Outdoor gun ranges under fire for safety

[imschur]

By Kirsti Marohn, USA TODAY ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Louise Neeser was doing yard work outside her home here last May when something struck her in the face. Dazed and bleeding, she crawled into the house, where a relative took her to the hospital. Doctors told her something had torn through the side of her face. She was left with permanent jaw and eye damage and debilitating headaches, and says she lives in fear of letting her three children play outdoors.

"It's changed every bit of our life," Neeser said.

Neeser and her husband, Mark, believe she was hit by a stray bullet from the Del-Tone/Luth Gun Club, an outdoor shooting range half a mile away. The incident sparked an investigation and legal action by Sherburne County, which ordered the gun club to make safety improvements before it can reopen for pistol shooting.

Outdoor shooting ranges across the nation face opposition because of concerns about safety, noise and the environmental effects of lead contamination. Some are embroiled in legal battles with neighboring residents or local governments. Others have had to close.

"Are they under threat? Absolutely they are," said Andrew Arulandandam, spokesman for the National Rifle Association. The NRA offers technical expertise and legal assistance to shooting ranges and has helped pass range protection laws in 47 states.

Del-Tone owner Randy Luth has made the required improvements but is frustrated that the range still can't allow pistol shooting until it passes a final certification, which he hopes will happen in the next few months. He says his club has lost tournaments and classes that boosted the local economy.

"Luckily, I can afford to fight for our rights," he said. "A lot of gun clubs can't, and they ultimately go bankrupt because they can't afford to fight allegations."

The Neesers are concerned the changes don't go far enough.

"I just want to live here and be safe," Mark Neeser said. "That should be the right everybody has on their property."

Elsewhere:

•In Idaho, the Farragut State Park shooting range shut down in 2007 after neighbors sued over noise and stray bullets. A judge ordered it to remain closed pending safety improvements. A review is expected this winter, said Dave Leptich of Idaho Fish and Game.

•In Garden Ridge, Texas, northeast of San Antonio, residents of a subdivision near the Bracken Rifle and Pistol Range have reported finding bullets on their roof, Mayor Jay Feibelman said. No legal action was taken, but the range has been cooperative and made safety improvements, he said.

Feibelman is sympathetic to residents' concerns, but says, to some degree, the conflict has to do with housing location.

"It's like building your house at the end of an airport runway but saying, 'I didn't know they fly airplanes out of there,' " he said.

Some gun clubs are drawing criticism because they've evolved from small, neighborhood ranges to big businesses hosting national tournaments and attracting larger weaponry.

The Kitsap County Rifle and Revolver Club near Bremerton, Wash., was established in the mid-1920s. Kitsap County sued the range in September for being a public nuisance and a safety hazard. The trial will be in March.

Deputy Prosecutor Neil Wachter said in recent years, the club has expanded its hours and allowed high-powered, automatic weapons. Close neighbor Terry Allison was a longtime club member. But in recent years, he said the amount of shooting has increased dramatically.

"The noise is so loud that you literally cannot hear a conversation next to you," he said.

Marcus Carter, the club's executive officer, acknowledged that the range's use has changed over time, but he said the range also has been made safer with higher beams, increased lighting and a safety orientation for new users.

Carter said his and other ranges are willing to move, but finding a location would be hard.

"Getting a new one established is virtually unheard of unless you have thousands of acres of property," he said.

Outdoor shooting ranges have also been scrutinized for the environmental impact of the lead in bullets and shell casings.

"There's a real possibility that lead could seep into the ground water," said Alex Formuzis, spokesman for the non-profit Environmental Working Group.

In October, the Marine Corps announced that a civilian shooting range on the Miramar military base in San Diego, which closed two years ago because of concern about lead contamination, will remain shut down.

[asmurff]

So much of what they say is half-truths and often flat out lies. Such as Automatic weapons I doubt is true. "Have reported finding bullets on their roofs." But I see nothing as proof. Media has to be called on this stuff as soon as it is seen.

Okay putting away my soap box.

[imschur]

and why not allow suppressors be readily available as off the shelf unrestricted accessories

Stupid laws based on Hollywood movies and tv shows

[lmao_37]

Oh god here we go again the next attack on our freedom.

[bdavison]

This is precisely where the NRA has let us down. They should be lobbying to increase suppressor use, instead of allowing the BATFE to regulate them. It would drastically cut down on noise, and most suppressor users use subsonic rounds which wont go as far either.

They wont let a lawnmower out of Sears without a muffler, so why wont they let us muffle our guns freely.

[Glowin]

Strangely it sounds like we can get suppressors over here in the UK easier than you guys over there. We just can't get the guns to put them on  ;D

If you have good reason (ie shoot on an outdoor range/farm) you can get one added to your licence and purchase one. What are the laws on the over there?

Glowin

[rodent.22]

As far as lead poisioning the ground water that is total BS, here in eastern Virginia you can stick a shovel in the ground and come up with bullets from the Civil War or the Revolutionary War, haven't heard of water contamination yet. What science is being used to determine this ''contamination''?

[bdavison]

To get a suppressor in the US requires a bit of red tape. First off you have to get the local LEO to sign off on it....or form a corporation, or a trust. Then you fill out the batfe form in duplicate, add a passport photo, fingerprint card, and ship it off from a dealer with a check for $200 for the tax stamp. About a month later (if your lucky) the dealer will call back saying he received your tax stamp, and you go pick it up.

[asmurff]

What science is being used to determine this ''contamination''?

These anti-gun pukes "Don't need no stinking science." the just spew forth crap and the media prints it, but won't print retractions when called on it.

[lmao_37]

These anti-gun pukes "Don't need no stinking science." the just spew forth crap and the media prints it, but won't print retractions when called on it.

hey smurf your soooooo right  :thumb:  i hate anti gun pukes  >:(