NEWFANE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Joe Olscamp has owned Escarpment Arms in the Town of Newfane for the past four years, the gun shop has an outdoor shooting range in the back.
"Our range is primarily law enforcement agencies that utilize it," said Olscamp.
Olscamp is concerned for his business and his clients, after New York State Senator Pete Harkham (D) introduced a bill in January, which aims to mitigate outdoor lead contamination from projectiles.
The bill proposes:
- Changing outdoor gun ranges to be 600 yards long and 300 yards wide
- Have backstops that "effectively captures bullets," and have those backstops covered by a roof to prevent erosion
Olscamp said these upgrades would be financially unrealistic for businesses and shooting clubs.
"It's not realistic, now that’s us as business, but you take conservation clubs into play where a lot of people join to teach kids how to shoot…Now all of a sudden these clubs that operate on minimum budget they have to close, because they can't satisfy it," explained Olscamp.
Olscamp said it would cost him thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"Sportsmen as a whole appreciate conservation, to take care of the environment and the land around you," explained Olscamp. "But question is, if we put legislation in place that might as well shut down every business and range, what good is that?"
Olscamp showed me the machine he rolls on the ground to pick up casings.
"Most of the rifle and handgun ammunition has gone away from lead," said Olscamp.
Still, Senator Harkham proposed this to ensure no lead from ammunition impacts the environment.
I reached out to his office, but have not yet heard back. The bill is currently in Senate committee.
