Herriman City Council to search for new location for shooting range

HERRIMAN — After months of debate over a proposed outdoor shooting range, the Herriman City Council decided to scrap its current plans and start the process over.

In recent months, the council heard objections to the plan and decided against that location near 15400 South and 4300 West. The city has a 40-acre donated parcel of land where it could build a 15-acre range. 

"I know the folks that are close to the proposal are in general not for it, and I've heard them,” Councilman Mike Day said. “But if we found the right location, something could work out."

Council members still want a public gun range in the city. Because the land was donated, funding will be a concern for a new location.

Ira Burton and his neighbors live within 1 ½ miles of the proposed gun range site. They didn’t oppose a range or guns; they just didn’t like the proposed location. They felt it was a little too close to the existing homes and schools.

"We think Herriman can do better,” Burton said. “We think that instead of building a small temporary shooting range, we should be able to build a world-class facility that will meet the needs of not just gun enthusiasts, but others as well."

In addition to the public safety concern, residents said they were worried about noise and their property values.

There were several fires sparked by gunfire in recent years, including last summer's Dump Fire in Saratoga Springs and the 2010 Machine Gun Fire in Herriman.

City leaders say a gun range might help with wildfires, because people who go off into the foothills now to shoot might go to the range instead. The ground would be cleared of grass and weeds, so nothing would spark a fire.

E-mail: jboal@ksl.com