Planners approve extension for gun club near Red Rock Canyon

By Jeff Pope (contact)

Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 | 1:39 p.m.

The Clark County Planning Commission approved a 10-year renewal for the Desert Sportsman's Rifle & Pistol Club last week.

The County Commission will have to give final approval for the permit, which faces opposition from Summerlin developer the Howard Hughes Corporation.

The gun club has been in the same location on the south side of State Route 159 just east of the entrance to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area since 1969.

Back then, the shooting ranges were well outside densely populated areas. Now, Tom Warden, senior vice president of community and government relations for Howard Hughes, said the company is developing a neighborhood just to the north of the highway and within view of the club's 10 firing ranges.

Another potential issue is that the Clark County School District has started construction on a career technical academy about a half a mile to the northeast of the club on Charleston Boulevard.

The county planners had not heard from the school district about the club.

While there may not have been any complaints against the club yet, Warden said it is no longer an appropriate location because of the encroaching development.

"These people are very safety conscious. They run a very good organization," he said. "But the point I'd like to make is we're human beings that make mistakes. People do stupid things. Even smart people do stupid things."

Warden said he is a gun owner and has shot at the club.

Shooting is controlled and safe, said Arland Anderson, executive officer of the gun club. The shooting areas generally aim south toward the mountains. Every range has an impact berm made of granulated rock to prevent ricochets and the club built earthen berms along the highway to act as sound barriers, Anderson said.

"The shooting matches we have, they're controlled. The ammunition is fired into a berm where it stops," he said. "He (Warden) said anything's possible and that's true. We make every effort."

The club is used by many local, state and federal law enforcement agencies for training, Anderson said.

Law enforcement officers also use a range on Sunrise Mountain and the Clark County Shooting Park is under construction and is scheduled to open this summer.

At 2,900 acres, the county park is much larger than the 480-acre Desert Sportsman's Club. When complete, the county park will have 900 acres developed and at least a 1-mile buffer from the nearest residence.

The private club has 2,000 members and operates from 7 a.m. to midnight to accommodate the demand for shooting facilities in the area, Anderson said.

Planning Commissioner Charlie Johnson said the shooting ranges provide a safe environment for gun users.

"If we didn't have shooting ranges, people would just go out and shoot," he said. "It'd be much more dangerous if we close this down. People would just go out on that hill and shoot."

As part of the approval, the Planning Commission also required the club to have security on site after dark and raise the berms to the north of the club.

Planning Commissioner Vivian Kilarski voted against the 10-year renewal, saying she preferred a 5-year limit for the permit.

County commissioners are scheduled to review the renewal on March 4 during their zoning meeting.

Jeff Pope can be reached at 990-2688 or jeff.pope@hbcpub.com.