Range is closed

[stubshaft]

Well, the anti-gunners have won this round. About a month ago an alleged ricochet damaged a windshield on a vehicle at the local range. I say alleged because in my many years (38) of being a Range Safety Officer I have NEVER witnessed or heard of a bullet striking a vehicles windshield which was parked parallel to the enclosed firing line and under the eaves of said firing line! The incident received only a cursory investigation and the City and County decided that the berms of all north facing ranges would need to be remediated.

Remediation in this instance would be the removing and replacing of the dirt berms at all of the ranges. This was originally scheduled to begin in October of this year and take one month to complete. Truth be told anything that the City and County schedules is NEVER completed within the scheduled guideline. Prior to this remediation the ranges were restricted to .22 lr. ONLY.

I just received notice that the range is being closed IMMEDIATELY and will remain closed until remediation efforts are completed. The alleged reason is that all of the R/O's have exhibited lead in their bloodstream, which creates a "staffing issue".

The anti's have for years been dead set against having a public range and have tried numerous ploys to have it shut down. There have been spent bullets and jackets dropped in parking lots well over a mile away that needed to be "investigated". A teo and a half years ago the range needed to be shut down and the entire structure cleaned because of a claim that there were lead particulates on the range offices. There were claims of 50 BMG bullets striking houses over 3 miles away which mandated that the rifle range was shortened to 100 yards even though there is a 1200-foot-high crater between the range and the structure that was supposedly struck.

It is unusual that all or most of these alleged incidents always take place near an election. I guess that the anti's have decided that if they could not ban the purchase of guns, they would inhibit the places that they could be used.

I hate living in a demoncrap State!

Moderators if this is in the wrong section, please feel free to move it.

[contender1]

I'd say there is something "fishy" going on here. Supposed damage from a bullet, in a place where there shouldn't be,, to spent bullets "found" in odd locations,, and especially the "lead in the bloodstream" if this is an outdoor range.

I own a range. It's an outdoor range,, but it's not a fully public range. I call BS on a lot of this crap.

[ACC]

Yep they tried that here in San Antonio to my local range. We have protesters all the time but they never get any where.

ACC

[john.k]

Protesters here are on excessive noise now.......and having some success,too ......massive earth works enclosing the range on 3 sides ........its 4,000 acres in a city ,so a real estate bonanza for developers and agents..........Range belongs to the state,but was transferred from the army ,and its claimed the deed says it must be maintained for defence use ,if required.........the other menace,is police use.......million dollar buildings have been built on the site.....and the range is looking more like a police college all the time.

[JimB..]

While the range is closed drop fired bullets all over town, hundreds or thousands of them a week. Make it so obvious that they aren’t coming from the range that officials stop investigating.

[abunaitoo]

What the poster failed to mention, is it is closed only to the public.
le will still be using it for training.
That's how it is to live in a one party damacrap state.

[warren5421]

Indianapolis has a range in the city limits that was used by all. One day a subdivision reported bullet holes in several houses roofs. Range was closed then opened to law enforcement only. After a years investigation it was determined a County Sargent shot an MP5 in the air away from the bullet baffles. It is now open again but no punishment was handed out. Sarg just can not check out auto weapons now.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, as they say, "I've seen 'em come, and I've seen 'em go." Two ranges in California come to mind. Both were originally located well out of town to avoid conflicts with citizens, but as the years past the towns crept up into the hills and the residents of the new housing tracts began to complain about the noise. Absolutely no excuse for that, as they knew of the ranges being located there when they moved in. Pretty soon the days and hours that the ranges could operate were restricted, and eventually permanently closed.

As for Law Enforcement's relationship with ranges, I've seen it go both ways. In some cases ranges were restricted to LE use, and in other cases LE ranges have been opened to the public. The last club I belonged to in the Willamette Valley is still flourishing with no nearby residents, except two farmers whom the club wisely made dues-free members. I've also seen military ranges made available to the public by Base Commanders. It depends greatly on the attitudes and personal beliefs of the various Sheriffs and Commanders.

It's not a new problem.

DG

[Froogal]

Maybe the golf courses should be shut down also? There has been more than one errant golf ball cause damage to a car, and even breaking windows of nearby houses.

[MaryB]

Range I am a member of has had its fights. But the range owns all the housing around it(they are rentals) so attempts to shut us down fail because the rental agreement states that tenants will have to put up with the noise and any filed complaints will result in immediate termination of the lease.

