Falmouth Rod and Gun Club

Safety violations shut Falmouth Rod & Gun Club

It is my understanding that this whole mess started with an unhappy member who is out to shut the club down just to get even. The so-called safety violations are nothing more than what has existed for several decades. It in only now that this individual has stirred up a hornets nest with some neighbors that it gets the town and media attention. What now happens is very expensive berms must be built and land purchased to allow continued operation. If it were me I would bring a lawsuit against the member and let him deal with the expense of lawyers etc for a change.

There is nothing worse than a so-called gun buff being an anti. The gun world needs to shun these types like the plague. They are much more to be feared than regular antis as they are both hypocrites and traitors.

Falmouth has been working diligently to reopen their ranges. They have the trap range up and working, and all that is needed to open the lower pistol range and the upper pistol ranges is the permits from the police as these ranges have received extensive work. All that is left is the 100 yard rifle range and they are working on that. All members are required to take a new range safety orientation before range use.

All this has cost many thousands of dollars and basically the cause was one now ex member who was vindictive to the extreme. He was once their most most valuable member and Treasurer but when he was replaced as treasurer he had to get even, even to the point of buying abutting property and causing a number of other abutters to join forces and cause grief.

Falmouth has learned an awful lot in the process, that safety is expensive, that safety is necessary, that belonging to the NRA is not enough, you should be 100% NRA membership for them to help you with the legal battles and with money. They also learned who were the takers and who were the makers. Who were willing to dig in and help and who only bitched and moaned. The club will be better for all this and every Maine club will see these troubles someday as well. Be aware, screen your members carefully and have by-laws that allow you to throw out those who work against you and the 2nd Amendment.

Well, as of Mondat the 9th of January, 2012 all the ranges at Famouth are permitted and open to those who are members and have attended the range safety orientation classes. Members now need to wear a badge at all times and sign in and out of each range.
One of the abutters tried to appeal the towns permits but that was rejected by the Falmouth ZBA.
This has been a long and costly upgrade but one that the officers of the club did an excellent job at resolving. This kind of information would be invaluable to other clubs.
The Falmouth Forecaster had this article in their paper this week
http://www.theforecaster.net/content/n-falmouth-rod-and-gun-club-reopens...

Well the latest in Falmouth R&G Club news is that one of the abutters has filed a lawsuit against the Town of Falmouth claiming that they had no right to issue permits for these effected ranges without the abutter having been a part of the process. That is a very dangerous precedent if he wins in that each and every range would have to satisfy all abutters and the towns. That would be extremely dangerous and would result in the closing of most such ranges I would guess.
I understand that the club President talked to SAM about supporting some strengthening of range protection laws but he said it fell on deft ears.Why am I not surprised?