Albemarle County Firing Range Pros and Cons - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Wea...

Not long ago a police training outdoor firing range was built across the street from where I used to live, also in a landfill area. The nearby residents all complained about the plan, but as it turned out noise wasn't really much of a factor. You can bank and berm the land to effectively negate a lot of the sound.
The town built it for a small fraction of $1 mil though. Not sure if that is what they are planning to allocate towards this facility but it seems like a lot, especially when budget cuts are being made.
http://www.nbc29.com/story/16229723/albemarle...

There is no need for it, yes 1,000,000.00 to build it but how much to maintain it year after year after year. The current place in use is a great place. There has to be a much wiser use for the money better yet why don't we put it away for a rainy day so that when those lean times come we don't all panic.

I am concerned as the firing range borders my property. I am a proponent for the police having proper training facilities but I also have to be concerned about my property value and potential noise and other pollution. Though we talked to the police and a county representative no documented noise/pollution studies were presented. I am encouraged that you say you experienced something similar and the noise was not as much of a factor as thought. Future plans for the Keene Landfill also calls for a track for training public safety people to drive in all situations. Sirens, lights, squealing tires, revving engines - now that will be noise!

A few years back didn't law enforcement get tossed out of Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club for playing grab ass with their weapons. I seem to remember there were a pile of safety violations the cops made. One of the things I remember is them shooting across the top of the berm.

It was hushed up, as typical, and I guess Rivanna and the cops kissed and made up.

Good point Jim. Guess it doesn't take much to shoot over a 20' berm! If they did round could easily reach my house!

Waste Not Want Not wrote:

Good point Jim. Guess it doesn't take much to shoot over a 20' berm! If they did round could easily reach my house!

I too am a resident just off of Fortune Road with two small children. I am fearful that if/when they shoot over that 20” parameter my children, husband, or myself could be at the other end with a tragic outcome.

Part of why we choose to move to that area was the solitude it offered, so much for that, huh!

Not to mention, at least at Rivanna they had someone there to police them (no pun intended) what do you think will happen when they have free reign without supervision?

Not only will the tax payers be spending god knows how much money to shoot at targets but taxpayers will be paying the gas bill for cops to drive back and forth to this place. Can you imagine all those cop cars driving back and forth, every day, every month. the added fuel to do this for all these cops will be astronomical, but thats OK I guess, just put it on the taxpayers tab. Of course then they'll want to hire someone to oversee the place, more tax money, more bullets, more tax money. This will turn into a sink hole for tax dollars, not to mention a place where more than one cop will get shot either by shooting himself or by another cop. They've already proved their propensity towards carelessness, wait till they have their own place with no outside observers. Talk about dead men walking.

They need a place to shoot as their lives and the lives of citizens will, at some time, be dependent on their ability to shoot straight. Of course, if a police officer dies in the line of duty, then the community, or most of 'em, will be in mourning and step up with scholarships for the dead officer's kids, help with burial expenses and pat surviving cops on the back, Of course, for the corpse going in the ground in full-dress and his/her family, it'll be a little late. Been, done, seen with four of my fellow officers on the National Law Enforcement Memorial wall, and but for training, would have joined 'em one rainy night.

Could not have said it better myself Bear. I DO hope they have an excellent handle on their students. I know many good officers and instructors from both City and County Police. A lot of good guys and gals as a rule. There HAVE historically been a few discharges with City and County alike some of which resulted in injury. Those should be dealt with severely. Very severely. Fact is though the training is needed and the facility is needed. End of story.

To all of you who support their range, good on ya! My hat is off to you! I definitely think they need somewhere to practice. Personally, I'd rather deal with the noise knowing that the officers protecting MY community will be better prepared if they, Heaven forbid, ever find themselves in a situation where they have to depend on their shooting skills. I wish people would get over their tax issues and cost issues. The way I see it, it's an investment in the community, so get over it. It sounds like it's happening one way or the other.

I dont know, lets spend a million in more tax payer money to pay for the commity to decide. Thats the government way

Jim Scott wrote:

A few years back didn't law enforcement get tossed out of Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club for playing grab **** with their weapons. I seem to remember there were a pile of safety violations the cops made. One of the things I remember is them shooting across the top of the berm.
It was hushed up, as typical, and I guess Rivanna and the cops kissed and made up.

not that I recall. I'm guessing you are a member of Rivanna and are one of the ones that likes to come out and watch the training hoping to see someone screw up. You want to talk about safety concerns, well if I remember correctly, there are bullet holes in the ceiling, walls, and even in the door behind (as in the opposite direction of where you are supposed to shoot) the firing line. These little accidents were not done by police, but by the gun wise members of RRPC. The local departments need a place to shoot and practice other skills. This is just like anything else built there are always people who are going to say "not in my neighborhood" well, to that I say, suck it up!

Funny now NIMBY is running rampant (Not In My Back Yard, Reference: George Carlin).

1. Everybody wants the police to be there for them when it serves THEIR OWN wants and needs.
2. Everybody wants the police to be highly trained and proficient in every aspect of their job.
3. A minority support allocating money and location for their training.
4. Nobody wants it to happen near them if it means even a slight inconvenience upon themselves (cost, noise, property values, et al).

