Very sad, range closed

[H Richard]

I just received the notice that my favorite range, (a key club private range I have belonged to for 40 years) has been shut down. The original owner passed away and his daughter and son in law took it over. They had done some nice changes, fixing up the bench rests, adding larger expanses of gravel so it won't get muddy after rain, new target stand material (belting) to staple targets to. But after a year they decide the liability to keep the range open is too much for them.


The range was 7 minutes from my house, it was never busy on week days, and I could normally set up my chronograph without a problem. My next closest option is 30 miles away, so rather than a quick trip with just one or two guns to shoot, I'll have to save up my sighting in, chronograph, holster practice, etc. and make the long trip to the range.

 

[Breakaway500]

Bummer! Liability insurance is outrageously expensive.i wonder if they approached the NRA to try and get some under their umbrella? Sad to see ranges close no matter where.

 

[Baxter6551]

That just stinks. Maybe you could approach them with the NRA ^^ suggestion ?

 

[Narragansett]

Insurance is quite expensive for gun ranges. I belong to 2 ranges. One is privately owned, and the other is through the NRA.

When I was president of the Hartford Gun Club in CT, the cost was always a concern.

Also, only a few companies will write club insurance

 

[CH4]

Will they consider selling it?

 

[Rudi]

There was a nice trap range just 2 miles from me, had been there forever. Closed down in '19 due to insurance. Sad.

 

[dockmurgw]

Just curious...you said liability was too much for them, not liability insurance. I can understand why someone would not want the liability headaches of a shooting range, you can't insure everything way. There's a thread running now about someone who almost got shot at a range even after getting confirmation by everyone there that he was going down range to set up a target. How do you insure against stupidity? Then there's the environmental considerations with decades of lead in the ground. Friction with neighbors and municipal officials. On and on it goes.

 

[Narragansett]

Just curious...you said liability was too much for them, not liability insurance. I can understand why someone would not want the liability headaches of a shooting range, you can't insure everything way. There's a thread running now about someone who almost got shot at a range even after getting confirmation by everyone there that he was going down range to set up a target. How do you insure against stupidity? Then there's the environmental considerations with decades of lead in the ground. Friction with neighbors and municipal officials. On and on it goes.

If the range is set up properly the trap and skeet fields can have the lead reclaimed. We did it a Hartford Gun Club every 3 or 4 years. It was a big moneymaker. Not hard to get the lead out of berms either

 

[pharman]

Yes...BUY IT!

Will they consider selling it?

YES...BUY IT! Then his daughter and son in law won't have to worry about liability...they might sell it to you REALLY CHEAP...then you can own your very own range...

 

[GypsmJim]

If the range is set up properly the trap and skeet fields can have the lead reclaimed. We did it a Hartford Gun Club every 3 or 4 years. It was a big moneymaker. Not hard to get the lead out of berms either

The key word is "properly". Some clubs in my area were set up in the 1930's and 40's. Do you think anyone knew what was proper back then?

The first club I belonged to was a local staple. It was 16 miles out in the boonies. We had all kinds of ranges. I hated driving that far, but the fees were small.

Then, neighboring property was sold and some developer put a street in and built houses that were 200 yards down from the firing line. Today the outdoor ranges are a picnic area and only the indoor range remains.

Another trap range was ordered by the town to clean up the lead. The cost bankrupted the club and it was taken by eminent domain and is now a town park.

They are after us!

 

[glowe]

How about a member sale with a bank loan. If the club have a sufficient membership, individual costs should not be that great. Liability and property insurance through NRA Lockton insurance for our member owned club is $2500 a year. That is not too much at all and we are lucky to have it Our club is private and runs with annual memberships, special event rentals, and a large raffle each year. 501-C4 not-for-profit status. These events cover costs of operation. Your members should give this some thought.

 

[67tempest]

The range I started shooting at as a kid was originally setup after WW2. My father knew the guy who built the range and he was shooting there since the late 40's. The first time my father brought me there was in the early 60's, my son's learned to shoot there in the early 90's. When the range was built it was in the middle of nowhere. As the years went by civilization began to encroach and houses started being built in it's vicinity. People wanted it gone and they started to complain about the noise, complained about safety and eventually made unsubstantiated claims that their houses were being hit by stray bullets. The owners finally had enough of the headaches and closed the range and sold the property. I loved that place and I have very fond memories of shooting there with my dad, my brothers and my kid's, I still miss the place to this day.