We had one complaint of a bullet hitting a house... 500 yards behind the pistol lane! And behind a 20' berm! They claimed it was a rifle round. Then during the investigation the bullet was determined to have come from the homes detached garage. Kids fessed up to firing the rifle at the garage wall and after the pass thru it struck the house window. This house is not one of ours but when they built they were well informed that the gun range was there first and any complaints would be ignored. Owner has been complaining from day one that we need to be shut down.

County zoning states we cannot be shut down because we were there first and the few attempts to change that we fought in the courts and won. They can't change the zoning after the fact.

[Hannibal]

What do you call a group of Karen's?

A homeowners association.

[country gent]

Its not just the neighbors that can be an issue. Area developers and realtors see that tract of land as a major opportunity. Some will do all they can to get a chance at it

[wilecoyote]

it seems that all the stands sooner or later suffer the same problems and for the same reasons.
here I have even seen to find ogives on purpose beyond the surrounding walls, and alerting the authorities about that...

[Brassmonkey]

Lost the local shootin spot this year due to inconsiderate yellow tag folks shooting at midnight dumping trash and even threatening the landowner who was kind enough to folks shoot there.

[dogmower]

Maybe the golf courses should be shut down also? There has been more than one errant golf ball cause damage to a car, and even breaking windows of nearby houses.
Not to mention the pesticides that get into the water supply and birds that frequent golf courses. I've been told by experienced bird hunters (I don't hunt) to never eat birds taken near golf courses because of the pesticides.

[armoredman]

There was a halfhearted attempt to close our local free, city maintained. range out here, liberal "hikers" claiming it was unsafe to hike on the other side of the mountain.
Fo clarity's sake, this backstop is the hill they said the bullets were teleporting through.
This was more to close the range to entice a resort to move into the area, but they also had to figure out how to buy out about 100 homeowners as well, and when the backers realized how hot it gets here, the plans for a water park went bye bye,
Now I DID see a Tucson range shut down, the same way. Tucson Rod and Gun Club was where I learned to shoot as a wee sprat MANY moons ago...and they did NOT control the residences moving in. Far from it - the range was on land it leased from the US Forest Service since 1957, IIRC, renewed every year as a formality...UNTIL an unscrupulous Forest Service employee moved next door, scattered a few "spent rounds", and Voila! The range was closed. It had had one fatality in all the years it was open, but Sabino Canyon, literally next door, had seen well north of 20 deaths at Seven Falls, and all they did was put up a warning sign.
I hope your range doesn't suffer this fate, sir.

[GrayTech]

While the range is closed drop fired bullets all over town, hundreds or thousands of them a week. Make it so obvious that they aren’t coming from the range that officials stop investigating.Fight fire with fire, love it.

Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk

[stubshaft]

Let me clarify one salient point. The range is closed to the PUBLIC! LE and others can use it at will!!!

[contender1]

"Let me clarify one salient point. The range is closed to the PUBLIC! LE and others can use it at will!!! "

Divide & conquer.

I have issues with a lot the exemptions that LEO's have vs. the public.

And before ANYBODY thinks I'm anti-law enforcement, I'll clarify that my youngest son is a 14 year veteran LEO, my brother from another mother is LEO, and I have a LOT of LEO friends.

It's the "system" being used by the liberals to where they write laws to allow them to use law enforcement against free people.

[myg30]

Stubshaft, what state are you in if I may ask ?
Here in Tennessee there was a range that a club had held 3 gun matches as well as general shooting.
They build a sub division near by and an alleged stray rifle bullet went into a homes storm window and did not go through the inside glass.
The BS investigation by who knows decided the “lost” bullet came from the range and it was closed soon after.
I believe a new sub division is there now. Go figure ! This was many years ago.
Way to many liberals move here to a good state, low tax’s, no state income tax, lower cost of living. Now they push their liberalism crud on us and expect to change the great state we had before they came here cause they wanted to get away from their democrapo state with high ridiculous tax’s.

Terrible politics. Hope you get your range back open to the public as it was before.

Mike

[Hannibal]

Public ranges are owned by the Conservation Department in my state and located in very rural areas surrounded by farm ground for miles around for these very reasons. They are unsupervised and constructed largely of steel and concrete and from what I can see don't get much vandalism. Hopefully things will stay that way.

[quilbilly]

The anti's have been trying this ploy at our county range for years but luckily, so far, the sheriffs who have investigated said the bullets have come from a different direction or weren't bullets at all. That bought time to build up our berms and put up other devices. It also helps that all the LEO's including the Coast Guard and Border Patrol have to use our range on certain week days.

