BRIGHTON — A clay shooting range in rural Adams County can now expand to include rifles and pistols over objections it will increase noise levels and endanger the lives of neighbors.
“This is akin to putting a playground in the middle of a median during rush hour on I-25,” said neighbor Leo Bertz.
The owner of Colorado Clays, Douglas Kraft, told Adams County commissioners that two new baffled shooting ranges and the construction of three associated buildings on a little more than 88 acres will be safe and hardly noticed by residents.
Kraft said that in the 15 years the shooting range has operated just as a shotgun range, there has never been a problem with safety. And, he said, “The noise from our facility is less than from the vehicles that cross in front of someone’s home.”
The commissioners voted for the expansion on several conditions, including requiring a noise survey of the expanded shooting range and severe restrictions on alcohol consumption.
In addition, no armor-piercing or fully automatic weapons will be allowed at the range. Instructors trained by the National Rifle Association will be on site to monitor each shooter, Kraft said.
But many neighbors weren’t convinced that the sophisticated baffling system planned for the facility would be enough to stop a stray bullet from hitting their homes.
Vanessa Rambis said she could protect her four children from many things. “But there is nothing I can do to protect them from an errant bullet,” Rambis said. “That is something I have no control over.”
Bill Mathews said this is just Kraft’s latest effort to expand the shooting range. “What will we have next? He may want to bring in something like flamethrowers and hand grenades.”
Others, however, defended the idea of a larger shooting range, saying rapid residential growth is forcing out many ranges needed to train young people to properly handle weapons. Shooting incidents, they added, rarely occur at properly managed shooting ranges.
“Right now there is a bottleneck on shooting opportunities on the Front Range,” said Mark Cousins, hunter education coordinator with the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife. “This facility is extremely safe and sorely needed.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
