Charles County Sportsman's Club Range Public Hearing
- Thread starter Chris0nllyn
- Start date
There is a shortage of good ranges in the area. The club had a facility in Waldorf but encroaching development made it unusable. A properly constructed range with a backstop and overhead baffles is no risk to the surrounding properties. Projectiles either go into the ground, the backstop (typically a hillside or an artifical backtop built from sand or shredded tires) or the overhead baffles (boards that go across the range to catch any shots fired too high). A range is however a source of noise that will impact surrounding properties.
As a shooting sports enthusiast, I am in full support of building this range. If I was a immediate neighbor, I would fight it tooth and nail ;-)
What a completely honest position looks like ---^ I agree on both counts. I'm lucky enough to have a couple places to shoot regularly where nobody is bothered, but its also true I've almost completely ceased target shooting on my island property due to the inevitable calls to the sheriffs office.
Parcel 86 is a 322acre piece of forest owned by a 'Heartwood Forestland Fund'. It borders a couple other 250acre parcels of forest. I haven't found the time to pull up the hearing documents as to where exactly they want to build the range, but with that large of a piece of property, there is a chance that they can minimize the impact on the closest residential properties.
Anyway, I'm all for it
If true and they barely got 5 members to show up for the zoning meeting, I doubt that all 450 will show up at the same time to shoot at the range.
The Myrtle Grove range is heavily used and it is only a couple of 100ft from residential properties along Hawthorne Rd and Ripley Park Drive. The risk to the surrounding community from a properly designed range is very low. Shots go either into the ground, the backstop or the baffles. The recent incident down in St Marys was sheriffs deputies shooting in a gravel pit which is a bad idea all around because it will create ricochets that can make it into the surrounding community.
Right, but what zoning implications does such an event have ?
If there was a history of surrounding properties getting peppered with stray bullets, it would be relevant for the decision to allow the same club to build a new range. But an accident inside of the range has no bearing on the surrounding properties.
Parcel 86 is a 322acre piece of forest owned by a 'Heartwood Forestland Fund'. It borders a couple other 250acre parcels of forest. I haven't found the time to pull up the hearing documents as to where exactly they want to build the range, but with that large of a piece of property, there is a chance that they can minimize the impact on the closest residential properties.
Anyway, I'm all for it
You may want to take another look at your map. There is one 250 acre parcel owned by a partnership (who oppose the range) and the other large parcel is a Charles County Park and Recreation site (old Pisgah landfill). The The 322+ acre site is bordered on 3 sides by residential development.
glhs837
Power with Control
If I recall right, the idea that lead from the bullets will cause harm has been shown to be bogus also. I think, if I recall correctly, there was research done on ranges in use for 50-60 years, and they found the lead migration from bullets was less than an inch after all that time. might even have been one half inch.
Midnightrider
Well-Known Member
sanners does have a rifle range. its only 100 yards, but they have one.
glhs837
Power with Control
And this one is about workers rehabbing an indoor range, has no bearing on lead migration.
After further reading, not the above, it seems the soil is the key, with highly acidic soils leading to more breakdown. But in any case, barring shooting in wetlands, it's not a large concern, I dont think.
After reading through the material at the links, I found the punch line:
Our private (club) rifle/pistol range is only 100 yards too. Pretty useless for rifles I own..our separate skeet range is the only one that gets a lot of use. I wish there was a long-distance rifle range around here; I guess a lot of people wish that.
Our private (club) rifle/pistol range is only 100 yards too. Pretty useless for rifles I own..our separate skeet range is the only one that gets a lot of use. I wish there was a long-distance rifle range around here; I guess a lot of people wish that.
glhs837
Power with Control
In which case, simple abatement procedures would be called for.
Lurk
Happy Creepy Ass Cracka
There are about 60 members of the St Charles Sportsman's Club. Absence of a shooting range has caused numerous members to leave the club.
Lurk
Happy Creepy Ass Cracka
The membership of the club was told to not sign up and testify at the hearing because the lawyer and current President had a "Tight" agenda that included a well scripted gaggle of speakers. Unfortunately, the tree huggers and their neighbors came in en masse like the tree huggers did for the Septic Bill lynchings.
Yes, a long distance range closer by would be great.
Unfortunately, once again, the club did not do their homework. There were not any tree huggers at the meeting that I heard speak. There were lots of concerned neighbors worried about noise, their pets, children and property. Of course, your own John Smith telling them how stupid they are was a great PR move. The property selected is not suitable for any sort of firing range. Didn't you notice that it is bordered by housing and a public park?
The club is emitting the perception that they are a low budget, back woods operation without foresight and proper planning. It's been close to what, 15 years, since they had an outdoor range? According to their website this morning, "Our outdoor range is also in the process of relocation, and should return to operations some time in 2011." http://www.stcharlessc.com/
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Midnightrider
Well-Known Member
an outdoor range can operate safely bordering housing and a park. the range just needs to institute engineering solutions that prevent rounds from escaping the range. With proper planninig, design, and oversight the risks to the neighbors are very limited. the annoyance and discomfort of hearing shots ring out are a different matter all together.