How Public Ranges Quietly Disappear

[Lawdog Dago Dom]

HB 2763 and How Public Shooting Ranges Quietly Disappear - The Truth About Guns

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Substitute “airports” for “gun ranges” and you’ll see this bureaucratic drift as they call it, has been going on for many decades. 
 

In our region, it’s encroaching residential development that bumps up against the existing range/airport or whatever. Residents who didn’t do their homework are astonished there are air operations occurring over their newly acquired homes, or that bullets are “flying” nearby. 
 

One former local news station talking head actually planted a bullet in his yard claiming it came from a local range. The story was run without substantiation, and the claim eventually proved to be without merit, (after the talking head left town), but by then the public relations damage had been done. The range then had to restrict operations to shotgun only. 

[watab kid]

tried to do it here - just as outlined , but owner was willing to fight and we won , there is a law here that protects ranges as well , the complaining homeowners ended up moving - good riddance - we have been in that location since 1960 before they moved the airport out near us , another thing the homeowner complained of , it relocated in the late 70s , homeowners didnt move there till after 2000

[Cypress Sun]

8 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Substitute “airports” for “gun ranges” and you’ll see this bureaucratic drift as they call it, has been going on for many decades. 
 

In our region, it’s encroaching residential development that bumps up against the existing range/airport or whatever. Residents who didn’t do their homework are astonished there are air operations occurring over their newly acquired homes, or that bullets are “flying” nearby. 
 

One former local news station talking head actually planted a bullet in his yard claiming it came from a local range. The story was run without substantiation, and the claim eventually proved to be without merit, (after the talking head left town), but by then the public relations damage had been done. The range then had to restrict operations to shotgun only. 

 

That's almost exactly what happens in this area. The amount of new homes/apartments/condos are being built at an astounding pace. They encroach on ranges that have been there for many decades and the new residents feign surprise that a gun range is there and complain bitterly about it. 

 

Sometimes though, the shooters at the ranges are complicit in getting the range scrutinized by whatever authorities have jurisdiction. There is a reason that a "shot over the berm" is a match DQ at many matches. For many ranges in Florida, development has encroached to the property line of the range and that stray bullet has to go somewhere. Anyone that's put in much time at a public range or been to many matches, has seen someone (whether by accident, carelessness or just plain stupidity) shoot a bullet out of the range. These instances can...and sometimes WILL get a range shut down temporarily and sometimes permanently.

 

In other words, sometimes firearm owners are their own worst enemy.

[Rye Miles #13621]

They tried closing down a public range here a few years ago. A builder bought some adjacent property and built houses. People were complaining about noise. The court took the shooting range’s side since they’ve been there for nearly 50 yrs. It’s in a rural area and it’s a township so Ohio law says you can shoot in a township as long as you have a good backstop. The range obviously fit that requirement.

Edited February 7 by Rye Miles #13621

[watab kid]

yes , we had to bring in the NRA to certify the berms and they restricted a bit of the range in that the 50BMG is no longer allowed  - but then that was always restricted and incendiary and tracers always banned 

[Dapper Dave]

We lost the oldest range in Tucson that way, the Tucson Rod and Gun Club, tucked away safely, (we thought), right outside Sabino Canyon WAAAY away from anything for 50 years. Then people moved in, and one worked for the forest service who hated guns, dumped bullets around the new subdivision  where they could not have POSSIBLY have landed, and the range was gone 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

A few in California, where they were "protected by law", were sued and won.  Sued again and won.  And sued again...and won again.  They finally just got bankrupted out of existence.

 

One is now about fifty acres of ticky tacky houses.  The rest are now pretty much under a similar cloud and many are finally forgotten.

[Eyesa Horg]

That's what always cracks me up when someone says "don't take the law into your own hands, take them to court". Who can afford to do that?

 

[Lawdog Dago Dom]

1 hour ago, Eyesa Horg said:

That's what always cracks me up when someone says "don't take the law into your own hands, take them to court". Who can afford to do that?

 

Very true. Government already has attorneys on the payroll.

They know it's difficult, if not impossible for regular folks to mount an intense legal battle.

Even our pro 2A groups have trouble funding legal battles.

[watab kid]

12 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

That's what always cracks me up when someone says "don't take the law into your own hands, take them to court". Who can afford to do that?

 

thankfully our range owner could and did , our new range owner after the sale can as well , but hopefully never will have to , ur range is certified and safe , its a nice place to visit and shoot ,, its also kind to the neighbors as we are very considerate of the hours we are allowed to be open 

[Buckshot Bear]

On 2/7/2026 at 2:58 PM, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

newly acquired homes, or that bullets are “flying” nearby. 
 

 

 

That's happened down here as well, subdivision goes in near a range that's been there for over a Century and then conveniently projectiles are 'found' in a yard and next a news crew arrives. 

[Buckshot Bear]

Some of our ranges near houses get converted into what are called NDR's (No Danger Ranges) and the outdoor ranges are baffles so that a shooter can't see any blue sky so no projectiles can leave the range. Grass still grows as rain and sunlight gets through to the grass. 

[Cypress Sun]

4 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:

Some of our ranges near houses get converted into what are called NDR's (No Danger Ranges) and the outdoor ranges are baffles so that a shooter can't see any blue sky so no projectiles can leave the range. Grass still grows as rain and sunlight gets through to the grass. 

 

That's how the local outdoor range nearest me is constructed as the St. Pete/Clearwater Intl Airport and Coast Guard station are located nearby as is many businesses. The landing/takeoff path is directly over the range and large commercial aircraft (737 types) and Coast Guard aircraft (C130/Jayhawk types) they typically are about 200' to 400' directly above the range when landing depending upon the wind direction.

[Sedalia Dave]

On 2/8/2026 at 2:02 PM, Eyesa Horg said:

That's what always cracks me up when someone says "don't take the law into your own hands, take them to court". Who can afford to do that?

 

 

Bloomberg and his cronies. 

[Dapper Dave]

On the other side of that ridgeline is an entire housing community that has been there for years. They have never complained about random bullets, because nobody has been that stupid. 

 

BUT, there was a threat of a water park going in at the intersection of I-8 and I-10, and carried within it was the determination to shut the range down for good. Two things stopped them cold...one, it's WAY too hot in summer time for an outdoor park like that. They've all failed.

Two?

Look who's next to the civilian range.

 

Now another great range I worked at is the Three Points range, The Tucson Rifle Club, the only KD 1000 yard rifle range in Southern AZ. That range abuts the Ironwood Forest National Monument, so the backstop will always be huge with no housing... we hope.

Edited February 9 by Dapper Dave

[watab kid]

thats interesting , the police range is accross the street from ours here - often the complaints atre lodged when we are not open - imagine that .........