The anti-gunners in New York State are at it again with a new anti-gun bill to restrict recreational firearms activities and make it impossible for gun ranges to exist. The new NY State Senate Bill 2023-S8461, a.k.a. “Sporting Range Good Neighbor Act,” is created to implement restrictions on existing gun ranges under the guise of being environmentally friendly. The gun grabbers in New York, have proposed this bill using the justification that lead bullets will harm the environment.
One of the new restrictions is the requirement that (A) “every skeet field tract at a shooting range shall be a minimum of 600 yards x 300 yards with the shooting semi-circle located in the middle of the long side.” The bill goes on to require (B) “any shooting range which is unable to comply with the requirements of paragraph (A) subdivision shall construct and maintain appropriate backstops to prevent lead migration outside of the designated skeet field tract. Such backstops shall be constructed of material that effectively captures bullets and shall be covered by a roof to prevent precipitation from eroding such backstops.”
The bill does not provide height specifications or suggestions for backstops, leaving this requirement’s definition extremely vague. Is this an oversight? It is highly doubtful.
With the trajectory of skeet shooting ammo travel, eliminating this requirement appears to give the state of New York the ability to require backstops to be an unachievable height. How high would “skeet shooting backstops” need to be? Is the State of New York setting gun ranges up for failure by leaving this requirement out and requiring ranges to comply with constructing and maintaining “appropriate backstops to prevent lead migration outside of the designated skeet field tract?” Although most skeet loads will drop within 150 yards, it is likely that New York State will dispute ballistic facts later to deem backstops insufficient and give gun ranges another round of hoops to jump through. That is, the ranges that survive this attack.
Failure to comply with these potentially impossible demands will result in the shooting range being “liable for a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars for each day during which such violation continues, and in addition thereto, such shooting range may be enjoined from continuing such violation. Such shooting range shall for a second violation, be liable to the people of the state for a civil penalty not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars for each day during which such a violation continues.”
Bill S8461 is being pushed under the guise of environmental stewardship and protecting wildlife, yet the lawmakers responsible for the bill have yet to produce any documentation of wildlife ever being endangered by lead ammunition.
Aside from the blatant trickery implemented in the new and dishonestly named “Sporting Range Good Neighbor Act,” gun owners have other valid concerns. Some of the concerns of gun ranges are:
- Clubs would potentially have to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to upgrade the facilities to meet new requirements.
- Buy new surrounding land, if possible.
- Many gun ranges would never be able to meet the unreasonable requirements.
- The law has the potential to negatively impact local business that supply shooting equipment as some clubs may have to close that can’t afford to abide by new regulations.
Doug Moynihan, an active participant in the Capitol District region of NY shooting sports said, “The shooting sports are the fastest growing sport in the USA. Many schools have started their own trap and skeet shooting teams where both boys and girls can participate on the same team. Nationally there are 50,000 kids between the ages of 12-18 involved in the shooting sports that are on a school team.”
Is the goal of the New York gun grabbers to shut down all gun ranges in the Empire State, discourage young sport shooters in the hopes of raising future generations as non-gun owners, financially bankrupt the industry, or all the above?
About Dan Wos, Author – Good Gun Bad Guy
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Dan Wos is a nationally recognized 2nd Amendment advocate, Host of The Loaded Mic and Author of the “GOOD GUN BAD GUY” book series. He speaks at events, is a contributing writer for many publications, and can be found on radio stations across the country. Dan has been a guest on Newsmax, the Sean Hannity Show, Real America’s Voice, and several others. Speaking on behalf of gun-rights, Dan exposes the strategies of the anti-gun crowd and explains their mission to disarm law-abiding American gun-owners.
As a general rule, I think you can hold that anything gun related proposed by the government of New York State is going to be anathema to gun owners and to those with common sense. They won’t stop until New York has completed its transformation into a total cesspool, too dangerous to visit and much too dangerous to do business there.
The DemoKKKrat COMMUNISTS —- ARE SUCCEDING in driving out businesses. Many American Citizens are FLEEING NYC!! I just hope the COMMUNISTIC GIVE ME, YOU OWE ME attitudes are also left in NYC!
While I share your “hope,” I feel it is in vain. Texas is being “Californicated.” Florida is having to fight “New York-style Laws.” These idiots either recognize that progressive policies just don’t work and stupidly try to enact the same policies, or this is an intentional action intended to flush the country down the toilet of history. I have some thoughts, but will just say I’m glad I’m old enough to have lived in this country when it still had some freedom.
how high will the backstops have to be? will the clubs be able to get a permit to erect such backstops or will it violate other zoning regulations on height of structures? what if they used non-lead shot in shells? this is an extreme example of bovine excrement being slung at the wall to see what sticks.
and here i thought they weren’t coming after your shotguns? like ol’ lying joe said.
They lie to get a little, then they lie to get a little more, then finally when they feel they have the upper hand and all the control the lie while letting the cat out of the bag. They want all the guns, simple, plain and clear. Each little victory is a step towards total disarmament.
Oregoneistan
You HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!!!!!
My bad — hammers are now considered TERRORISTIC WEAPONS.
Lol, depending where you live.
Yes, and I find it much better than hitting my thumb which I have had happen. I learned about the difference of a smooth face vs a hammer for driving 16 penny nails the hard way.
OUCH!!!!!
Buy a bag of lead shot (bird, 000, etc) and scatter it in the nearest anti-gun legislators’ yard. Soon after, call the EPA that you “saw” said legislator dumping lead in his yard. Now said legislator has to clean up ALL the lead, meanwhile facing $$$$ fines. And you KNOW that it’s impossible to clean it all up in one go. Someone walking by could reach down, “Oh look what I just found. You missed a spot”.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Commies catch on pretty quickly.. attack the industry vs the constitution.
Yep. One small step at a time… until the 2nd Amendment is all but moot, since no one can exercise that right anyway.
Actually though, they’ve been using this approach in other regards of this country for decades, most notably is our education system – now a socialist indoctrination system.
The fact, lead in ammo is inert and cannot leach into soil, doesn’t matter to the ardent enemies of guns. It’s just one more instance of the arrogance of ignorance, and the lies just keep on going Goebbels style. Repeat it, again and again; it becomes gospel.
But they won’t just say honestly: “We have ours, we don’t want you to have yours”.
Their insanity never ceases to amaze me.
ALL Current and operating gun ranges, even IF or WHEN new Management or Owner takes control, MUST be GRANDFATHERED in and are not to be infringed by these NEW INFRINGEMENT “RULES, REGULATIONS” that are being enforced under the color-of-law — FOREVER!!!!
D.) All of the above.
Every New York Communist should be required, in order to breathe, to be 3,543.8 miles from any human, town, community, city, state or living organism. Or spend life in prison with no possibility of parole.
“Every
New YorkCommunist…”NAW, 3543.8 miles is extreme. The distance should be as far as a human’s voice can be heard. That distance is about 1,000 yards! RED FLAG LAWS SHOULD APPLY due to SAFETY AND HEALTH REASONS!
I remember how Dianne Frankenstein always insisted she was 100% behind the US 2nd Amendment. You can bet the NY liberals behind this scheme here probably say the same thing.