Thistle Gun Range

The Utah County Sheriff's Office Thistle Firing Range is a professionally maintained training facility used by Sheriff's Office personnel and more than 30 local, state, and federal agencies. The range also opens to the public on select days during the summer season, offering a safe environment for recreational shooting and firearms education.

Please Note: Range may be closed without notice. Call 801-851-4369 for up-to-date Range information.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office offers the opportunity for retired Law Enforcement officers to complete their annual LEOSA qualification two times during the year.   We conduct LEOSA qualifications during our spring and fall department handgun qualifications which generally run for several weeks.   To be notified of dates and times, and the requirements, individuals must email the range master with their personal contact information and be added to a contact list.   Information will be sent out prior with instructions.   Applicants then can show up at our training range located in Thistle at 13200 US-89, Spanish Fork, UT 84660.   Prepared to shoot the qualification with their chosen firearm, ammunition, eye and ear protection.    Each applicant will have to fill out the required documentation that will be provided.   Once they shoot the qualification, they can contact the Sheriff’s Office to be photographed for their LEOSA identification card.   After that they will be required to qualify with their firearm one time every 12 months.   

What is LEOSA?

The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 (LEOSA), as amended and codified at 18 U.S.C. § 926C, exempts a “qualified retired law enforcement officer” carrying a LEOSA photographic identification card from most state and local laws prohibiting the carriage of concealed firearms, subject to certain restrictions and exceptions.

LEOSA defines “qualified retired law enforcement officer” as “an individual who . . . separated from service in good standing from service with a public agency as a law enforcement officer” and who meets all additional LEOSA criteria. (See below: “Who is a Qualified Retired Law Enforcement Officer?”)

Although LEOSA preempts most state and local laws, it does not supersede or limit state laws that “permit private persons or entities to prohibit or restrict the possession of concealed firearms on their property,” such as bars, private clubs, amusement parks, etc., or “prohibit or restrict the possession of firearms on any State or local government property, installation, building, base, or park.”

Individuals should verify the laws within their state to ensure compliance. Additionally, individuals must obey all federal laws and regulations, including those that restrict concealed firearms in certain federal buildings and on federal lands, as well as those prohibiting the carriage of firearms on commercial aircraft.

To lawfully carry a concealed firearm under LEOSA, qualified retired law enforcement officers:

1. 1. Must have their LEOSA photographic identification card and their current annual state firearms test certification in their possession at all times when carrying a concealed firearm under LEOSA authority
   2. Must remain in compliance with all other LEOSA requirements related to suitability as a “qualified retired law enforcement officer” who “is not prohibited by Federal law from receiving a firearm.”
   3. Must understand that the LEOSA photographic identification card is for the sole purpose of identifying qualified retired law enforcement officers, pursuant to LEOSA.

Neither the LEOSA photographic identification card nor LEOSA:

A “qualified retired law enforcement officer” is a law enforcement officer who:

1. “separated from service in good standing from service with a public agency as a law enforcement officer;” (See below: “Did I Retire or Separate from Service in ‘Good Standing?’”)
2. “before such separation, was authorized by law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration of any person for, any violation of law, and had statutory powers of arrest . . . ;”
3. “before such separation, served as a law enforcement officer for an aggregate of 10 years or more” or “separated from service with such agency, after completing any applicable probationary period of such service, due to a service-connected disability, as determined by such agency;”
4. “during the most recent 12-month period, has met, at the expense of the individual, the standards for qualification in firearms training for active law enforcement officers, as determined by the former agency of the individual, the State in which the individual resides or, if the State has not established such standards, either a law enforcement agency within the State in which the individual resides or the standards used by a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State;”
5. “has not been officially found by a qualified medical professional employed by the agency to be unqualified for reasons relating to mental health;”
6. “is not under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or substance;” and
7. “is not prohibited by Federal law from receiving a firearm.”

If an individual’s aggregate years of service include time with another state, local, or federal law enforcement agency, a letter verifying the individual’s years of service and departure in good standing must be submitted with the LEOSA photographic identification card application to DSS.