[MaryB]

They added 8' high fences on the top of the berms in the directions a stray bullet would cause issues, and lined them with black plastic. Any bullet holes show up well and we can then pull the camera footage of that lane for the day they show up(checked every morning) to see if anybody was screwing around not being safe. Had ONE instance in a year and 4 complaints. We pulled video showing the people shooting were all aimed to low for a bullet to even begin to make it over the berm. Combo of the fence and video lets us prove it is NOT coming from us. There is a bunch of wildlife management area around us that hunters use, and some illegal target shooting from people to cheap to pay $35 a year to join the range.

[abunaitoo]

mayor came out with a memo.
It seems that even le is not allowed to use the range.
At least for now.
Maybe hope after all.

[higgins]

Maybe the golf courses should be shut down also? There has been more than one errant golf ball cause damage to a car, and even breaking windows of nearby houses.

A few years ago we were house shopping and looked at a house bordering the fairway of a subdivision with a golf course. The new screen on the screened in back porch was in perfect condition and tight as a drum head, but the translucent window in the bathroom facing the fairway was cracked. They were obviously keeping the golf balls picked up because I walked to the other side of the lot-dividing hedge and counted 12 golf balls in the neighbor's yard just near the hedge. No telling how many golf balls landed on that lot every week in golfing season. A car parked outside would stand a good chance of getting hit.

[john.k]

Noise is the new angle used by the anti to close the range here ......at the present ,caliber bans are down to 308-30-06 class............and I personally dont blame them........why does every gun owner under 30 need a 16" barrel 300Mag with a muzzle brake?........or a muzzle brake on a 223 ? with a 16" barrel........I find the short barrel guns with brakes make the whole range experience unpleasant for me .....I hate the things.

[MaryB]

Noise is the new angle used by the anti to close the range here ......at the present ,caliber bans are down to 308-30-06 class............and I personally dont blame them........why does every gun owner under 30 need a 16" barrel 300Mag with a muzzle brake?........or a muzzle brake on a 223 ? with a 16" barrel........I find the short barrel guns with brakes make the whole range experience unpleasant for me .....I hate the things.

After 2 rotator cuff surgeries on my shooting side and an 80% tear the other side I am recoil sensitive. A muzzle brake on my AR-15 lowers recoil to where I can shoot for an hour and not hate myself the next day. Plus when prairie dog hunting it helps on follow up shots at 300+ yards! I have muzzle brakes on all my rifles because of the shoulder injuries. It has let me keep shooting up to .338 Lapua(only 10 rounds a session due to the recoil), my 7.62x65r Vepr, my Type 53 in 54r, and the AR-15. I had to give up shooting shotgun outside deer hunting(12 gauge slugs HURT).

[abunaitoo]

Was the range there before the homes????
Our range was.
If you know there is a range, then you know there is going to be gunfire.
So you accept it when you move there.
It's the same as moving near an airport and demanding they close it because of the noise.
Just stupid.
What is wrong with people these days.

[warren5421]

It is called: I am special and entitled!!! Also a lot of teachers have told them guns are badd and you need to do anything that hurts gun ownership. We let it happen.

[john.k]

people say Im a nut,but IMHO,the most impressive bit of Chinese espionage at the present time is supporting the green anti gun movement..........I equate it to the KGBs anti nuclear campaign of the 50s,60s and 70s.

[missionary5155]

Vermilion County ILL-nois about 25 years ago.
National Guard had a range down in the river bottoms. They used it just once a year. For a month before use an Engineer Company had to move equipment in to make it usable for the one week of weapons qualifying for the States northern NG units.
One of our club members had a connection with an NG Colonel. Our club was given usage rights for the year if we would maintain the range.
Worked out great for 5 years till a dentist bought some property about 1/2 mile behind the firing line.
Dentist had a lawyer buddy who filed an injunction for noise pollution with a judge buddy. What they did not know was it was an NG range. So starting back then the ILL-nois NG had to pay for transport all the northern units down south to qualify to the tune of $850K yearly. No telling what the $$$$ are today.

[abunaitoo]

There was some rumours floating around at the Gunshow this weekend.
Seems the gooberment is talking about closing the range to the public.
They are using the health concerns as the reason.
But they refuse to give any numbers or limits or proof that it is from the range.
Being a one party state, with the damacraps in charge, it could be true.
It was closed to repair the backstop, and workers testing for high lead levels in blood test.
It's the only public range on island.

[Geezer in NH]

You should be happy you had a public owned Range. NH never had 1 after all the money they got from the Feds that could have built them across the state.

Hope they open yours back up. Here in NH have complained for years for al the good it has done.

[elmacgyver0]

Kind of funny how the "public" has no say in "publicly owned" isn't it?