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Supervisors direct staff to draft firing‑range inspection rules after neighbor safety incidents
Summary
Following reports of bullets striking property and near‑misses, the board asked staff to refine a draft ordinance that would treat permanent private firing ranges as accessory uses requiring law‑enforcement inspection and annual reinspection before use.
After several recent incidents in which bullets penetrated property and endangered neighbors, the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors directed staff May 4 to advance a draft zoning ordinance that would require permanent private outdoor firing ranges to be inspected and certified as safe by law enforcement or another qualified entity.
Supervisor Dahl described two recent events in which inadequate backstops allowed rounds to strike near homes. His draft language would define an outdoor firing range as an area with a permanent backstop used regularly for shooting. The ordinance would require an initial inspection by the sheriff’s office or state police (or other qualified reviewer) certifying that the backstop prevents downrange hazards and that no structures or roads are in the line of fire. The draft also would require annual reinspection.
Board members debated parcel‑size approaches and recognized the gray area between casual plinking and construction of a permanent firing range. Several supervisors said they prefer an individualized inspection‑based approach rather than an across‑the‑board parcel‑size ban; one noted the authority already exists under state code to prohibit firing in densely populated areas.
Motion and next steps: The board voted to authorize county staff (Mr. Goff and Mr. Curry) to refine Dahl’s draft for review by the public safety committee, the planning commission and the board, with required public hearings to follow.
