Indoor Gun Range Proposed Near School
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FARMERS BRANCH (CBSDFW.COM) - The parents of children at a private Farmers Branch school are up in arms over a proposed indoor shooting range just over 350 feet from school property.
One of the six investors in the range stated that information about the business, and any potential dangers, has been distorted. It will be up to the Farmers Branch City Council to decide if the gun range can be built.
"My father was military. I was born on base," said Amy Franklin, who has three children attending The Westwood School on Proton Road. "So, I'm not frightened by guns. For me, this is all about proximity."
From the school's library window, one can see the back of the building where the indoor gun range would be, located just over a football field away. "It's just too close," Franklin added.
Parents said that they worry about kids seeing people carrying guns into the shooting range, hearing the sounds of shooting or something potentially deadly happening. "Even the most responsible could have an accident loading or unloading a gun in the parking lot, looking at the gun store," Franklin said. "I realize the risk is small, but that there's a risk. It all just worries me."
The company wanting to build the shooting range, Texas Legends, is aiming to turn an old post office into the state-of-the-art, family-friendly shooting facility.
An investor in the project said that noise from shooting inside might be heard slightly in their own parking lot, but no further. They plan on using juniper trees to block the view of the back of the building from the school.
Greg Taggart, one of the company's investors, explained, "Firearms are out there and we want to teach people to be safe and responsible and knowledgeable with them. This is being designed from the get-go with safety in mind, and we are following all of the industry's best standards."
The issue is on the agenda for the Farmers Branch City Council at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
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