North Carolina City Closes Firing Range to Ensure Park Safety

The renovation of one of Gastonia, N.C.’s oldest parks will put visitors closer to a nearby shooting range, which is being closed to the public for a month of evaluation.

The Gaston Gazette reports that city leaders are closing the firing range to the public until the National Rifle Association reviews safety measures.

The city’s $3 million renovation makes the lake at Rankin Lake Park accessible to the public, bringing visitors within 200 yards of the Gastonia Police Department’s firearms training facility.

The rifle range is positioned so that shots are not fired toward the park and earthen berms built to stop bullets have been beefed up .

Gastonia recreation director Chuck Dellinger says a new fence should prevent people from entering woods that run behind the shooting range.