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Shooting plan misses target

Here’s an idea whose time should never come: Having a group of residents plan to supervise a target shooting area on Milford’s town-owned Brox property.

The road to hell, etc.

We don’t doubt that people have good intentions initially. People always believe they will have enough time, enough energy, enough stick-to-it ability to keep up such a project, because, after all, they said they would.

And how is that working out on the Mile Slip Town Forest, where just plain folks are supposed to be ensuring that snowmobilers don’t do things they aren’t supposed to do?

But sure, as selectmen’s Vice Chairman Kevin Federico said, if people come up with a plan, he’ll listen to the proposal. That’s what any good town official would do.

But a plan for a publicly supervised – i.e., supervised by the public, not the police or town officials – shooting range has to take in more than space concerns and hours of operation. It also would have to include some sort of schedule of supervision and a clear list of who was going to be supervising the range and when and for how long.

And who would make sure that when the range was not supposed to be operating that folks weren’t using it anyway?

And who would be responsible for insurance?

What if someone got hurt? Who would take responsibility?

Oh, come on, we all know the answer to those questions: The town of Milford, because not even the most well-meaning group of concerned shooters is going to go out and buy insurance or make sure that medical care was available. They’ll fall back on the town’s insurance, and if someone gets hurt – i.e.,shot – they’ll call the town ambulance service.

Having a shooting range on the Brox property, where there is a school, where people walk, where there are dogs sometimes running loose, is just not a good idea, especially when there are three public shooting ranges – in Manchester, Hudson and Chester – where folks can blaze away to their hearts’ content. Sure, they have to drive, but if target shooting is all that important, what’s a few minutes in the car?

But yes, if someone comes up with a plan, by all means hear them out, but make sure that they understand what’s involved.

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