Is an outdoor shooting range within city limits really a good idea?

With just a few hurdles to clear, the prospect of an outdoor shooting range in Wasilla is becoming more likely.

At a gut level, it just seems irresponsible to have weapons firing where people gather at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center and bordering a neighborhood of families.

We can understand why responsible shooters want a place to fire away at targets, maybe adjust sights or try out a buddy’s weapon to see if they like it.

Yes, it would be convenient for shooters in that area, but with so much less populated land in the Mat-Su Borough, why can’t the city work with the borough to have a range outside city limits where the noise could be abated by timber and distance? Or, if the city is insistent on building a shooting range at the sports facility, the better choice would be an indoor range.

Neighbors have complained about safety and the noise they fear will disrupt the quiet of the area. Mayor Verne Rupright says the noise will be like dropping a nickel on a desktop. It’s hard to believe that someone firing a 50-caliber weapon will sound like a clink in an office.

City Councilwoman Dianne Woodruff is right in saying the public process seems to be lacking. The residents, seven in all, were notified, area homeowner Brad Laybourn has said in the past. He doesn’t think other Wasilla residents were given that notice so they could chime in. He also had plans to open a business in the area and now says that’s not feasible because he thinks the noise won’t be mitigated.

The city, for its part, has adapted plans to surround the range with berms. There are plans for baffles to help even more. Hours will be restricted and supervisors will be on hand. So Wasilla is doing what it can to make the project safe and make the outdoor range as a good a neighbor as it can be.

But that doesn’t negate the possibility that noise will be worse than tests indicate, and it doesn’t take into consideration stray bullets leaving the range and hitting who knows what. Woodruff worries the city’s insurance may be affected, as she should be. Where people and guns gather, there’s always a chance of an accident that causes a serious injury or worse.

Those possibilities are reduced some because the range will more likely attract gun owners who are responsible shooters. Unfortunately, it won’t attract the people it should — idiots who shoot signs, kill swans, vandalize kiosks at Reflections Lake, and the list goes on.

Shooting ranges have a place, but it doesn’t feel right to have an outdoor range in the Valley’s biggest and fastest-growing city.

Another round of public hearings at the council level won’t hold the range back. If the city truly wants to do everything it can to make the range safe for users and those who use the facilities at the sports center, they will find a way to build an indoor shooting range. Perhaps they can take a cue from the Big Lake community and seek out donations, or dig deeper for possible grants, to help offset the additional costs to build a first-class facility.