Idaho high court overturns ruling on shooting range

oregonlive.com ^ | 15 November, 2012 | AP

[marktwain]

BOISE -- The Idaho Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling that declared the 2008 Outdoor Sport Shooting Act unconstitutional as part of a lawsuit dealing with the expansion of a north Idaho public shooting range.

[marktwain]

The courts claim to be able to declare laws that limit their power unconstitutional? I suppost this could be true if the legislature passed laws contrary to the constitution, that limited the courts.

[SJSAMPLE]

What is the noise level issue in the 2008 Outdoor Sport Shooting Act?

Does it mandate maximum noise levels? That would seem to go against range preservation intentions.

[SJSAMPLE]

The link had a link to the law.
I'll have to check our local ordinance to see if my club/state has similar restrictions. Over the past five years, we've put up over twenty overhead baffles as bullet-stops and noise abatement.

3) The noise emitted from a state outdoor sport shooting range shall not exceed an Leq(h) of sixty-four (64) dBA.
(4) Sound pressure measurements shall be made twenty (20) feet from the nearest existing occupied residence, school, hotel, motel, hospital or church and in a location directly between the range and the nearest existing occupied residence, school, hotel, motel, hospital or church. If there are natural or artificial obstructions that prevent an accurate noise measurement, the measurement may be taken within an additional twenty (20) feet radius from the initial measurement location. If access to such location is not available, then sound pressure measurements shall be made at the range property line in a location directly between the range and the nearest existing occupied residence, school, hotel, motel, hospital or church.

[Rapscallion]

More judicial over-reach.

[SJSAMPLE]

The original judge objects because the legislature does its job and leaves him less wiggle room to make his own law.

[US_MilitaryRules]

Why don’t they just make silencers legal?

[taxcontrol]

Silencers are legal - they just require a major pain in the ass tax stamp compliance.

[US_MilitaryRules]

Yes, but to just go get one over the counter! Like aspirin!

[aimhigh]

Part of the original problem was bullets hitting houses. A range in Oregon found a good solution. Companies that build concrete sections for bridge overpasses sometimes have defective sections. The rejected sections end up jack hammered and hauled off. The companies are willing to donate these to non-profit shooting ranges. The sections make perfect overhead baffles to prevent errant bullets from leaving a range.

[rmh47]

The unanimous decision...

That's pretty much a spanking of the trial court judge.