of the explosive substance.
When hit with a bullet from a rifle, it created an explosion rivaling anything from Hollywood, complete with a shockwave.
Another video features a homemade bowling-ball mortar that fired the projectile thousands of feet into the air.
Eight years ago, the DNR published a video for The Lapeer Pit, reminding attendees of the rules of the unstaffed range: only clay, paper, or cardboard targets.
The rules were not followed, because people like to shoot pumpkins and their own junk from home. Without supervision, The Lapeer Pit was the Wild West of weaponry. It was one of the few places where you could go and dump a mag on full auto, completely unsupervised.
But as some of the comments on the Facebook group point out, those who shot .50 caliber snipers at 9 a.m., or blew up coolers, were flying too close to the sun.
Some on Facebook blame an unnamed snitch or the neighbors for complaining.
I spoke with Bill, a neighbor close to the range, who said the noise has been better since the state started managing it in 2020. He said it’s still too loud, though. He’s lived there since 1971, and The Pit has been a constant nuisance.
Bill’s yard abuts state land, woods on both sides of the long driveway. It’s prime real estate, minus the sounds of war.
The Pit’s devotees have little sympathy for the neighbors in most cases. Why would anyone move there if they are bothered by it? Or at least that’s the argument.
Many bemoan the state’s takeover and the new rules that have come with it: three seconds between shots (bye-bye fully automatic), no human-shaped targets, and no .50 caliber rifles.
After visiting the range and plinking some shots with my inherited .22, and warming up my Beretta M9, I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
It beats out the Bald Mountain State Recreation Area shooting range, which costs $18 because it is operated by a private company with a sweet deal with the state going back decades.
A neighbor told me that, back in the day, Bald Mountain was like The Lapeer Pit. It was a place where people could come to shoot with a natural backstop, a dirt parking lot where you could do anything.
Unlike Bald Mountain, The Lapeer Pit is free. I visited it on a misty Thursday. Ryan, the DNR officer on duty, gave me some ear plugs after I realized I had left my protection behind.
Ryan said he’s not immune to the anger directed at him by those who miss being able to shoot whatever they wanted over the concrete barriers and into the exposed hillsides.
While shooting there in a more controlled environment, I imagined what it felt like being a god with a gun in a gravel pit. I guess I’ll never know.
Brendan Clarey is deputy editor of Michigan Enjoyer.
