Parents fighting Firearm Range next to school (Waterbury)

Source: http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/...ange-Next-to-Elementary-School-124829799.html

Just feet away from Sprague Elementary School in Waterbury, target practice will soon commence.

"We teach our kids to stay away from guns and to never play with them," said Lisa Lessard, "now they are going to put in a shooting range next to a school. We are giving our kids a mixed message."

The Waterbury Zoning commission recently approved plans to put a firing range in the basement of a building next door. Outraged parents are now firing off rounds of emails and letter to the city about it.

"You never know if a bullet will accidentally come through a wall. It could hit one of the kids over here," said Brenda Farkash, a parent and resident of Waterbury

The Superintendent even had a few choice words for the board saying "

The man who owns the range, Brian Griffith, has assured the city the shooting range will be underground and the walls lined with steel plates. A state of the art air handling system will also be used. The school's principal says it's not enough.

"I worry about the students. I think we'll have to take other precautions," said Donna Perreault, the principal of Sprague Elementary.

Mayor Michael Jarjura says he is confident the commission made the right decision approving the plans. It's little consolation to parents who now have their sights set on closing the range before it opens.

Parents have planned a rally at the school next Thursday at 10 a.m.

At this point, it looks like the only options parents have is to file a land use appeal with Supreme Court in the next 15 days.

I am trying to remember all of the horrible incidents that have happened due to a shooting range being near by. I can't come up with anything. Shooting ranges are not dangerous by themselves and this one is completely underground.

couldn't have said it any better

Howdy Folks!
So the folks involved with the school want to fight this shooting range?
Wouldn't be much of a fight, considering they're only armed with rhetoric! LOL!
How dare they put a gun range so near a school, when it undermines the efforts of educators trying to indoctrinate kids to be good victims.

Perhaps they forget... Columbine was a gun free zone too!

Seems ironic that the school folks and parents don't want law abiding, taxpaying, citizens to exercise their 2nd amendment rights considering those same taxes pay for the school their kids attend freely!

Blessings,
M-Taliesin

My wife attended high school in Waterbury. She was on the school RIFLE TEAM back in the day. Imagine this: teenagers learning to shoot guns safely while at the same time being taught discipline and responsibility.
Now, we have parents scared senseless because a range is not IN the school, but rather only NEAR it... :banghead:

Sigh...


"The irrational fear of weapons is a sign of retarded emotional and sexual maturity." - Freud

Of all I've seen, heard and read on this range so far - I do find it entertaining.

The range is separated from the school by a stream and a fence.

Parents and teachers arguing bullets flying through walls and becoming a danger.

Let me get this straight..... educators that have..... ummmm..... education are talking about bullets flying through walls, steel plated, underground as well, are talking about the dangers of accidents.

Geeze, don't let the educators get a silly thing like physics stop them from a mythological argument.

Jonathan

beanoboy7 said:

Source: http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/...ange-Next-to-Elementary-School-124829799.html


Parents have planned a rally at the school next Thursday at 10 a.m.

At this point, it looks like the only options parents have is to file a land use appeal with Supreme Court in the next 15 days.

Click to expand...

Looks like a counter rally at the range is appropriate.

Does anyone from CCDL monitor this site . . . Kix???

Though I am not on the board, I can get the word out a few ways. Contact the president and put something on the facebook group.

Do we have any more info on the protest, like who is organizing it and such? A link to the organizers info would be helpful.

I would indeed show up.

Jonathan

I'm just going by what the article said. For all I know that may be nonsense spouted to a journalist that has no grounding in reality.

Anyone interested in joining me at the event? I'm not going to OC at this as I really don't want to detract from the issue at hand and create a whole separate argument.

I would like to start a counter protest in support of the range though.

Jonathan

I could probably attend. Have you been able to confirm in any way that they are planning to actually have a rally?

Is there a date/time/place?

I will be carrying however I feel on that particular day like any other time.

I haven't heard a peep in the media yet. I was hoping something would show up in today (Wednesday's) news. I had the address of the school earlier (I posted it on the CCDL group on FB). I can get it again tomorrow when I'm home.

Jonathan

Here is the Sprague school address (given the close proximity, we can figure out the rest!).....

1443 Thomaston Avenue
Waterbury, CT 06704-1785

Jonathan

Now the protest is being called a "meeting".

Dunno what to make of it so far. See what develops today.

Jonathan

Jonathan,
I will be there in the morning.
I agree that OC is not the issue here and could possibly send the wrong message.
Also being so close to the school, who knows if we might end up on school property and actually be breaking the law by carrying.

Deleted because what I posted was incorrect.

dcmdon said:

Actually the federal law is 1000 ft from a school, although its an unenforceable law and nobody has ever been charged under it, no sense pushing that one.

Click to expand...

The federal law does not apply to people with a state permit. There is no such thing as a 1000 ft GFSZ around a school in CT if you have a permit.

You are correct. I apologize for my error. I was talking to someone recently about how this makes felons out of Vermonters, who don't have or need a license from the state. And somehow my mind translated it to CT.

I'll delete my previous post.

Don

dcmdon said:

You are correct. I apologize for my error. I was talking to someone recently about how this makes felons out of Vermonters, who don't have or need a license from the state. And somehow my mind translated it to CT.

Click to expand...

Even in the context of VT, I have never heard of anyone actually convicted of the federal offense for simply carrying within 1000 ft of a school.