Skier Loses Loaded Handgun At Jackson Hole, Finds It Later At Lost-And-Found

According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, a skier crashed yesterday at Jackson Hole ski resort yesterday, got himself together, skied away, and left a loaded handgun behind. Two off-duty resort employees recovered the gun on Dick’s Ditch Run and brought it to the base of the mountain.

“We do not recommend that folks bring weapons on the mountain. We recommend different kinds of safety equipment,” said Jon Bishop, who manages risk and safety programs for the resort.

The off-duty resort employees brought the gun to the lost-and-found, where it was later recovered by the man who reported it missing. Surprisingly, the man broke no Wyoming laws by carrying the firearm on the mountain. When the gun was discovered, the gun was turned over to a deputy, the serial numbers were ran, and then it was returned to the owner free of interrogation due to the fact that he didn’t break any laws.

Lt. Slade Ross of the sheriff’s department said the gun owner told a deputy that “he was skiing with it in a shoulder rig and he crashed pretty hard, it fell out and he didn’t realize he had lost it.”

The Second Amendment and Wyoming law make it difficult for ski areas to ban firearms on the slopes, but as long as they don’t do any harm, there is no need. Local deputies receive a few lost-and-found firearms a year, but this was the first time one was recovered at a ski area in recent years. Despite the possible dangers associated with a loaded firearm on the slopes, no one was hurt in this situation and that is all that matters.  

“It’s discouraging to see this kind of thing happen. It’s within people’s rights to carry guns, but it’s an incredible liability to lose a weapon,” said Jon Bishop, who manages risk and safety programs for the resort.