The legislature is considering tightening the rules on backyard gun ranges. This comes in the wake of several incidents across the state where residents were concerned about their neighbors opening fire in their backyards.
Right now, you can build and use a gun range in your backyard as long as you’re not firing your gun “recklessly or negligently.”
The Florida House passed a bill last week that would make it a misdemeanor to fire a gun in a residential area or any community with the density of one or more housing units per acre.
It’s unclear if there will be a final vote on the Senate version of the bill as time for session is running out.
North Port Mayor Rhonda DiFranco said the legislation is a good start. But, it only addresses shooting at backyard gun ranges in more densely populated areas.
“That helps us inside our city areas, but in our residential-agricultural area. Not so much. And that’s where we’ve been having the problems. There have been bullets going into homes,” she said.
DiFranco has a background in law enforcement. She said she would like to see language that defines what counts as a gun range. That way, law enforcement can identify which ranges are safe and up to specific standards.
