The Schuyler County Legislature in New York has passed a resolution opposing a bill that officials believe is a disguised gun control measure under the guise of an environmental conservation law amendment. The resolution, introduced on May 13, criticizes the draft bill known as the “Sporting Range Good Neighbor Act” for unfairly burdening skeet and trap shooting enthusiasts without any proven necessity for such mandates. It calls on New York’s State Senate and Assembly to reject the bill if it progresses to a floor vote.
The resolution was unanimously passed and is now being distributed to relevant parties, including the governor, as advised by Schuyler County Attorney Steven Getman. The resolution was brought forth at the request of Schuyler County Clerk Theresa Philbin.
The bill, despite being presented as an environmental measure, is believed to impose detrimental gun control regulations on sportsmen, sportswomen, and youth involved in school shooting leagues in New York. It is feared that the bill could lead to the closure of facilities that offer essential firearm safety training, especially following the recent concealed carry bill that mandates additional training requirements.
Officials argue that the bill is a covert attempt at gun control legislation in upstate New York, posing a threat to Second Amendment rights under the guise of environmental conservation. The proposed requirements for shooting ranges and fields would incur substantial costs, potentially leading to their closure.
Mr. Getman and Ms. Philbin believe that the bill is part of a larger strategy to gradually restrict Second Amendment rights through a series of costly measures, targeting individuals who may not have the resources to challenge such laws in court. They argue that the bill would disproportionately impact marginalized communities and small organizations that rely on affordable access to shooting facilities for recreation and training purposes.
Philbin expressed her concerns about New York’s incremental gun control laws, likening them to “death by a thousand cuts.”
She noted that these laws slowly chip away at Second Amendment rights until they become too burdensome for people to exercise.
As a county clerk responsible for handling pistol permits, Philbin has witnessed dealers and permit holders surrendering their licenses due to the constant changes in laws.
One of the updates requires shooting ranges and skeet fields to adopt a new layout to prevent lead migration.
This layout specifies that each shooting range must be a minimum of 600 yards by 300 yards, with the shooting semicircle positioned in the middle of the long side.
If the area size is insufficient to comply with this layout, backstops that effectively capture bullets must be constructed and maintained to contain lead bullets within the designated skeet field tract.
Additionally, these backstops must be covered by a roof to prevent erosion from rain.
Another update prohibits any part of a skeet field tract from including wetlands or open water sources.
The bill is currently under review by the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.
The Epoch Times contacted State Sen. Pete Harckham for his input on the matter.
