MI:Cops' gun range may be open to public

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Crigger takes aim in the firing range in the Waterford Township's new facility. The six-lane range is 4 feet underground to muffle sound. The police department is drafting a proposal, subject to township board approval, to allow residents to use the new shooting range, which is part of a new $10 million police facility. Cops' gun range may be open to publicConcealed weapons law creates demandBy Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit NewsCharles V. Tines / The Detroit News Waterford Police Lt. Rick Crigger checks his target after shooting. Area gun ranges Indoor Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World 4500 Baldwin, Auburn Hills (248) 209-4200 Double Action Indoor Shooting Center and Gun Shop 32411 Dequindre, Madison Heights (248) 588-4488 Target Sports 30482 Woodward, Royal Oak (248) 549-2122 Outdoor Bald Mountain Recreation Area 2500 Kern, Orion Township (248) 814-9193 Pontiac Lake Recreation Area 7800 Gale, Waterford Township (248) 666-1020s CCW applications Oakland County Applications: 4,883 Approved: 3,278 Denied: 75 Pending: 1,530 Wayne County Applications: 4,252 Approved: 595 Pending: 3,657 Macomb County Applications: 1,918 Approved: 1,182 Denied: 20 Pending: 716 Michigan Applications: 39,459 Approved: 24,841 Denied: 393 Pending: 14,218 Suspended: 4 Revoked: 3 Source: Michigan State Police Comment on this storySend this story to a friendGet Home Delivery ROYAL OAK -- Squeezed into a single lane at Target Sports' firing range, gun owner Jason Mace steadied the hands of Karen Green as she squeezed the trigger of a .45 Magnum. Range users such as Mace are getting used to tight space at area gun ranges, where the wait to get into a lane on one of the few indoor ranges in Oakland County can be as long as an hour. According to local gun range operators, more people in Metro Detroit are seeking firearms training -- a prerequisite for obtaining a concealed weapons permit -- but only a handful of gun ranges are available to meet the growing demand. Nowhere is this more evident than in Oakland County, which leads the state in the number of concealed weapons permits issued since July 1, when a new law took effect making it easier to legally carry a gun. Of the 83 counties, Oakland County has had the most applications -- 4,883 -- and issued the most licenses -- 3,278 -- according to Michigan State Police records. There are 1,530 licenses pending and 75 applications that were denied. Statewide, counties have issued 24,841 licenses to carry concealed weapons. Mace, 28, of Ferndale, knows of only one other gun range in all of south Oakland County where he can practice his shooting and help Green get more comfortable with handguns. "It's either Double Action or I come here. That's not much of a choice, is it?" Mason said. The load may ease a little bit soon, at least for residents of Waterford Township. The township's Board of Trustees could soon approve a proposal to open the police department's new firing range to township residents. Lt. Rick Crigger said the department wants to give something back to taxpayers who built the new $10-million police station and state-of-the-art firing range. The department is in the process of writing a formal proposal for the idea and is consulting with risk managers and an in-house attorney to examine liability issues for such a move, Crigger said. Ultimately, the township board would have to authorize the change. As the proposal is written, Crigger said residents would have to bring their own firearms trainer to the range; the police department will not train residents. Residents would be charged a fee to use the six-lane facility, in a separate building beneath four feet of dirt to help muffle noise. Fees would be set based on how much it costs for a range officer to staff the site and for increased range maintenance. "The citizens paid for it. They should have access to it -- limited access," Crigger said. "We want to do it. Is the law going to allow us to do it?" Crigger said many questions remain such as whether the township can rent the range to groups within Waterford Township and whether the department can restrict who can rent time. Township Supervisor Carl Solden, a former township police officer, supports the idea of opening the range to residents but said the township needs to move slowly on a concept that needs to be thoroughly researched. Solden said he can't see opening the range to the public if it will cost the township money. In fact, he expects the idea to be pursued as a money-maker. Waterford Township police would be the first in Metro Detroit to seriously consider such a move, which has been viewed as controversial and too risky by other police departments. "I don't think it's controversial. Let's face it. We are here for the residents of Waterford Township, if we can do something to provide them with a benefit like this. That's what it's about," he said. Jeff Bukowski, a manager at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Auburn Hills, said the shop's gun range has been extremely busy the last few months. The range hosts an average of five to six classes a week, with 20 CCW permit seekers in each class. As part of the CCW class, students must obtain eight hours of instruction including a minimum of three hours on the firing range. Bass Pro Shops has no plans to expand its six-lane facility any time soon, Bukowski said, because store owners anticipate there will be a slowdown in interest once the majority of people who want permits get them. "We are in the early phases of this. Everyone is saying, 'I've got to get my CCW.' But the traffic has increased our sales. Ammo sales are up. It's really been a sales buster. It's good for us," Bukowski said. At Target Sports, owner Ray Jaye averages 100 shooters a day on weekends in his Royal Oak store. This spring, Jaye is planning to double the size of the gun range by adding 11 lanes. He is going to Las Vegas this month to meet with range companies to discuss his options. Jaye says his customers come from Ann Arbor, Detroit and Ypsilanti, and he expects even more people from farther away, once the expansion is complete. He also runs a CCW course from the Royal Oak store that brings another 100 people per week into the store and on the range three times a week. "It's super, super busy," he said. You can reach Jennifer Chambers at (248) 647-7402 or jchambers@detnews.com.