Sure, there are some incompetent officers out there who would normally be taken out back and beaten with a hose back in the old days. Most proper LE training facilities have RSOs (Range Safety Officers). With competent RSOs, risks such as those cited in this thread should be fairly well mitigated.

Let them have their range. The proficiency they gain may just save your own life someday.

It could be worse, it could be a civilian firing range where there's less oversight and higher probability of someone doing something stupid (I've been shooting with incompetent shooters before). Then, people would really have something to gripe about.

spike22980 wrote:

<quoted text>
not that I recall. I'm guessing you are a member of Rivanna and are one of the ones that likes to come out and watch the training hoping to see someone screw up. You want to talk about safety concerns, well if I remember correctly, there are bullet holes in the ceiling, walls, and even in the door behind (as in the opposite direction of where you are supposed to shoot) the firing line. These little accidents were not done by police, but by the gun wise members of RRPC. The local departments need a place to shoot and practice other skills. This is just like anything else built there are always people who are going to say "not in my neighborhood" well, to that I say,**** it up!

@Spike22980 by your message you sound like you are a cop because you seem to take personal offense to it. If you are cop you seriously need some anger management.

I am a member of Rivanna and it is true that a police officer did in fact fire over the berm and it struck a near by house. I would expect a law enforcement officer to have better control of his/her firearm then John Q. Public. As far as holes in the ceilings and walls I am sure some of them were done by members (To automatically say it was only the "gun wise members" is a little naive). I personally do not have an issue with the police officers I think the majority of them are great at what they do. I am also not going to judge an entire police force because of a screw up by one officer. RRPC does a great job at trying to maintain a safe shooting environment for all unfortunately there will always be risks. However I think there is far less risk then a judge who gives a repeat DUI offender his drivers license back.

Where does the Culpeper Town PD practice? Perhaps they should go there; that department seems dead-on accurate (at least at close range).

R.I.P.: Patricia Cook

spike22980 wrote:

<quoted text>
not that I recall. I'm guessing you are a member of Rivanna and are one of the ones that likes to come out and watch the training hoping to see someone screw up. You want to talk about safety concerns, well if I remember correctly, there are bullet holes in the ceiling, walls, and even in the door behind (as in the opposite direction of where you are supposed to shoot) the firing line. These little accidents were not done by police, but by the gun wise members of RRPC. The local departments need a place to shoot and practice other skills. This is just like anything else built there are always people who are going to say "not in my neighborhood" well, to that I say,**** it up!

No I am not a member of Rivanna and really have to desire to join and I was there once as a guest years ago. As pointed out in your response to me, it appears that bullets are flying everywhere except at the target where they belong.

The intention of my post was to bring up safety issues that were directly related to law enforcement using a local range that was reported a few years back. Things like this have to be taken into consideration when choosing property for a police shooting range.

Also I completely agree with other posters that being in law enforcement is a matter of continuous training with firearms. I do not have a problem with having a range or as someone else pointed out the "wasting" of gas to drive their vehicles there.

Police officers have taken an oath to protect the public and training is necessary to uphold that oath. The placement of a firing range, where misfires, accidental discharges and just plain bad marksmanship that could result in the possibility of an expended round traveling past the property lines and into a populated area need to be considered. This should also be part of their oath, to protect the public.

Hell, if I had acreage and was firing a weapon where a round or two struck a distant neighbors house the police and county would be all over me to stop me from doing it again. Think about it.

Since you are in the county, your neighbors can already shoot without any permits. If you can't trust law enforcement with guns more than your neighbor's kid I think there is a real problem.

In Augusta, there is a joint local law enforcement shooting range at the landfill and I am not aware of any issues. The times that I have been to the dump, the noise of dozers, ukes, and trash trucks has been much louder than any shooting.

I really don't understand all of the arguing over land use, zoning, etc. After all, at some point they chose to buy property next to a public landfill.

Amen Bear wrote:

Could not have said it better myself Bear. I DO hope they have an excellent handle on their students. I know many good officers and instructors from both City and County Police. A lot of good guys and gals as a rule. There HAVE historically been a few discharges with City and County alike some of which resulted in injury. Those should be dealt with severely. Very severely. Fact is though the training is needed and the facility is needed. End of story.

You do realize that an Albemarle County Police Department firearms instuctor shot himself in the leg at the range? How severely should a department's firearms instructor be dealt with?

http://cvillenews.com/2003/10/03/albemarle-of...

spike22980 wrote:

<quoted text>
not that I recall. I'm guessing you are a member of Rivanna and are one of the ones that likes to come out and watch the training hoping to see someone screw up.

Jim might be a member who shows up just for the sport of it, showing he can do as he please as a member. Back in the very beginning, the county police were kicking members off the property on their "range days". And those who refused to leave were threatened with arrest. That little party was nipped in the bud real quick. Their attitudes had to be adjusted.

While I live on the opposite end of the county I feel empathy for those living near the proposed firing range. Few things can disturb peace and quiet more than the constant sound of gunfire.

Why does the county need to spend a million dollars for a "new" firing range ?

How much practise does it take to fire a gun ? Surely the older firing range was satisfying the requirement for "practise". Where is the justification for spending all those tax dollars to irritate the tax payers.