A privately owned shooting range in Greenburgh was given a stay of execution Tuesday, when the town deferred consideration of a proposed ordinance that would effectively shut down the facility.
The Westchester County Police Revolver and Rifle League on Ardsley Road has faced growing opposition since a woman claimed she was hit in the leg by a bullet fragment while in her backyard in Ardsley Chase, a new housing development built next door to the 70-year-old firing range. Police are analyzing the fragment and the range has been voluntarily closed since the incident on June 12.
Pam Epstein, who lives in Ardsley Chase, is among the residents who say the range is a safety hazard. “We are not talking about golf balls; we are not saying that golf balls are trespassing on our property,” she told elected officials. “We”™re looking at bullets, and bullets can kill.”
Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, a Democrat, wants to introduce legislation that would prohibit outdoor firing ranges in Greenburgh from operating within a certain distance from residential homes or public spaces.
“I don”™t think that if somebody is living in the town of Greenburgh and they”™re having a barbecue, they should have to wear a bulletproof vest,” Feiner said.
The owners of the gun range are holding out hope they can come to terms with critical residents and elected officials to keep the business open. Representatives have said they are willing to discuss taking further actions that may include reducing the amount of noise from the range, but Robert Berkowitz, attorney for the shooting range, said that safety issues shouldn”™t be a concern.
The range has a large dirt hill to absorb bullets, backed by a large stone wall. There are plates that prevent shooters from firing rounds in the air. Berkowitz said that there was now way the resident who was allegedly hit by a fragment could have been struck by a direct shot.
“This incident is being falsely portrayed and certain people want to tell us their facts of how this happened,” he said. Berkowitz said the range would sue if the ordinance went through as proposed. “The proposed legislation is an improper and illegal attempt to legislate one range out of existence.”
Robert Bernstein, an attorney and president of the local civic group The Edgemont Community Council, drafted the ordinance, which would require at least a quarter mile between outdoor ranges and any public spaces or homes. It also would require ranges to obtain $5 million worth of liability insurance.
“This is not a Second Amendment issue,” Bernstein said at Tuesday”™s board meeting. “This is not barring all outdoor ranges in Greenburgh, this is not barring all firing ranges in Greenburgh, but it tries to strike a balance to protect the rights of residents who have moved in and are entitled to have peace and quiet in their neighborhood, too, just like everybody else.”
Ardsley Chase is a 24-unit housing complex on a subdivision built by Toll Brothers. The community council has said that the subdivision should not have been approved without conditions that included increased buffers for noise and safety from the shooting range.
The ordinance discussion was held over until the Town Board”™s Aug. 27 meeting due to concerns from Councilman Francis Sheehan on some aspects of the proposed law. Once officially taken under consideration, the town supervisor said he would like to hear recommendations on the proposal from the town Planning Board. A public hearing would also follow.
Who is the woman who was hit by the bullet fragment? Where is the bullet fragment? Let’s see the “wound.” This is a bunch of baloney instigated by owners of a new and very ugly subdivision who don’t like the sounds of gun shots in the distance. Tough luck, they were there first. Why don’t you sue Toll Brothers and the listing agent for not disclosing this important piece of information?