A woman posted on Reddit over the weekend that her campsite was riddled by gunfire after sunset on Friday.
“We started hearing bullets hissing and whizzing through our campsite,” said the woman named Jillian who only wanted her first name used for fear of retaliation. “Those 30 minutes were probably one of my most terrifying moments of my life."
🔫 SOUND ON 🧨
Here’s video taken from a campsite 🏕 outside of Grantsville. A couple was camping in North Willow Canyon on Friday night when they ducked behind their truck to avoid errant gunfire.
Luckily, no one was injured. pic.twitter.com/6dsDS4VLE4
— 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐞 (@brian_schnee) May 21, 2020
On the social media posting, another person responded noticing the same illegal shooting at a nearby campsite.
Jillian, her boyfriend and dog were camping in a meadow at a higher point the canyon. The bullets came from a campsite in a lower portion of the canyon.
“Thankfully nothing hit the truck but definitely loads of bullets landed all over that meadow and in the woods around us," said Jillian who recovered one of the bullets and posted a photo of it on social media.
“We all just want to be able to outside and enjoy this really beautiful area but something like that definitely, I don’t know if I’ll go back.”
Jillian says that neither she, her boyfriend or dog was injured after taking shelter during the gunfire. She claimed to have yelled and screamed numerous times to try and signify to others in the canyon that they were camping in the area.
Jillian tells FOX 13 on Wednesday night that she left messages with the U.S. Forest Service and via the Grantsville Police non-emergency line.
Target shooting is legal on federal land, however, there are posted 'no shooting signs' in various areas of North Willow Canyon, including near campsites.
Here are target shooting restrictions shared with Fox 13 by U.S. Forest Service Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest:
· Firing a weapon is not allowed in or within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area; in any circumstance whereby any person may be injured or property damage.
· Don’t shoot across roads, blind curves, trails or bodies of water.
· Always have a shovel, water or fire extinguisher.
· Pick up your brass and take it with you. Pack out any trash.
· Choose locations with little or no vegetation.
· Use soft targets, avoid shooting rocks, metal or pressurized containers.
· Be aware of the type of ammunition you are using; certain types of ammunition may increase sparks
· Tracers are illegal to use on public lands.
Do not shoot at targets that will shatter, break, fragment, ignite, or explode such as Tannerite, televisions, computers, propane tanks, and glass bottles.
