Hampton gives OK to trailer shooting range
HAMPTON — For years, Hampton has wanted to relocate a noisy outdoor shooting range near Rip Rap Road in the otherwise sleepy Old Northampton section.
It was costly and finding the right location without having the same issue was a challenge.
The owner of the “war games” simulation company Threat Tec at 34 Research Drive in the Langley Business Park sought to expand the business by adding an indoor shooting range.
It seemed like a match made in heaven.
Last year, the Hampton City Council gave its blessing to rezone the area to make way for a new venue, called GunSmoke, on a 10.5-acre parcel on Magruder Boulevard, adjacent to the existing property.
But last month during a Sept. 23 public hearing, the Hampton City Council unanimously OK’d a use permit for owner Jim Crawford to set up an indoor shooting range inside a trailer, instead.
“That has been a concern to get it out of the neighborhood. This gave us an opportunity to move that range,” Mayor Donnie Tuck said. “And for the most part, this may be an interim thing for him.”
The 53-foot trailer, called the Meggitt “RoadRange,” is a self-contained firearm training facility. The trailer has armor plating, ventilation filter system, acoustical material, thermal insulation and a bullet trap.
The shooting range is suitable for small firearms, a lawyer for the company confirmed, and rifle calibers up to .223. The trailer would be on a concrete slab behind the existing building. It would be only for use by Threat Tec staff and its clients and not available to the public, according to council documents.
In 2010, the city approved conditional use for an indoor shooting range using the same trailer located at another business at NASA Drive, a mile from Threat Tec headquarters, chief city planner Donald Whipple told the council.
“This is strengthening an existing business as well as supporting the business,” Whipple said during the public hearing.
Crawford could not be reached for additional comment. He said previously that an indoor firing range is an opportunity to promote gun safety and have discussions on that topic.
The owner proposed expanding his business during a period of tug-of-war with gun rights groups and state lawmakers.
The Democratic-led General Assembly passed a slew of gun reform laws that went into effect in July. Among them are laws that now limit the number of handguns purchased in a month, while another gives localities the ability to enact laws banning guns in government buildings and other public places. Other new regulations mandate universal background checks and reporting lost or stolen guns within a 48-hour period.
Indoor shooting ranges closed as a part of a statewide lockdown in the spring because of the pandemic. Gun advocacy groups filed a lawsuit to reopen shooting ranges, which reopened May 15 at 50% capacity during the Phase 1 reopening. Most capacity bans for businesses were relaxed by the summer.
Councilman Billy Hobbs said he strongly supports the motion. Hobbs shared that shop owners from local businesses, such as the Bass Pro Shops and Quartermaster Police Supply in Newport News, are rapidly selling guns.
“Both of them had the same fear. We are letting people buy guns who are untrained, and they don’t know how to safety load and unload a gun,” Hobbs said ahead of the vote.
“They are worried about safety as much as anything. It’s not about a dollar. I don’t want to be around anyone who doesn’t know how to load or unload a gun. Now is the time for this.”