Texas law concerning shooting ranges

[Paul5388]

The State of Texas has enacted a law that protects the right to exist for "sport shooting ranges". Those ranges include

(1)AA"Association" or "private club" means an association or private club that operates a sport shooting range at which not fewer than 20 different individuals discharge firearms each calendar year.

i.e. private land where discharging firearms is a periodic activity by no fewer than 20 people per year.

It does not protect ranges that begin operation after September 1, 2011. I need 8 more shooters before the first of the month to qualify.

Here's the bill, if you're interested: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/82R/billtext/pdf/SB00766F.pdf#navpanes=0

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I need 8 more shooters before the first of the month to qualify.

If I were anywhere near you I would "join" just to help you out!

 

[Rule3]

I don't get it? Looks like a bunch of BBS to me. Are you planing on opening a shooting range?

If it is your own property and not a business I would think you can shoot all you want.??

 

[Paul5388]

It's just a way to prevent people/subdivisions from coming in after the fact and filing suit over noise/safety when the shooting activities have been there long before the complainers.

There's a 2.77 acre tract between me and the highway that could possibly harbor someone of the complaining/suing ilk. I have 40 acres on one side of the highway and 12 acres on the other side of the highway and I don't intend to let someone from Houston or Dallas come in and dictate what I can do on my property.

 

[Rule3]

Sign me up as a club "Member" I can live out on the back 40 and be the range officer!

 

[YogiBear]

Aloha,

Just found this.

Can you update us as to what happened?

Thank You

 

[mexicalialan]

TO: Paul5388

My son, who is busy completing his "20" in the US Army, wishes to open a "private shooting club" near El Paso, TX. I have checked what Texas laws I can find via the internet on "private shooting clubs" but have not found any EXACT laws, rules, regulations...we are at the "property search" stage right now... CAN YOU POINT ME TOWARDS ANY LAWS, RULES, REGUALTIONS THAT WOULD EFFECT/GOVERN A PRIVATE SHOOT CLUB?

Thanks
Alan B. Cranford

 

[fredj338]

Check with the local zoning, probably county if not in A town or city. That will at least get you a no or yes you can open a shooting range. Then its just a matter of putting it together; land, safe shooting space, liability insurance.

 

[Glashaus]

It's just a way to prevent people/subdivisions from coming in after the fact and filing suit over noise/safety when the shooting activities have been there long before the complainers.

There's a 2.77 acre tract between me and the highway that could possibly harbor someone of the complaining/suing ilk. I have 40 acres on one side of the highway and 12 acres on the other side of the highway and I don't intend to let someone from Houston or Dallas come in and dictate what I can do on my property.

I am from Houston, if I moved next to you I wouldn’t complain about shooting, I would want to join the club!

 

[DWalt]

My brother once lived in WA state, east of Olympia. They once had an active club and range there, but it was shut down due to homeowner complaints about noise when the area around the range was developed into a residential area. Best to locate a new range on land which is remote and not easily developed into housing. Locally Camp Bullis (an Army and USAF training facility under Fort Sam Houston) which has extensive small arms ranges, has been fighting off housing developers for years. Some of those guys want to put in housing developments within less than a mile of those ranges. One of my best friends is an Army lawyer, and pretty much his whole job is fighting off property developers around Camp Bullis and keeping encroachment at a minimum, and not just because of firing range noise. He has been very successful at it and he plays the game of political infighting well.

 

[HorizontalMike]

My brother once lived in WA state, east of Olympia. They once had an active club and range there, but it was shut down due to homeowner complaints about noise when the area around the range was developed into a residential area. Best to locate a new range on land which is remote and not easily developed into housing. Locally Camp Bullis (an Army and USAF training facility under Fort Sam Houston) which has extensive small arms ranges, has been fighting off housing developers for years. Some of those guys want to put in housing developments within less than a mile of those ranges. One of my best friends is an Army lawyer, and pretty much his whole job is fighting off property developers around Camp Bullis and keeping encroachment at a minimum, and not just because of firing range noise. He has been very successful at it and he plays the game of political infighting well.

BTW, Camp Bullis actually WAS remotely located, and it dates back to 1906 when the government owned 17,000 acres around it. Since then much acreage has been sold off as residential pressure increased (for example, think about all the rich in The Dominion that literally is just over the fence). Camp Stanley, next door, is and will be protected since it is an Army Ammo Depot and remains completely restricted.

The area south of the impact range has been under constant pressure by contractors and the government had to enforce the residential light restrictions because of night-time flight training exercises. Lighting restrictions have been more successful along the northern border of the camp and you will notice several "Dark Sky" lighting restriction signs while driving in the Hill Country north of there.

 

[andy52]

I own a private range here in Missouri and the laws pretty much protect me with the exception of negligence. The range is in a mostly rural area and in the 5 years since I built it I've had no problems. when I first started construction I contacted all the surrounding land owners to inform them without objection. There is one subdivision about 1/4 mile away and it's stuck between my range and hunting club I'm sure it gets a little loud for them at times but they can't do anything about it legally.

Here's the way the law reads:

All owners and authorized users of firearm ranges shall be immune from any criminal and civil liability arising out of or as a consequence of noise or sound emission resulting from the use of any such firearm range. Owners and users of such firearm ranges shall not be subject to any civil action in tort or subject to any action for public or private nuisance or trespass and no court in this state shall enjoin the use or operation of such firearm ranges on the basis of noise or sound emission resulting from the use of any such firearm range. Any actions by a court in this state to enjoin the use or operation of such firearm ranges and any damages awarded or imposed by a court, or assessed by a jury, in this state against any owner or user of such firearm ranges for nuisance or trespass are null and void.

 

[hoc9sw]

Looks like Paul has not been on line for some years:

Last Activity: 05-09-2014 04:14 PM
Join Date: 08-07-2004

 

[KSDeputy]

That is a great law. Our agency had our range at an old county owned dumpsite, which had been out in the county at the time it was designed. Same story, houses built up all around it and they started complaining about the shooting. We lost it as over 20 years ago, we failed to get a permit for it. It worked out better in the end, as we how have a new state of the art range, training classrooms, etc. They have the required permits and leased the land for a long, long time for $ 1.

 

[loc n load]

We have a similar situation here at our state law enforcement academy. They built a subdivision right next to the range, you can see houses almost against the perimeter fence. Then they started whining about shooting on the ranges.
I have a good friend who has a private range, it had existed for years before he bought it. After he bought it, new neighbors moved in and tried to shut him down. There was some “ back channel” wrangling with county officials and he kept his range open.
In a county adjacent to where I live, a couple opened a range / shooting school and were shut down by neighbors. The area was not zoned to operate such an endeavor. So if one is going to go to the expense of opening a range, it would be prudent to do your homework before investing a bunch of money.
Reminds me of people moving in next to an airport and then complaining about airplanes flying around.

 

[shocker]

My club is being surrounded by expensive (for the area) developments, but we are protected under state law and regulations as long as we follow the NRA Range Source Book.
Noise? We are grandfathered so we don't have to anything but to be neighborly: outdoor shooting only between 8 AM and sunset.