CT Gun Bill - Firing Ranges

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:29 pm

Comments welcome on the bill.

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

2009 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

TITLE: An Act Concerning Firing Ranges

SUMMARY: This proposal requires any person who owns or operates a firing range to register with the Department of Public Safety and to require such person maintain and operate such firing range in safe manner, comply with environmental laws and limit noise emanating from such ranges.

TEXT:

Sec. 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1,2009) (a) No person shall operate a firing range without obtaining a registration from the Commissioner of Public Safety. The commissioner shall develop an application for such registration which shall include the name and residential address of the operator, the location and property description of the firing range, the hours of operation and such other information as the commissioner deems necessary. A registration shall be effective for a period of two years from the date of issuance.

(b) The Commissioner may revoke any registration if (1) the operator has been convicted a felony; (2) the operation of the firing range pose a threat to public safety; (3) the operations of the firing range violate any provision of title 22a; and (4) the noise level from the firing range as measured at the boundary of the property for which the registration has been issued exceeds 60 decibels.

(c) As used in this section, "firing range" means any facility that is used by the public or by members of any club or organization for training, practice or competition involving the use of a firearm but shall not include any facility that is operating solely for use by sworn peace officers as training in their official capacity as peace officers; "commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Safety; "firearm" and" peace officer" shall have the same meaning as in section 53a-3; and "threat to public safety" shall include but not be limited to a bullet discharged from a firearm at the firing range landing outside the property on which the firing range is located.

(d) The commissioner may promulgate regulations, pursuant to chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section, including but not limited to any requirements regarding the operations of such facilities.

(e) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be liable for a civil penalty of up to twenty-five thousand dollars. Each violation shall be a separate and distinct violation and, in the case of a continuing violation, each day's continuance thereof shall be deemed to be a separate and distinct violation. Upon request of the Commissioner of Public Safety, the Attorney General may bring a civil action in the superior court to recover civil penalties and to obtain such injunctive and equitable relief as the court deems appropriate.

Expert Joined: Nov 17, 2008 Posts: 107

This will give the libs in the DPS carte blanche to shut down our shooting ranges.

Write/call/e-mail your reps.

Expert Joined: Nov 17, 2008 Posts: 107

Sample e-mail:

It has come to my attention that there is a bill in Hartford that seeks to create major oversight of firing ranges in CT that could possibly lead to indiscriminate closings of these ranges.

This is an insult to all the law-abiding responsible fire arms owners that shoot at these and operate these ranges. Many of the ranges have been safely operating for decades without the need for this additional regulation.

Please oppose this act.

Thank you,

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Joined: Nov 09, 2008 Posts: 8

I wrote to the governor and my state legislator. My wife also wrote to them (her letters were much better than mine of course)

I had started another thread about this (I didn't see this one) if the moderators want to shut mine down that is fine, as long as the word gets out.

Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 2:52 pm

...and the State of Connecticut even provides a free shooting range in Glastonbury!

Joined: Mar 13, 2010 Posts: 18

What is the bill #, Did it ever pass? what is the status of this ? Please respond to dynotime1@yahoo.com