Family's gun range sets neighbors on edge

http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.range31jul31.story?coll=bal%2Dlocal%2Darundel

Family's gun range sets neighbors on edge
By Laura Cadiz
Sun Staff

July 31, 2001

Deborah and Patrick Harrington say they hear the boom-boom-boom of gunfire from
their neighbor's property in Pasadena. They claim that bullets sometimes sail
through their back yard, and they keep their children inside when it's
happening.
It's a situation not uncommon in rural communities.
"The bullets whiz right through the tops of the trees," Deborah Harrington said.
"You can hear them."
The Harringtons said the gunfire comes from a shooting range a few acres away,
beyond some woods, and has occurred repeatedly since they built their home on
William Harrington Lane seven years ago.
The range is legal because it is more than 100 yards from the Harringtons' land,
the minimum distance allowed by the county from the nearest road or occupied
structure, police said.
Claudia Bullock said the shooting range was built in 1967 at her home on Waldo
Road so her husband, Larry Bullock, who is now deceased, could teach gun safety
courses.
Now her 42-year-old son, Mark Bullock, and a group of six friends use the range
about once a month in good weather. Claudia Bullock said the Harringtons have
been the only neighbors to complain.
Range is legal
Officer Charles Ravenell, a county police spokesman, said police have checked
the shooting range and concluded that it was legal. So Claudia Bullock sees no
reason to shut it down.
"If the police had told us to close it up and not let anyone do it, then I
wouldn't let them do it," she said.
The Harringtons said they have talked with police and the Bullocks and contacted
elected officials, but have not had much luck.
"It's ridiculous," Deborah Harrington said. "It's unbelievable that you can live
in a residential area and have people be able to shoot firearms."
Other incidents
The issue has come up before in the county and in other rural communities in the
Baltimore area.
A year ago, Anne Arundel County road workers thought they had come under fire
while painting stripes on Upper Pindell Road in Lothian. Police responded with a
helicopter, a squad of tactical officers and an armored personnel carrier - only
to discover that a woman was shooting at a groundhog on her property, which was
an adequate distance from the road. She was not charged.
In Baltimore County, White Hall residents complained in 1999 about a man firing
guns, including a 9 mm machine gun, on his 16.5-acre property. But the man was
not breaking any law because his land lies outside what is defined as the
county's Metropolitan District, making it legal to discharge a firearm.
Danger disputed
In Pasadena, Mark Bullock said thick woods separate the shooting range from the
Harrington property. He said he doesn't think the family is in danger, because
he doubts that bullets could reach their yard.
"There's no way it could happen," he said. "They're exaggerating."

But Patrick Harrington said he is certain that bullets have flown through his
yard. He said that when he was building his house, he heard bullets ricochet off
the structure, and he had to drop what he was doing and run for cover.
"It's terrible. You're afraid to go out in the yard," he said. "You're afraid
you're going to get shot."
Willing to compromise
Mark Bullock said he is willing to work with the Harringtons to come up with a
solution so both families can be satisfied, but he still wants to use his
shooting range.
"I'll do it once in a while," he said. "And they just have to put up with it
once in a while."

Copyright © 2001, The Baltimore Sun

Hmm... bullets "richocheting" off his house.  Unlike hollywood, bullets don't richochet off everything.

They did that here in Lorton, VA.  They had one of the best training facilities in the US and they decided to build houses down range. Guess what, now the range is closed.  On top of that, my friends dad ran the facility at one point and my buddy and I would have been able to go shoot with all the SWAT guys.  Now it is closed.  F-ing A-holes.

It gets better than that:
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, should have been between 1981 and around 1996 (when I lived in the area): A developer buys land from a local organization, builds houses on the land and sells them.  The new owners move in, and a few of them get all pissy on Saturday and Sunday mornings, the reason: the sound of gun fire.  Lots of it.  So, the owners found out there was a local gun club next door and they tried to sue to get the club shut down.  One little problem: Remember the organization the developer bought the land from? Yeap, that was the gun club.  The judge threw the case out of court rather quickly.

