Proposed legislation prohibiting the use of an outdoor gun range within a mile of the school (grades K through 12) would affect Cranston’s Police Academy Training Complex on Phenix Avenue if passed. District 16 Representative Brandon Potter introduced the legislation at a judiciary committee meeting on March 30. The range has been a source of tension within the city, and Mayor Ken Hopkins and the Cranston Police Department are looking into addressing the issue.

The legislation reads, “Effective January 1, 2023, no outdoor gun range shall be used for firing, discharging or 2 shooting firearms within a one mile circumference or closer of any school kindergarten through 3 grade twelve (K-12) and all grounds and sports fields connected thereto.”

Potter introduced the legislation March 4, where it was then referred to the House Judiciary Committee for March 30. Potter said the idea for legislation first came to him during his 2020 campaign and hearing residents around Western Cranston talk about the issue and how students at Cranston West and Western Hills Middle School could hear the sounds.

“A number of people voiced their frustration and displeasure to me,” said Potter.

He learned that other towns within the state had firing ranges near schools and that students could hear the shooting during the school day.

“When students hear gunfire, they have a reasonable reason to be concerned about that and desensitizing them across the state to what that sound can mean – that should be a problem we should all be concerned about,” Potter said.

Potter read from Cranston resident Nicole Robinson’s written testimony. Robinson’s children attend Cranston West and she wrote that when other towns’ sports teams visiting Cranston West’s fields are unaware of the gunshots and duck when they hear the noise. Additionally, Robinson’s son had a new teacher who was unaware of the range and ducked under the desk until students told her what it was.

Another resident, Jeanne Thomason who lives on Wayland Avenue, wrote that the legislation is long overdue.

“As a parent and a former teacher, I cannot believe those in control of this shooting have not been horrified by the impact this noise can have on students, who are daily facing the threat of school shootings that are prevalent throughout our country,” Thomason wrote.

Potter said in a post Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland world, the sounds of guns shouldn’t be normalized.

“This is not an anti-gun bill, this is not about trying to take away any rights. This is a pro-student bill,” Potter said.

Colonel Michael Winquist, Cranston’s Chief of Police, submitted a letter to Rep. Robert Craven, Judiciary committee chair, informing him that he opposed Potter’s legislation.

“The range is a critical resource for the members of the police department as it is used to ensure that all officers are proficient with their department-issued firearms as required by state law,” Winquist wrote.

The Cranston Police Academy Training Complex was built in 1956. The range is used by the department and twice per year the Rhode Island Police Municipal Police Training Academy use the location to train police recruits from across the state. Cranston West was not constructed until 1958 and Western Hills Middle School was built in 1970. Additionally, many of the surrounding neighborhood homes were developed after the firing range’s establishment.

“During my almost eight-year tenure as the Chief of the Cranston Police Department, I am not aware of a single complaint from high school students or faculty about the range,” Winquist wrote.

Winquist said there is no danger as all rounds – they are fired in the opposite direction from the school against a cliff wall and grass berm that is several feet high; the noise that reaches the school is within the decibel range allowed by city ordinances.

He said the department is doing their best to restrict firing to certain hours and no longer allow outside law enforcement agencies to fire rifles or shotguns due to the elevated level of noise that these weapons can cause. The department is working with the city on researching sound mitigation options to include partially or fully enclosing the range. Winquist said moving the range is not an option due to environmental restrictions and the lack of city-owned property that could accommodate such a facility.

Representative David Place voiced his concern that the bill, saying it seemed hyperlocal and that the statewide legislation would be based on an issue at one location – he also noted that Potter was the only sponsor on the legislation.

The Department of Environmental Management informed the Judiciary Committee that the DEM Division of Law Enforcement operates a training range on Blitzkrieg Trail in Exeter.

“This facility is slightly under one mile from the nearest school and could be impacted by the legislation,” wrote Terrence Gray, P.E. Acting Director.

Cumberland’s Gregory Moore, who is a Cumberland Beagle Club member, opposed the legislation and wrote that the legislation would close the range he goes to.

“It will do nothing to prevent crime and only place undue hardship on law abiding gun owners to exercise constitutional rights to bear arms and the responsible training in their use,” wrote Moore.

If passed, the legislation would take effect Jan. 1, 2023. Potter said Cranston is looking into an indoor range. He said Mayor Hopkins hopes to allocate some of the city’s ARPA money to this, and while the city is still looking at what the final construction costs will be, it is in the millions.