Gun Range Debate Heats Up

When a major issue is under investigation and in court and there's $25 million dollars at stake in the outcome, prompting city officials to speak publicly about the issue is usually difficult.

But city officials will speak if prompted a certain way, as they did at this week's city council meeting about the police firing range.

Torrance resident Harry Stuver is part of a group of Torrance residents who want the range redesigned, shut down, cleaned up or moved. The facility sits on the border of Redondo Beach and Torrance and  belongs to the Redondo Beach Police Department. Stuver criticized the city's decision to keep the range open along Beryl Street.

"You should be ashamed of the decisions you have made as city leaders," Stuver said. "It's unfortunate that the members of this community rely on you to make wise decisions. We need to let egos fall where they may and do what's right in this instance."

Torrance residents who live near the site complain about the noise and the pollution from lead bullet fragments. A group of 18 residents recently filed a civil lawsuit seeking $25 million in damages over possible lead exposure from the range.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is investigating, and the State Department of Toxic Substances Control has already said the city violated state hazardous waste laws. Redondo Beach is conducting its own investigation of the site using outside lawyers and consultants.

"We're just asking you to do the right thing and be concerned for people's health and safety," Stuver said.

Councilman Steve Aspel told meeting goers he didn't want to respond, but felt compelled.

"I'm personally offended that you would come down here and tell us what morons we are," Aspel said. "You go talk to your own city council, the people that approved the houses next to that shooting range that was there before you were even born."

During his public comments, Stuver complained that there isn't even a record of when the gun range was granted its initial permit. That prompted longtime Councilman Pat Aust to provide what might be a well-known brief history of the gun range to those involved with the issue.

"I supplied pictures to the city attorney of the police pistol range in 1947," Aust said. "It's been in that location for that amount of time."

Aust said the reason a permit probably doesn't exist for the gun range is because the land was initially used as the city dump, and no one wanted to live next to the dump. The dump was removed in 1966, about ten years after those houses in Torrance were built nearby. Towers Elementary School in Torrance, also near the range, was built in 1961, at least 13 years after the pistol range was established, Aust said.

"We're not doing this as an affront on our neighbors in Torrance," Aust said. "But it is something that our police have to maintain their ability to defend themselves and defend our citizens and keep proficient at using their weapons and that's why we have a pistol range."

The city of Redondo Beach tried to build an indoor shooting range below the police department in 1973, Aust said, but it wasn't going to work because of a lack of ventilation.

"It's not that we're trying to be bad neighbors. We're trying to be good neighbors but you know all these things cost millions and millions and millions of dollars just to try and be a good neighbor," Aust said. "So I guarantee you that pistol range was there making noise and I was probably one of the guys shooting when you moved in there."

Mayor Mike Gin ended the debate with, "This will be settled in court."