 

[lihpster]

My father used to belong to a muzzleloader gun club. One of the members had a private range on his property. The club shot there, he shot there, and he even let the local LE agencies use it for training. He had a skeet/trap setup and a 150 yard rifle/pistol range. He had been doing this for over 20 years.
New neighbor moved in and six months later sued every member of the gun club and the owner of the property. He claimed noise issues and traffic issues. But his big thing was lead. Kept saying it was leaching into the ground water and causing high levels of lead.
Noise and traffic was easy to dismiss as it only happened 2-3 days a month. And there weren't too many people there at any time, anyways. The lead issue required having tests and surveys done on the neighborhood water supply. They did find elevated lead levels at one house. The plaintiff's. The ground water was fine, no elevated lead levels at all. This moron didn't realize his old farmhouse still had lead piping under the house.
Of course the club won the case, but the stress and hassle caused the owner to shut down the range. He was in his late 70s by that time and just didn't have the energy to fight.

 

[ladder13]

Is the Blue Trail Range, we called it the Lyman Range, in CT still open? I seem to remember many years back some tree huggers tried to get it closed claiming errant shots hit a couple of homes, or maybe just one.

 

[Krogen]

My gun club is a non-profit corporation. Liability insurance is through the NRA. Directors and officers have additional insurance coverage. The corporation offers some shelter for our personal assets in case of lawsuits. It seems, OP, that owners of the club could improve their situation instead of simply shutting down.

 

[Narragansett]

Is the Blue Trail Range, we called it the Lyman Range, in CT still open? I seem to remember many years back some tree huggers tried to get it closed claiming errant shots hit a couple of homes, or maybe just one.

It looks like it is. Pretty expensive fees

 

[Roofuss]

We lost our only trap and skeet range last year due to owner health issues. It was up for sale for awhile, but asking price was too pricey for anybody local to afford it. Ideal location, well out of town, and in no danger of being squeezed out anytime soon. Now, my nearest range for trap and skeet in a 90-minute drive one way !

 

[Narragansett]

We lost our only trap and skeet range last year due to owner health issues. It was up for sale for awhile, but asking price was too pricey for anybody local to afford it. Ideal location, well out of town, and in no danger of being squeezed out anytime soon. Now, my nearest range for trap and skeet in a 90-minute drive one way !

Down here in GA, it is 30miles to the club. With all the land here and being a gun friendly state, you would think there would be small clubs everywhere. Not so. I can shoot trap at the Army base 10 miles away.

There are only 6 places in this state that throw ATA registered targets. If I did not get accepted at the club I am in now, I was going to have to go into South Carolina

 

[6string]

Down here in GA, it is 30miles to the club. With all the land here and being a gun friendly state, you would think there would be small clubs everywhere. Not so. I can shoot trap at the Army base 10 miles away.

There are only 6 places in this state that throw ATA registered targets. If I did not get accepted at the club I am in now, I was going to have to go into South Carolina

Yes, very similar situation in SC.
There are only a few organized clubs and a patchwork of public ranges.

Even the clubs can be problematic. There are so few shooters that want to participate in serious target disciplines, but tons of guys that just love blasting away.

I used to belong to a nearby club that was formed in the 1930s. We used to send a team to Camp Perry to shoot in the National Matches. As late as 2003 we used to offer Registered International Matches through USAS (US sanctioned member of the IOC).
Now it’s just a bunch of trigger happy yahoos that want to play “John Wick” games. Safety infractions and accidental discharges, (by supposedly vetted members!) started to become a problem.
The range building (an old wood frame horse stable) has had more than a few bullets pass through the walls and roof, going who-knows-where into the local area!
I quit that place years ago. I hate to say it, but far as I’m concerned, maybe it should be shut down?

 

[Greyman50]

Guess we are fortunate here as county has a very nice range about 40 minutes West of here. RSOs there and strict enforcement of range rules( well known to most old shooters) $20 per visit and not sure of membership.
Best range is in Clay county ,Fl, great place to shoot and all RSOs are former Marines. Once they see you know proper range rules they don't stand behind you, lol. My range rule is Never go on a weekend.