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Residents raise safety concerns about nearby shooting range; deputies investigated projectile lands
Summary
Several residents told the commissioners they have heard gunfire near a private shooting range and reported a projectile passed through a wall; commenters urged certification, insurance documentation and an expert inspection to verify safety but there was no formal action by the board.
Residents at the Jan. 6 Glades County commission meeting told commissioners they have repeatedly heard gunfire in the area of a private shooting range and described at least one incident when a projectile penetrated a wall.
Speakers said multiple people in the area fire guns, and they asked whether changes the range operator plans to make would ensure safety. One speaker said county staff cannot pull permits for a private range and urged that a professional gun-range inspector evaluate the improvements and provide a written certification.
A nearby landowner who said his property borders the operator’s property told commissioners he prohibits shooting on his own almost 500-acre tract and that the only shooting he hears comes from the range. Other residents said deputies had responded to complaints and that the sheriff’s office recovered a cartridge casing and a projectile; a law-enforcement speaker described the recovered projectile as possibly a 5.56/.223 full-metal-jacket round but said the forensics showed the trajectory could have been altered by ground or concrete and thus the origin was not definitively established.
Commenters urged the range operator to provide certification that the modifications meet National Rifle Association (NRA) or industry standards and to provide an insurance policy as evidence of risk management. Board members and others who spoke urged caution before attributing all projectiles to the range because other people in the area also fire weapons.
No formal motion or board action was recorded on the matter during the meeting; the discussion was part of the public-comment portion of the agenda.
Speakers in this item are drawn from public comments and sheriff’s office investigation remarks in the meeting record.
