Soyer said he plans to extend the building in the back by 20 feet. To alleviate noise and for safety purposes, the facility would consist of “a box within a box,” in which the outer masonry walls would be lined with steel covered in wood-composite panels.
The doctor, who said he expects to invest $350,000 to $500,000 in the project, said he planned to hire a noise consultant at the design stage and also planned to implement an advanced HEAP filtration system to prevent the buildup of lead dust in the interior air.
He also plans to stock “green friendly” bullets composed of plastic or copper, to limit the heavy metal impact. (Soyer added that because this polymer technology is new and such bullets are not available for certain calibers of guns, he also plans “lead capture at the back of the track and which would be recycled by someone certified in lead removal.”)
Licenses, inspections
As a Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL), SAFESHOOT would be inspected yearly by inspectors from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the federal agency that oversees firearm licenses, Soyer said. “Your standard dealer is inspected every year to every 18 months.” He also said that the facility “would be subject to state police coming in any time, as would the sheriff’s department and local police.”
However, according to information on the website of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, inspection of FFLs is notoriously lax: according to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG), over 58 percent of FFLs had not been inspected in the past five years. On average, according to a 2010 report in the Washington Post, FFLs are inspected once every decade.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police recommends that state and local governments enact their own dealer licensing requirements because they can respond to specific community concerns and more effectively help reduce the number of corrupt dealers.
Another concern is stolen guns. The OIG report found that, between 2004 and 2011, FFLs reported 174,679 firearms missing from their inventories.
Soyer said he asked an ATF agent about what the law requires when a gun is missing from a gun dealer. He was told the dealer would be required to fill out a form with the agency within 24 hours of noticing the firearm was missing. “It’s a good idea to have a police report attached but it isn’t required,” he said, noting that in the case of SAFESHOOT, he would definitely file a report.
A member of the shooting range would be allowed to carry the gun on his or her shoulder or waist, provided the person had an unrestricted permit. (It’s up to the judge who issues the permit to decide upon whether it’s unrestricted or restricted, which requires extra safety measures.) A self-defense or range permit would require the ammunition and gun to be transported in separate locked boxes, Soyer said.
“Ulster County has a lot of lawful gun owners. They’re your neighbors,” Soyer concluded. “Lawful owners of guns are safe. To me what’s quite dangerous is when somebody is able to carry a gun but has no idea of what to do with it. They might make a wrong decision.” By offering training to such novice users, SAFESHOOT would help improve safety, he said.
If he’s approved by the planning board, the next stop is to have an architect draw up the formal plans, then get the permits (besides his Federal Firearm License, Soyer would need to get a state dealer’s license, a license to distribute ammunition, plus certification from OSHA and the state Department of Environmental Conservation). He’d then commission the materials vendors, followed by construction in the spring. He hopes to be operating by fall 2016.
