ALTON - On Friday, July 21, 2017, the office of Illinois Senator William Haine (D-Alton) issued a press release regarding Senate Bill 571 (SB571).

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If passed, SB571 will end a current Illinois state law, which exempts gun ranges from noise complaints - a loophole the release calls "a flaw." The proposal was filed by Haine after he claimed to have received calls from several neighbors in the vicinity of an enclosed shooting range in Godfrey called Trigger Talent, which is located off Airport Road.

"I stand behind our local gun ranges as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, but they shouldn't be allowed to disrupt the day-to-day life of the local community," Haine said in a release. "This proposal fixes an oversight in current law and gives the surrounding neighborhood the peace and quiet they deserve."

Trigger Talent owner Mark Maggos disagrees with Haine's assessment of the situation, admitting neighbors once complained, but adding he recently added $10,000 worth of sound mitigation to his shooting arena, including a steel bullet trap. Following that sound mitigation, Maggos tested the decibels of the range from the vicinity of his neighbors' homes, which are 300-500 yards away from his range. He said shots could still be heard, but they were no louder than a normal conversation.

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Shooting only occurs at Trigger Talent during weekend conceal and carry classes, which are a few hours in length and take place during the afternoon.

Maggos even provided a letter to Riverbender.com from a neighbor he said was formerly extremely vocal against his range. The letter thanked Maggos for sound mitigation.

While this legislation would not likely affect Piasa Armory, another indoor shooting range, located at 3685 East Broadway in Alton, armory owner Scott Pulaski issued a statement against the proposed bill via Facebook Messenger, which said the following:

Regarding Senate Floor Amendment 001 to SB571, while we may not be directly impacted by the proposed changes, the use of state power to directly target a business is shameful. Trigger Talent, the target of this measure, may be our competition, but we share the common goal of creating a culture of responsible firearm owners and providing a professional and safe training environment.

Without such environments, the exercise of our Second Amendment rights becomes an onerous endeavor. Use of the state legislature to punish a small business as a solution to a municipal-level dispute during a time when Illinois is facing a budgetary crisis and a mass exodus of both businesses and population is disturbing.

Our state should direct legislative focus to attract and retain small businesses, the backbone of our economy, and ease the restrictions and regulations that have placed a stranglehold on our state. We support and promote the Second Amendment and our fellow small businesses and feel that this legislation is an unnecessary intrusion by the state into a local issue, which should be left to the local governing body.

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