Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner is introducing legislation that would close down a privately owned shooting range in town that has been in business since the 1940s.
The Westchester County Police Revolver and Rifle League on Ardsley Road, which is a nonprofit that has no affiliation with any police department, has been temporarily closed since June 12 as police investigate claims that a resident was struck by a stray bullet fragment while in her backyard near the range.
Town resident Robert Bernstein, an attorney and president of local civic group The Edgemont Community Council, drafted legislation that would regulate all outdoor pistol and firearm ranges in the town. If the ordinance becomes law, it would charge new ranges a $250 permit fee and require at least a quarter mile between a new or existing range and any residence, school or public space.
That aspect of the law would effectively force the closure of the Ardsley Road range, which is in close proximity to Ardsley Chase, a recently built housing development where some residents have complained about noise and expressed concerns over safety.
The law also would compel a range to minimize noise coming from its property and file a site plan that includes design to ensure containment of any bullets to the site. The proposal also requires ranges obtain $5 million worth of liability insurance.
Feiner said he would share the proposed ordinance at the Town Board meeting Tuesday night and would also ask the town”™s Planning Board to review the draft and make recommendations. The supervisor said he”™d like to schedule a public hearing on the matter for Aug. 27.
“I feel strongly that outdoor shooting range facilities should be regulated and share neighbors”™ concerns about noise, safety and environmental concerns,” Feiner said in an email.
The Ardsley Road firing range is on a parcel of land owned by Consolidated Edison Inc. Bernstein said he modeled his proposal on firing range regulations from around the country. Since the property was not being used by Con Edison as part of its utility operations, which are regulated by the state, any ordinance should not be hindered by the electric company”™s ownership, according to Bernstein.
The opposition to the firing range grew louder last month after a Birch Hill Road woman told police she had been struck in the leg by a flat circular object. The resident, who suffered a small scratch on her leg and was treated at the scene, believed she had been hit by a piece of a stray bullet, according to police. Greenburgh detectives continue to work with other police agencies to analyze the fragment and determine its origin.
The range was there first. Tough luck on the homeowners. Who would buy a house when you have to listen to gun shots when you’re in your backyard. I hope Greenburg gets sued, spends a million defending it, and loses.