Army veteran aims to set up shooting supply shop in city
WOONSOCKET – A former Green Beret who’s run a firearms business in Massachusetts for many years is a step closer to opening an indoor shooting range and retail gun supply store in a pair of old factory buildings on River Street.
Martin Dean Chapman’s project has been in the works for at least two years, but the final component – the shooting range – is up for approval at the Zoning Board of Review’s next meeting on July 10.
“I’m optimistic,” said Chapman. “I know at the City Council meeting a couple of months ago, the chief of police was in support of it. I know it’s going to be a good endeavor for the city. I’ve even had folks coming into the Pheasant Ridge Gun Shop in Seekonk inquiring about when the range is going to be open.”
If all goes according to plan, Chapman’s proposed River Street Tactical will open the retail component before the end of the year and the shooting range sometime in 2018.
“First and foremost right now I’m focused on the engineering and construction of the building,” said Chapman. “That’s what’s on my mind right now.”
Chapman, 61, served in the Army for 23 years. He’s a former Green Beret and graduated from the Special Forces Qualifications Course in 1986. With a degree in physics, he started out in the service with the Army Corps of
Engineers before transitioning over to Special Forces.
After retiring from the military, he launched Pheasant Ridge Gun Shop in Seekonk around 1990.
The zoning board already heard testimony on the shooting range last month and, based on written summaries of its findings, the board appears inclined to vote in favor of Chapman’s proposal at its next meeting. The board seems pleased that the city appears to have drawn an investor who wants to upgrade buildings in any area where too many have fallen into disuse and neglect.
“In the same area there are other mill buildings that have lain vacant for years,” zoners concluded. “There is a problem getting mills utilized in the area.”
The dual-use project would take shape in two old industrial buildings that used to be owned by the Cardinal Chemical Company until Chapman acquired them in 2014. Situated shoulder to shoulder, the structures are located at 1158 River St. and 1174 River St.
Zoners unanimously approved a use variance for a gun shop in the latter structure in 2014. Acting on the advice of the city’s Law Department at the time, however, the panel held off on granting Chapman any clearances for the other building, where he plans to open the shooting range. The reason given for the delay was that the city lacked a regulatory framework for licensing shooting ranges in its code of ordinances.
The situation changed in April, however, when the City Council approved a measure establishing such guidelines for the first time. Among other things, the ordinance gives the city the power to license shooting ranges, establish hours of operation and impose minimum standards for noise mitigation.
The ordinance also carves out an exception to other laws on the books that forbid anyone but a policeman from discharging a firearm in the city – anywhere, at any time.
With the ordinance in place, zoners began hearing testimony on the shooting range last month. Among those who weighed in on the proposal, as Chapman indicated, was Police Chief Thomas F. Oates III.
“Chief Oates of the Woonsocket Police Department fully supports this application,” zoners said in a “findings of fact” statement.
Chapman told zoners last month that he intends to make a number improvements to 1158 River St. to reduce noise, protect shooters and promote a healthy environment.
Chapman said he intends to build a 12-port firing station in the roughly 6,200square-foot building. He said the facility would be equipped with a commercial “bullet-collection” system, while the walls and ceilings would be reinforced with anti-ricochet and sound-absorption materials. He said in intends to hire Triumvirate Environmental to dispose of firearms-related waste generated by the range, in compliance with regulations enforced by the state Department of Environmental Management and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The companion building that would house the firearms supply shop is somewhat larger than the proposed shooting range. It’s a twostory brick building with a 16,556 square feet of combined space on both floors.
“The applicant wants to provide a safe and secure facility for the public to discharge firearms and provide training for the safe handling of firearms,” the zoning board concluded. Follow Russ Olivo on Twitter @russolivo