Kharn

I’m certainly not disagreeing with SNIPERm88’s statement re: the Lorton range.  

However, the problem with rounds going into houses had existed for some time and some compromises had been made to try to address this problem.  Granted, these interfered with some types of training.  

Unfortunately, one range officer apparently decided these rules didn’t apply to him and his group of shooters.  The result was that a number of houses got hit.  This gave the homeowners the justification they needed to finally get the range closed down.

I’ll certainly fault those who buy a house near a range and then complain about it (the same way I fault people that continually buy houses near National Airport here in VA and then complain about the noise).

However, range users have responsibilities too.  Throwing rounds into someone’s house (even if you don’t think it should be where it is) is going to get the range shut down.

I am amazed by stuff like people buying a house next to an airport and then wanting to shut the airport down.

If I'm not mistaken, there is firing range protection built right into Pennsylvania state law. My local range is further grandfathered because the club existed way out in the middle of nowhere long before there was any such thing as noise ordinances. There are signs posted to that effect at the range, put there by the York County Sherrif's office. When the house down the road sold recently, the new owners were horrified to be awakened on Sunday morning by the sound of a simultanious turkey shoot and a high power match (albeit a small one). The cops told them too bad.

[b]"It's ridiculous," Deborah Harrington said. "It's unbelievable that you can live
in a residential area and have people be able to shoot firearms."[/b]

Stupid whore.

You ever notice the anti's aren't able to ever prove anything and always say that they are certain of this and that.  He sounds like Dershowitz on Hardball tonight when Chris Matthews asked him if he had any proof of voter fraud in Florida, you know 'There is no evidence and I have no proof, but I'm certain it happened'

I have no proof, but I'm certain dershowitz molests ferrets. Therefore, it must be true.

What the fuck is wrong with some people?  The shooting range in upstate NY where I used to live had a housing development go in behind it.  The people who moved there knew full well they were downrange from an active gun club.  They continue to this day to find bullets "on their porches" and "lodged in their rooves" despite the fact that a huge hill separates the range from the development and the range had  baffles installed by the building contractor.  

We also used to shoot in my backyard into the woodpile behind the barn.  In no time flat the neighbors were up in arms over that.  So we moved inside the barn instead and built an indoor range.  :-)

The 5/8 mile dirt track near my former home where auto races are held is always under constant attack because certain people (including that asshole Christopher Reeve before he had his little accident) didn't like the noise on Saturday nights.  Never mind the thousands of people who enjoy attending those races!


Where I live now, the small local airport had their flying club thrown out because of three incidents where a plane crashed on take-off or landing.  Now, the people who live around there were in no immediate danger at any time, no one was hurt in any of the incidents, and they represent less than 1% of the flights going in and out of there.  The residents knew they were moving in next to an airport.  Yet they continually try to have it shut down citing safety concerns over their children and the nearby school.

Not surprisingly, these idiots and many like them are making life a living hell for those of us who enjoy shooting, race cars, airplanes, motorcycles, personal watercraft, you name it.  Some people need to be taught to mind their own business, forcibly if necessary.    

"I'll do it once in a while," he said. "And they just have to put up with it
once in a while."


Well said, this guy is pissing off ANTI's and doesnt seem to be backing down.

Job well done.

if bullets really are flying through the neighbors yard the range needs a better backstop and the shooters need to set up target so that when they hit the target the bullet then goes into the backstop

"It's unbelievable that you can live
in a residential area and have people be able to shoot firearms."

It wasn't a residential area until you moved there jackass.

"...he heard bullets ricochet off
the structure, and he had to drop what he was doing and run for cover."

What the hell was he building his house out of, steel plate?  What a crock of shit.

"It's terrible. You're afraid to go out in the yard," he said. "You're afraid
you're going to get shot."

You freakin' pussy.  When you here shots being fired the one damn day in the month he shoots on HIS range, stay inside if you're so damn terrified!

Whino little assholes like this make me want to hurl.  This family is simply jealous of the fact that this guy and his mom are safe and they are prey to anyone.  

Its the typical response of the sheeple of today, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I hope the range gets more and more use, and the whinners move on.