My interesting day at Wicen's

[phillyshooter]

He plans on paying for the repairs to the roof and drywall that the round penetrated, that's not an issue. He feels horrible about what happened and I'm afraid it kind of scared him from shooting again. Thank God it didn't hit anyone and am grateful it didn't.

Even though he was using the rifle am I in anyway responsible for his actions? I'm not worried about monetary liability, I'm more concerned that my LTCF could be in jeopardy knowing how easily they are being revoked now-a-days.

[sluggie24]

If you knew how far the house was from the shooting line and the ballistics (weight and velocity) of the bullet it would be a simple trig problem to determine if it was even possible. (determine possible arc over the berm with bullet drop) Knowing how the bullet entered the roof (direction and penetration) would also help.

[carterbeauford]

first thing I would have been after would have been a micrometer...

[SimonTuffGuy]

Ouch... Sucky situation! Good luck and keep us updated!

[Garpman]

It's a shame that happened. I've only been to Wicen's once, and it seems to be the only "long" distance range for gun owners in the Philadelphia and greater area. For this reason alone, I would not like to see it shut down, but I can't really say I like the setup either.

Looking at a map, there does seem to be a good distance, but built up and residential areas are still way too close for my comfort. I can honestly see the POV of the residents of that area.

[MartinBrody]

Unless the local police go out of their way to contact whoever issued your LTCF I don't think you have to worry about it being revoked.

It does sound like the residents in the line of fire have a very valid concern. I have been to ranges where they use a slanted roof that covers the shooting area and extends forward of the shooting area and down so that if you are aiming above the berm you will hit the roof line that comes out. It is a good visual cue to keep muzzles down, and if someone lets off a round too high the edge of the roof would catch it and at least slow it down some. Short of a roof, even just the framing might do the trick.

[normanvin]

i have a question. will the local pd take steps to prove or disprove the round came from your rifle? did you personally see the damage in the roof? did they issue a citation or something?

[Lastdefender]

Have you contacted your homeowner's insurance company or has the potential shooter involved contacted his? It has been years since I've been to that range but I do remember the issues about the neighbors.

You have a duty to notify your insurance company on an incident like this. Remember in PA the home owner has two years from the date of the incident to serve you with suit papers. Failure to notify is an easy way for them to deny coverage.

I would suggest contacting a lawyer immediately. A local guy familiar with both that range and PA gun statues is Phil Kline out of Quakertown.

Good Luck and keep us informed.

Gary

[Philadelphia]

You said they took the rifle and step one is definitely to determine conclusively if the bullet came from your rifle. If they can't prove that, I wouldn't just assume it did because you say that the angle of the rifle was such that you don't think anything could possibly have gone over the berm. It might have even come from the range, but on a different day/time and the homeonwer just now noticed it, etc. Who knows.

As far as your LTCF, hard to say. Assuming they can prove the bullet came from your rifle, you were not shooting, but you were supervising a new shooter who was using your rifle. IMHO, you were both lawfully shooting at a lawful range and did not intentionally allow a shot over the berm. An unfortunate incident but the penalty should not be loss of LTCF.

[phillyshooter]

Originally Posted by normanvin

i have a question. will the local pd take steps to prove or disprove the round came from your rifle? did you personally see the damage in the roof? did they issue a citation or something?

I'm sure the Buckingham PD will prove or disprove the round came from my weapon. I did not personally see the damage to the house and no citation was issued to me or my Brother-in-law.

Originally Posted by Lastdefender

Have you contacted your homeowner's insurance company or has the potential shooter involved contacted his? It has been years since I've been to that range but I do remember the issues about the neighbors.

You have a duty to notify your insurance company on an incident like this. Remember in PA the home owner has two years from the date of the incident to serve you with suit papers. Failure to notify is an easy way for them to deny coverage.

I would suggest contacting a lawyer immediately. A local guy familiar with both that range and PA gun statues is Phil Kline out of Quakertown.

Good Luck and keep us informed.

Gary

I didn't even think of contacting my homeowners insurance or an attorney, if you think this is a good idea I will do so.