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35 years and counting for the Bonnyville Shooting Sports Association

The local shooting association opened up their gates over the weekend to introduce the community to their world. The Bonnyville Shooting Sports Association (BSSA) celebrated their 35th anniversary on Saturday, July 28 with an open house.
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Vice president of the BSSA Todd Cabay (left) instructs deputy mayor Lorna Storoschuk during the BSSA open house on Saturday, July 28.

The local shooting association opened up their gates over the weekend to introduce the community to their world.


The Bonnyville Shooting Sports Association (BSSA) celebrated their 35th anniversary on Saturday, July 28 with an open house.


Club members and the community were invited to enjoy a barbecue, and to try out the facilities that are located just outside of Bonnyville.


The group has spent the last few years making upgrades, and wanted to give people the chance to take a look at what the site has to offer.


“Most people don’t actually know about our little secret out here,” explained Todd Cabay, vice president of the BSSA.


The quarter-section of land features a shotgun range, three bays for pistol and rim fire, and an area for long distance shooting.


“We do have an archery range for archery hunters with 3D targets that were donated to us,” he added.


President Jim Miller said there’s still more upgrades planned for the future. They want to continue to expand to allow the club to grow.


“We’ve got a roof to put over our new office training centre, a deck to put in front of it, and to upgrade our pistol bays.”


Founding member Rolland Inman said the number of members has come a long way since the original 20 in 1983. The group began because of a need to have a shooting range available for anyone to use.


“RCMP Cst. Mike Lynn wanted a safe place for firearms use, and he was the one that really pushed to get this going.”


The pistol range was the first area built, and the facility expanded as the demand for different options came up over the years.


“We would have 10 members every Wednesday night on the pistol range,” Inman recalls.


BSSA currently has 400 active members. Cabay noted members range from local residents to people from all over the country.


While you don’t have to own a gun to join, the province requires anyone who purchases a pistol to be a member of a shooting association, unless they’re a collector.


“You can’t own a pistol unless you are a member,” Cabay expressed. “If you buy a handgun, they want to see your membership.”


Along with their usual youth and ladies shoot, and special events, this year the BSSA hosted a qualifier for the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) from July 14 to 15.


“It’s a pistol shooting competition, and we had around 83 shooters from all over Alberta,” Cabay said.


The upgrades to the facility allowed the club to qualify to host IPSC events, which in turn will help bring more funds into the sport.


The Bonnyville association is a provincially-regulated range, and is a game sanctuary.


Anyone interested in joining the BSSA can visit them online at www.bssa.ca/info, and register to become a member.


“It’s a enjoyable sport,” Inman expressed. “I come out here with something bothering me, and I feel relieved after shooting off a couple of rounds.”

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