A proposed bill in the New York Senate is a gun control law being presented under the guise of an environmental law, warns the Schuyler County Clerk.
According to County Clerk Theresa Philbin, "the Sporting Range Good Neighbor Act," currently pending in the New York State Senate, would place heavy restrictions on shooting ranges, due to proximity to wetlands and open water sources, potentially forcing existing ranges to close.
That, in turn, would prevent people from getting pistol permits. It would also mean local school shooting leagues would have no place to practice.
At Philbin’s request, on Monday (May 13) the Schuyler County Legislature will consider a resolution asking state officials to reject the bill.
The proposed resolution, drafted with the assistance of Schuyler County Attorney Steven Getman, cleared the county’s Management and Finance Committee in April. It points out that the proposed act “will cause severe hardship on the clubs, members and schools who depend upon the fish and game clubs for this very popular recreational sport in Schuyler County and the Finger Lakes with no empirical evidence that the mandates and restrictions are necessary.”
“This Bill is based upon misinformation as to the trajectory of skeet shots, and the reason why most trap and skeet fields have been operating for decades without the need for this additional legislation,” the resolution notes.
“This mis-named Act would require skeet field tracts at shooting ranges to be a minimum of 600 yards by 300 yards….Participants are shooting shotguns with small lead pellet loads which are only capable of traveling a maximum distance of 150-200 yards; in addition, most clubs reclaim the expended pellets for reuse.”
The bill says these restrictions will prevent lead from bullets getting into the environment.
Critics of the bill, including Philbin, have noted that shooting ranges already have to meet restrictive guidelines to operate safely, costing them up to $100,000, and that restrictions will cost thousands of dollars more, possibly forcing them to close.
“This Bill essentially will force most ranges and clubs to build a covered backstop and be required to follow the State rules regarding lead reclamation,” Philbin said. “Most if not all clubs will not be able to afford to comply with these regulations.”
Getman noted that closing ranges could impact citizens’ ability to obtain a pistol permit under New York State’s gun control laws.
“If you wish to apply for a concealed carry license, you need to complete the Concealed Carry Firearm Safety Training Course,” Getman said. “Often, those classes are held at the local ranges.”
“Forcing those ranges to close would effectively prevent many New Yorkers from exercising their Second Amendment rights.”
According to Philbin, it is not just club members who participate at these ranges, but also school trap teams. “When you look at those kids that are on school-sponsored sports teams, they get better grades in school, they have a lower dropout rate, they stay away from alcohol and drugs and tobacco,” she said.
"This legislation could negatively affect students’ futures. That’s why we want to protect our clubs."
The county’s resolution, if passed, will be sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the county’s representatives in the New York State legislature, Senator Thomas O’Mara and Assemblyman Philip Palmesano, asking each to oppose the bill.
The Schuyler County Clerk is the point of contact for pistol permit processing in Schuyler County. Amendments to the permit, name and/or address changes, transfers to/from other counties, as well as suspensions are made through the office. Pistol permit records are kept in the office, the original of each record is sent to the state.
The Schuyler County Attorney is the legal advisor for county government and its various officials. The County Attorney prepares legislation and prosecutes and defends civil actions on behalf of the county and county employees acting pursuant to their official duties.
A complete copy of the proposed resolution is available here.
