Liberty Arms to break ground on large shooting range

USA Liberty Arms of Fort Collins is preparing to start construction on a 100,000-square-foot retail and shooting facility in Johnstown.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for Liberty Arms Institute are scheduled at 9 a.m.Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 4990 Ronald Reagan Blvd. The site is southeast of the interchange of U.S. Highway 34 and Interstate 25.

Admission to the festivities is by invitation only, according to a press release. Scheduled speakers include Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez and Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, a Republican candidate for the Colorado Senate.

Construction on the facility is expected to be complete in fall 2015.

The facility is expected to include a 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art underground shooting range. Initial plans for the institute called for building shooting areas of varying lengths to accommodate handguns, shotguns and rifles.

The facility was approved a year ago by the Johnstown Town Council over the protests of neighbors in Thompson Crossing subdivision who raised concerns about the scale of the project and potential noise and traffic impacts.

The building will be part of the 2534 commercial development. It is expected to have a gun store, restaurant and classrooms in addition to the firing ranges.

USA Liberty Arms owner John Mason last year said the institute would the largest shooting range in the state, if not the country.

This summer the company bought 8 acres for the institute for $1 million.

USA Liberty Arms, 921 E. Harmony Road, last week pulled a footing and foundation permit for the project, said John Franklin, town planner for Johnstown.

The project is expected to cost between $15 million to $18 million to build.