Denvercolorado gun lawsgun rightscolorado gun control

Proposed Colorado Gun Store, Shooting Range Could Be One Of The Largest In The Nation

Proposed Colo. Gun Store/Shooting Range Could Be Largest In U.S.
The Greeley Tribune
|

A sprawling 100,000-square-foot facility owned by Fort Collins-based USA Liberty Arms is poised to go up near the southeast corner of Interstate 25 and U.S. 34, and it could include a shooting range, gun store and even a full-service restaurant.

Specifically, the potentially $18 million project could spread across approximately 15 acres and house about 60 shooting lanes in a 50,000-square-foot underground shooting range at the intersections of Thompson Crossing and Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Johnstown. Beyond the variety of shooting areas, there would also be an above-ground gun store, classroom space for training, a restaurant and room to grow in the future.

"It's designed to be one location where people can go to safely use firearms and practice them in a controlled environment," said Tracey Ryk, a broker associate with The Group Inc. Real Estate. "It's a beautiful piece of architecture in its conceptual form."

By way of comparison, the Safeway and King Soopers stores in Windsor each span approximately 60,000 square feet. Ryk said this facility could be one of the largest in the country when all is said and done.

The proposal went before Johnstown's planning and zoning board in May. At that time, the board approved the plan but wanted additional information about the environmental impacts along with the associated noise and any potential influx in traffic, citing concerns from residents in the area.

Project planners said that in terms of environmental concerns, air quality would not be an issue -- the lead from spent shells came nowhere close to Environmental Protection Agency standards. Additionally, noise would be mitigated since it is an underground shooting range lined with special filters and sound-absorbing materials, according to a letter from the Thompson Ranch Development Company to Johnstown planning officials.

The issue that has been the most contentious among residents is how additional traffic would be handled on Thompson Parkway, which is the only way to access the Thompson Crossing Subdivision. According to the study, the volume would be "less than half" of what was already planned for under the current design guidelines and existing retail zoning on the 30-acre plot of land.

"The Liberty Institute will be constructed using state of the art technology and will not directly impact adjacent properties," wrote Todd Williams, vice president of Thompson Ranch Development Company, in the report. "We are excited about the potential addition of the Liberty Institute to 2534 ... The Liberty Institute will provide a regional draw to 2534 and a valuable service to northern Colorado."

The building targets anyone interested in firearms -- from police officers in training to people wanting their concealed carry permit and even the weekend gun enthusiast, Ryk said. Through gun and other sales, project designers have said it could rake in up to $10 million annually, all subject to sales tax.

If things progress as expected, and the Johnstown Town Council approves the plans in August, Ryk said construction would take about a year once final pieces of the puzzle were arranged.

"If USA Liberty Arms has done its due diligence and demonstrated the project does not have any direct impacts to surrounding properties, it should be approved," she said. "We are very excited about it." ___

(c)2013 the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.)

Visit the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.) at www.greeleytribune.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

People Who Want More Guns In Schools
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) (01 of09)
Open Image Modal
"I wish to God she had had an m-4 in her office, locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out ... and takes him out and takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids," Gohmert said of slain principal Dawn Hochsprung on Fox News Sunday. He argued that shooters often choose schools because they know people will be unarmed. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R)(02 of09)
Open Image Modal
"If people were armed, not just a police officer, but other school officials that were trained and chose to have a weapon, certainly there would be an opportunity to stop an individual trying to get into the school," he told WTOP's "Ask the Governor" show Tuesday, warning that Washington may respond to such a policy with a "knee-jerk reaction." (credit:WikiMedia:)
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) & State Sen. Frank Niceley (R)(03 of09)
Open Image Modal
Gov. Haslam says he will consider a Tennessee plan to secretly arm and train some teachers, TPM reports. The legislation will be introduced by State Sen. Frank Niceley (R) next month. "Say some madman comes in. The first person he would probably try to take out was the resource officer. But if he doesn’t know which teacher has training, then he wouldn’t know which one had [a gun]," Niceley told TPM. "These guys are obviously cowards anyway and if someone starts shooting back, they’re going to take cover, maybe go ahead and commit suicide like most of them have." (credit:AP)
Oklahoma State Rep. Mark McCullough (R) & State Sen. Ralph Shortey (R) (04 of09)
Open Image Modal
State Rep. Mark McCullough (R) told the Tulsa World he plans to file legislation that would bring guns into schools, calling their absence "irresponsible." “It is incredibly irresponsible to leave our schools undefended – to allow mad men to kill dozens of innocents when we have a very simple solution available to us to prevent it," he said. "I’ve been considering this proposal for a long time. In light of the savagery on display in Connecticut, I believe it’s an idea whose time has come."Sen. Ralph Shortey (R) told the Tulsa World that teachers should carry concealed weapons at school events. "Allowing teachers and administrators with concealed-carry permits the ability to have weapons at school events would provide both a measure of security for students and a deterrent against attackers," he said. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Florida State Rep. Dennis Baxley (R)(05 of09)
Open Image Modal
Baxley, who once sponsored Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law, told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that keeping guns out of schools makes them a target for attacks.“We need to be more realistic at looking at this policy," he said. "In our zealousness to protect people from harm we’ve created all these gun-free zones and what we’ve inadvertently done is we’ve made them a target. A helpless target is exactly what a deranged person is looking for where they cannot be stopped.” (credit:AP)
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R)(06 of09)
Open Image Modal
At a Tea Party event Monday night, Perry praised a Texas school system that allows some staff to carry concealed weapons to work and encouraged local school districts to make their own policies. (credit:WikiMedia:)
Minnesota State Rep. Tony Cornish (R) (07 of09)
Open Image Modal
Cornish plans to introduce legislation that would allow teachers to arm themselves, according to the AP. (credit:Alamy)
Oregon State Rep. Dennis Richardson (R)(08 of09)
Open Image Modal
In an email obtained by Gawker and excerpted below, Richardson tells three superintendents that he could have saved lives had he been armed and in Sandy Hook on Friday:
If I had been a teacher or the principal at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and if the school district did not preclude me from having access to a firearm, either by concealed carry or locked in my desk, most of the murdered children would still be alive, and the gunman would still be dead, and not by suicide....[O]ur children's safety depends on having a number of well-trained school employees on every campus who are prepared to defend our children and save their lives?
 (credit:dennisrichardson.org)
Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett(09 of09)
Open Image Modal
"And I'm not so sure -- and I'm sure I'll get mail for this -- I'm not so sure I wouldn't want one person in a school armed, ready for this kind of thing," Bennett, who served as education secretary under Ronald Reagan, told Meet the Press Sunday. "The principal lunged at this guy. The school psychologist lunged at the guy. It has to be someone who's trained, responsible. But, my god, if you can prevent this kind of thing, I think you ought to." (credit:Getty Images)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip