Barnstable public range opinions...

ARV said:
Ive read the Brass Rat stories... the Angry Pilgrim though... do tell.

Tell the brass rat to piss off and im sure he'll go away.
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I used to tell that dude to f off, but now I have him trained to give me the 9mm brass he picks up. [laugh]

Don't forget range is closed tomorrow(Sunday 12/2), Tue(12/4 until 12:30 - Cleanup day) and 12/6. Range improvements begin soon!
 
The range is closed until further notice. Called the Natural Resources Dept today and they said there is an insurance issue that needs to be worked out.
 
I also got a call from a friend today who said a friend of his went there and there was a 'closed' sign on the gate. He called the Natural Resources office and just as Rim Job (nice screen name dude [hmmm]) said, the range is closed indefinitely due to some insurance issue.

Another NES friend just informed me there's supposed to be a town meeting Dec 18 about the range.

If this shit is permanent, I'd say all the ranges in the mid-Cape area are going to be swamped with applications real soon. For the time being I guess it's a good excuse for me to shoot less and start saving more ammo. [thinking]
 
The 12/18 meeting is definite, it's a continuation of the issues left unresolved at the 12/4 meeting. The Comission approved some additions to 702, basically an update to the safety rules(shoot from same distance, don't touch gun while others are down range, etc). The big issue is the Legal department wants three new rules:

1. All permit holders must sign a waiver of liability.

2. All guests of permit holders must sign a waiver of liability and they shall be granted a guest pass. (Presumably you would have to instruct your guest ahead of time to go down to Natural Resources and fill out the paperwork and get a guest pass, which would be good for the year.)

3. All minors must have parent/guardian sign a waiver of liability, then must be present at the range with the minor. (The members of the commission were quite taken aback that under this new set of rules a grandfather/uncle/good family friend would not be allowed to take a minor to the range.)

There were several questions about waiver necessity and legal issues related to them, but there was no one present from the Legal Dept to answer them. [rolleyes]

It was mentioned that there were ongoing discussions with the town's insurer about the liability issues. Meeting is 12/18 at 6:30.
 
oilspill said:
The 12/18 meeting is definite, it's a continuation of the issues left unresolved at the 12/4 meeting. The Comission approved some additions to 702, basically an update to the safety rules(shoot from same distance, don't touch gun while others are down range, etc). The big issue is the Legal department wants three new rules:

1. All permit holders must sign a waiver of liability.

2. All guests of permit holders must sign a waiver of liability and they shall be granted a guest pass. (Presumably you would have to instruct your guest ahead of time to go down to Natural Resources and fill out the paperwork and get a guest pass, which would be good for the year.)

3. All minors must have parent/guardian sign a waiver of liability, then must be present at the range with the minor. (The members of the commission were quite taken aback that under this new set of rules a grandfather/uncle/good family friend would not be allowed to take a minor to the range.)

There were several questions about waiver necessity and legal issues related to them, but there was no one present from the Legal Dept to answer them. [rolleyes]

It was mentioned that there were ongoing discussions with the town's insurer about the liability issues. Meeting is 12/18 at 6:30.
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Thanks for the information, if I wasn't out of state that day I would definitely attend. I do find it laughable that a meeting to discuss insurance and legal liability would have the legal department pull a no show... Tax dollars hard at work as usual.
 
Great:/ Planned to head down there a couple of mornings next week. Haven't used my permit since I got it. I'm not from Barnstable, where is the meeting on the 18th going to be? Is it open to the public?
 
Barnstable Town Hall, yes it's open to the public.

dgrafton said:
Great:/ Planned to head down there a couple of mornings next week. Haven't used my permit since I got it. I'm not from Barnstable, where is the meeting on the 18th going to be? Is it open to the public?
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Nice if someone let us know. I drove down there today to sight in my new Leupold and saw the sign...range closed...Gee thanks for the heads up. I called the Dept and asked if they were going to give us our money back (over 1000 keys sold this year)...
On the insurance thing, I would gladly sign a waiver if that is what it takes to make the pencil necks happy.
I have never seen evidence of what some of these posters are claiming. Everyone I meet down there acts very responsibly and safely. In fact I am impressed by most of the guys who show up to shoot, very considerate and careful in my experience.

- - - Updated - - -

PS..is there any where else I can shoot without going through the bullshit of a club?
 
mke039 said:
On the insurance thing, I would gladly sign a waiver if that is what it takes to make the pencil necks happy.
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That's the easy part, I think most permit holders would have no problem with that. It's kind of listed on the range rules (702-6: "you shall use the range at your own risk/peril"). The problem the Commission had at the 12/4 meeting was with the guest/minor waivers and acquiring the guest passes. For instance, let's say your friend comes for a visit on a Sunday and he says "Hey, let's go shooting!". Under the proposed rules you would have to bring him to Natural Resources where he would sign the waiver and receive a guest pass. On a Sunday, good luck with that.
 
Yes I can see the problem. But based on how freekin time consuming and hard it is to get into a clubs range and with the bullshit a club demands, (I go to sea for a living and don't have the time) it is a minor problem to pre-plan for a guest who wants to go shooting.

To close the range abrubtly like this is what burns me. Why didn't they just send our waivers, and new rules to be initialed and keep the damn place open. I am steaming that this happened after they gladly took my money for the privledge and I plan my time to get to the range.

If they did this a few weeks ago, when I sighted in my rifle for a very expensive hunting trip in Wisconsin (nice 5 point!) I would have probably voted Republican! [shocked] That is how insanely stupid mad I am! ( I settled for kicking my recycling can over in my garage)

I suppose there is no other place within 90 mi of Falmouth to go shooting a long gun?
 
none that i can find . closest one without too much bs is the monumet beach gun club @ the bourne landfill
 
thanks, I read about them on their website. You need a member to sponser you then attend 5 meetings per year, then volunteer to do stuff, then sacrifice a virgin on their alter.
JC! I just want to shoot my damn rifle.
I suppose just going down to a deserted beach and setting up a target...I don't even know the law about something like that...does anyone know what the law says about discharging firearms in open places so that I don't wind up on the front page of the CCTimes?
 
Somebody mentioned in the other thread about a gun range in New Bedford on Woodcock Road in Dartmouth.
 
Awesome, thanks!

I called the Conservation Dept and they are basicly clueless (although very nice) about what is going on.

They transfered me to the Town Managers Office Tom Lynch. His secretary is basicly clueless about this (although very nice too) and she read me the letter they are going to send out.

Bottom line...You can get your money back for your key...

Also she transfered me to the guy who buys insurance for the town David Anthoney 508 862 4652, who she thought might know exactly what the issue and time frame for resolving it is.

I got his machine (of course) and left a message (Expensive hunting trip coming up that is being thrashed by my not being able to sight in my GD rifle ect. ect)

Maybe everyone should all and leave a message to get this problem resolved! Thanks Rim again for the info
 
mke039 said:
thanks, I read about them on their website. You need a member to sponser you then attend 5 meetings per year, then volunteer to do stuff, then sacrifice a virgin on their alter.
JC! I just want to shoot my damn rifle.
I suppose just going down to a deserted beach and setting up a target...I don't even know the law about something like that...does anyone know what the law says about discharging firearms in open places so that I don't wind up on the front page of the CCTimes?
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Is 12 hours service in the first year that difficult?
 
Helping out a little during gun shows, pig roasts, washing pots and pans after dinner before the meetings etc.. all simple stuff but a lot of guys avoid doing it as much as possible. Clubs don't run themselves! [wink]
 
I wouldn't mind that stuff at all, it is just that I am at sea for aprox 9 mo/year and don't really have the time to commit. I just want to show up, shoot and leave. Paying money for that is fine with me. I think the volunteers who help out are awesome and I treat them with the most respect.

Clubs are not for everyone.

Speaking of...I went to the range in New Bedford today and it is great. $60 for non-res (anyone not from NB or Dartmouth). They have targets out to 500 yards. The cops were there today hosing it down with their weapons, so only the target stands out to 200 yrds were available.

They have steel targets at 200, 300 and 500 yards that you can pepper 7 days a week.

I think I found a new place to shoot
 
Just received a letter today (13 December) from the Barnstable Town Manager reporting that the range has been "temporarily" closed due to an unforeseen "emergency". Apparently, the insurance carrier notified the Town that they were no longer covered under the existing policy; no further explanation is given in the letter. My read on this is that it's total BS. I thing the Town saw an opportunity to close the place down and jumped. My prediction is a half-assed search for an new insurance policy and then we'll get another BS story about how it was impossible to find something affordable. The "temporary" closure will then become permanent. I bet Barnstable's finest will still be able to use the range...sheesh!!
 
jpdeal said:
Just received a letter today (13 December) from the Barnstable Town Manager reporting that the range has been "temporarily" closed due to an unforeseen "emergency". Apparently, the insurance carrier notified the Town that they were no longer covered under the existing policy; no further explanation is given in the letter. My read on this is that it's total BS. I thing the Town saw an opportunity to close the place down and jumped. My prediction is a half-assed search for an new insurance policy and then we'll get another BS story about how it was impossible to find something affordable. The "temporary" closure will then become permanent. I bet Barnstable's finest will still be able to use the range...sheesh!!
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I don't live near there and know nothing of Barnstable Town gov't, but I sent some info (potential sources of insurance) to the Town Manager this afternoon and received a thank you with info on who in Barnstable Town gov't is looking into resolving this problem. My impression is that they definitely want to resolve this and re-open the range.
 
If the numbers are right, they are bringing in about $30k a year in profit for the town's general fund. I can't see them throwing that away easily these days.
 
The letter they sent to all of the permit holders definitely had a "we want to reopen the range" tone to it. I'll keep loading up ammo and see how it plays out... Maybe head down to New Bedford and check out their range.
 
Siantis said:
If the numbers are right, they are bringing in about $30k a year in profit for the town's general fund. I can't see them throwing that away easily these days.
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Not only that but they're starting a large improvement project at the range. New noise abatement berm, new pistol range, larger rifle range.

If they wanted it closed it would have been shut down long ago.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
At the meeting, discussed safety rules that were approved @ previous meeting (nothing specific). All other modifications were put off until feb 19 (need a bigger conference room). Rehashed the letter that the town manager sent out.

The town has asked 5 different agencies for insurance. 2 declined (lack of safety officer, hiking trails close by), 3 asked for more info (NRA insurance program, not identified)

1 week closure set for beginning of jan to rebuild noise berms using dredging spoils.

"Fair number have asked for refunds" (not specified)

NSSA is helping out with information for the board.

NRA dismissed the town outright for coverage unless range supervisor is on hand.
 
It's not all doom and gloom. Somebody from the public (didn't get his name) is doing some research for the board to find out how other clubs / public state ranges operate without range supervisor and how they handle insurance. I have a feeling the board doesn't want the hassle from range users of having a supervisor on site.

I look at it this way: you'll need to hire at least 3 more staff (range supervisors). That means 3 more people on the dept. payroll. Higher budget = higher range fee, which leads to lower number of people getting tags. You see the cycle starting to develop here?
 

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