MI:Increase in gun permits means busier gun ranges

Josey1

Increase in gun permits means busier gun rangesJanuary 15, 2002, 8:11 AMROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) -- Some area gun ranges feature long waits, the result of more people seeking firearms training. Oakland County 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. Firearms training is a prerequisite for obtaining a concealed weapons permit. The Waterford Township police department is in the process of writing a formal proposal that would open the 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 citizens paid for it. They should have access to it, limited access," Crigger told The Detroit News for a story Tuesday. "We want to do it. Is the law going to allow us to do it?" The department is consulting with risk managers and an in-house attorney to examine liability issues for such a plan, Crigger said. The township's Board of Trustees would have to authorize the change. Residents would be charged a fee to use the six-lane facility. Fees would be set based on how much it costs for a range officer to staff the site and for increased range maintenance, he said. 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 it. As part of the concealed weapons class, students must obtain eight hours of instruction including a minimum of three hours on the firing range. Jeff Bukowski, a manager at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Auburn Hills, said he anticipated a drop in interest in acquiring the permit. "We are in the early phases of this," Bukowski said. At Target Sports, owner Ray Jaye averages 100 shooters a day on weekends in his Royal Oak store. Jaye planned to double the size of the gun range by adding 11 lanes this spring. http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw48292_20020115.htm