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Gun Reports - News

Blue Trail Range in CT Wins Lawsuit, Stays Open

(GunReports.com) – The Connecticut Superior Court has just issued a decision ending the sensational and contentious lawsuit brought by Durham land owner Pasquale DiNatale against Blue Trail Range of Wallingford, ruling in favor of the shooting range on all counts.

Blue Trail’s owner David Lyman says the range has suffered over the years due to the plaintiff’s unsubstantiated claims and all-out media war. “This decision is such a relief,” he said.

The Lyman family has a long and distinguished history in the shooting sports and has always made safety its highest priority. Blue Trail prides itself on being one of the safest rifle ranges in the nation.

Lyman said, "At last, we can refocus on doing what we do best: advancing the shooting sports, coaching junior teams, and operating a premier shooting range for law enforcement and private shooters.”

Blue Trail was defended by the Law Offices of Martha A. Dean, supported by Craig Fishbein of the Fishbein Law Firm, LLC. Attorneys Dean and Schindler of Dean’s law firm successfully defended Metacon Gun Club, Inc. of Simsbury in state and federal court in recent years. Both the Dean and Fishbein law firms are committed to the advancement of safe shooting practices and protection of our constitutional right to bear arms.

Says Dean, “Blue Trail Range is finally free of the dark cloud cast over it by uninformed and negative publicity and duplicative lawsuits.” She continued, “The judicial system provided a forum for a fair, systematic, and thorough examination of the evidence. Quite simply, the evidence did not point to Blue Trail as the source of bullets at issue.”

Reader Comments

For those unfamiliar, there is a mountain between the range and the home of the plaintiff in question, and at least a mile of distance. It was always clearly about harassment, especially as the plaintiff is allegedly a property developer.

Comment by: david b | July 28, 2011

Without questioning the merits of the case, it should reinforce to all of us the importance of range safety. Civilian ranges and sportsman's clubs, especially in well-developed areas like the North East, rely explicitly on no one allowing a gun to discharge unless it is pointed at the target. It's all too easy for some yahoo to create headaches for the rest of us by shooting off a string of uncontrolled fire that, although it may be fun, greatly increases the odds that a projectile will leave the facility.

Allegedly, DiNatale (plaintiff) is a hunter who hunts on his own land as well as a parcel he donated to Durham, with the clause that hunting thereon be reserved for him and his family. Developer? I don't know, but obviously a tad better of than many "Nutmeggers" if he can donate land. The Lyman name (range owner) seems to be prominent in that area as well.

Also interesting is that the "down-range" mountain is part of a park open to the public for hiking, but not hunting. Frankly, in a past life, that mountain would be considered part of the impact area.

Comment by: PVB | July 29, 2011

I remember a case from a few years ago, also from CT, I think, where a woman called police to report that bullets from a nearby range were impacting her property. When the police showed up, she showed them a complete, unfired 30-06 round that she claimed she found in her pool. She actually lived up range, behind the firing line, but she was a chronic complainer about the noise.

Gaviota

Comment by: Lee W | July 29, 2011

I fear that with the encroachment of high density population areas moving ever further from the original boundaries of what used to be called "urban sprawl", we will see more difficulties such as this. While we all would like to have as much range time as we can get, we may find ourselves travelling further and further from home to get that range time. When I was in high school, a friend of mine had a basement range that was constructed using what appeared to be six inch pipe that ran from the inside wall of his basement to the end of the property line in his backyard. Neighbors never complained, and I doubt that any of them knew that we were firing some pretty high power stuff in there. While we did attempt to ventilate the basement, I am still somewhat amazed that we didn't end up with some form of lead poisoning or some kinds respiratory ailments.

I point out the basement range idea, because we may find that enclosed ranges may be one small part of a solution to the pending shortage of range lands. Of course, such ranges will require considerable financial outlay in order to qualify for health and safety standards..... AND, there will likely be some die-hards who will attempt to throw political barriers in the path of such development. BUT, it seems that nothing is simple anymore.....

Comment by: canovack | July 29, 2011

caonvack - I agree completely; that's why I think range safety is becoming more important all the time. Most civilian ranges wouldn't stand a prayer of being approved on any military base. In the military, the assumption is that rounds will be going where they shouldn't, so we create a huge "impact area" to compensate. Civilian ranges make the assumption shooters always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction and always keep their finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. The costs to mechanically contain any errant round would easily shut down all but the wealthiest private clubs, so it behooves all of us to be exceptionally considerate of the neighbors.

Using silencers helps to appease the neighbors, where allowed. I've heard that silencers are much easier to obtain in Europe for exactly that reason.

Comment by: PVB | July 29, 2011