New York State Senator Pete Harckham (D, WF Westchester/Hudson Valley) introduced a bill that will force shooting ranges across New York State to incur thousands and thousands of dollars to meet new NY mandates.
Senate Bill S8461B, called the Sporting Range Good Neighbor Act, would require outdoor skeet field shooting ranges to construct backstops or conform to minimum range distance boundaries and require outdoor gun ranges to be 600 yards long and 300 yards wide. They would also be required to have backstops that "effectively capture bullets," and have those backstops covered by a roof to prevent erosion.
Range owners across the state are concerned they will be priced out of business. Being forced to spend tens of thousands, and likely much more, to meet the excessive requirements should this bill pass. The requirements are simply not economically feasible.
Sportsmen say that they are some of the best stewards of the environment and leaders of conservation efforts and as they learn to safely shoot growing up as a kid, they learn even more about both enjoying the sport as taking care of the environment. If New York prices ranges out of business across the state with expensive mandates, there will be no sportsman’s clubs and no skeet shooting and teaching kids safe handling of firearms that has been passed down through generations.
New Yorkers weighed in on the Bill on the Senate summary page saying, “This bill will close the majority of sportsmen's clubs in NY State. It will also deprive the High School Clay Target teams as well as 4H and Boy Scout teams of practice areas. It will also prohibit the live fire portion of all Hunter Safety courses", says Pat McBrearty.
Of course, knowing NY and the onerous laws against the Second Amendment imposed on law-abiding citizens, many that have been thrown out by the Supreme Court, pricing these ranges out of business might be just what they are looking to do.
New York has already sued gun accessory manufacturers and also Remington left NY after 200 years as a result of bankruptcy due to lawsuits. This recent bill is just one more attack on the Second Amendment using a new tool.
Other comments on the Act were, “This bill is going to cause most sporting clubs to close up. This will not only affect the club and the members of such clubs, it will also affect school trap teams which have grown in NYS as well as 4-H, Boys Scouts, and church leagues. This bill should not be passed,” says Amy Snell.
Sam Morse said, “The local gun clubs provide a safe and responsible environment for legal gun owners to become familiar with their firearms, to become confident and accurate shooters through practice, and to shoot competitively.
Morse said, "The clubs hold hunter education courses, concealed carry courses, and other clinics and classes for shooting enthusiasts. They provide training facilities for local law enforcement, NYS Police, university police departments, and local school resource officers. They host the USA Clay Target League for over 3,600 high school trap and skeet shooters on more than 140 teams.”
“These restrictions would financially cripple the clubs, forcing them to close and send their members back to the State Land or private fields to practice shooting – without established ranges and safety features such as those provided by the clubs.”
“Please help preserve the shooting ranges in Central New York, the safe and responsible places for our legal gun owners, our youth, and our law enforcement to practice and compete. I ask you to vote NO on this bill before it negatively impacts all shooting ranges across the state.”
The Bill currently sits in the Senate Consumer Protection Committee. If you want to weigh in on this bill call your State Senator and Assemblymember and make your voice heard.