Popular SLO County shooting range reopens a year after audit shut it down
Just off of Highway 1 between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, thunderous pops of gun shots blasted through the unseasonably warm air for the first time in nearly 14 months.
More than a dozen visitors, gripping hand guns and semi-automatic rifles, stepped onto the concrete platform donning safety glasses and ear plugs.
After an employee announced shooting could begin, a chorus of bullets erupted — many colliding within a split-second into short- and long-range targets set against a backdrop of rolling green hills and blue skies flecked with wispy white clouds.
On Friday, the popular public shooting range at 3270 Gilardi Road in San Luis Obispo celebrated its first day open since shutting down in December 2024.
The range is back open under new management and a new name. San Luis Obispo Firearms and Safety Training, also known as SLOFAST, manages the site now called the San Luis Obispo Shooting Range. It sits on land owned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
SLOFAST board member Robert Brennan said the new nonprofit organization consists of local shooting sporting enthusiasts who joined forces solely to get the range safely up and running again.
“Happy” was the first word that came to mind defining his feelings on the first day of business.
“It’s a very big relief that we were able to get this range back open,” Brennan said. “There was a big fear we weren’t going to reopen.”
But less than three months after signing a contract with Fish and Wildlife, the range had succeeded, he said, overcoming insurance hurdles, compliance issues and long-winded discussions with the state.
Shooting range off of Highway 1 reopens
The shooting range off of Highway 1 was previously managed by the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Association, a membership group that operated the facility since 1986.
However, the range abruptly closed at the end of 2024 after an audit revealed the association had violated many any of its contractural obligations with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for years. According to Tribune reporting, the association completed renovations without authorization and consistently undercharged for use, resulting in the group owing nearly $400,000 to the state.
In October 2025, Fish and Wildlife issued a notice of intent to award the range’s operations and maintenance contract to SLOFAST. On Dec. 9, the group signed a contract with the state and then quickly got to work preparing to reopen the range, Brennan said.
The organization heavily relied on the public for donations and volunteer labor, he told the Tribune. They were astounded by the immediate and overwhelming response.
After grounds were left untouched for a year, the range was covered in weeds and overgrown bushes and littered with piles of trash and tumbleweeds. Much of that debris was cleared during a single volunteer workday in January when more than 70 volunteers showed up to clean the site, Brennan said.
“Work that would have taken us over a month to do this on our own, we got done in one afternoon,” he said. “And people were very, very good to us.”
During the past three months, Brennan said SLOFAST also worked extremely closely with the state to avoid any miscommunication about how operations would work on site.
“Hopefully that with that cooperation, there’ll be no more confusion, no more issues, and we’ll be able to serve the public, the land and the state very well,” he said.
What’s open at the shooting range?
As of Friday, the rifle and pistol range, the shotgun range and the action pistol range are all open to the public, according to the range’s website.
The archery range will remain closed until April or May when drier weather returns, Brennan said. Currently, operators and the public are restricted access to the area because there’s a protected creek and wildlife preserve running between the shotgun and archery ranges.
“We were entrusted by the people of California to protect this land, and we will be good stewards of it, which means we’re not just going to drive across it anyway because it’s there,” Brennan said.
The back range will not be available for public use since the land is not included in SLOFAST’s contract, the nonprofit said on its website.
While watching visitors fire off semi-automatic pistols, range safety officer Tim Dickerson said he was glad to be back at the range again. He spent six years working there under the previous owners.
“I don’t do it for the money,” he laughed, adding that the fun of it kept him coming back to the range.
Dickerson said guns have acquired a bad reputation over the years for being noisy and dangerous, but shooting is a real sport — and one that families can and do enjoy.
Over the years, he’s watched fathers, mothers and little kids spend quality time shooting rounds at the site.
“The purpose of the range is to get more people qualified to shoot safely,” he said while sporting a crimson Keep America Great cap.
Bay Area resident Brenda Austin, who’s been competitively shooting since 2021, said she stopped by the SLO site’s opening day to fire off two of her nine millimeter semi-automatic pistols.
She said safety is critical to the sport, and public ranges allow locals to have a dedicated space to discharge guns.
“I wanted to be here to be supportive of the range,” Austin said. “I think it’s important to keep these places open, and so many of them have closed.”
Arroyo Grande resident Jimmy Hough said he was “heartbroken” when he learned the range had shut down. But on Friday, he was all smiles as bullets and brass casings flew off his AR-style rifle.
“To have this open back up is — kudos — I mean, this is probably one of the nicest ranges on the Central Coast,” Hough said, gazing upon the green grass surrounding the practice targets.
Hough, who owns a local firearm and self-defense training company, said the site is the perfect place for beginners to come out and find a safe place to shoot.
To him, it’s always been a welcoming and relaxing social space where he can share his sport with family and friends.
Brennan said SLOFAST’s mission is to keep the range open for generations to come.
“I want my grandkids to be able to shoot out here,” he said. “Hopefully someday their grandkids will shoot out here.”
Hours of operation at SLO County shooting range
The shooting range is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday.
A rifle and pistol range day pass for adults costs $25, while youth passes cost $15.
This story was originally published March 1, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
