Last year, golfers and RVers at Florida’s Glades RV Resort & Golf Course had a terrifying experience when bullets from a nearby gun range flew dangerously close. Even though the stray rounds missed the players, as we reported, they pierced Glenn Mlinar’s RV.
One bullet went at head level, right by his water controls. “If I was here hooking up at the time, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” Mlinar said.
A plea for help
Glenn and his neighbors reported the incident to the Glades County Sheriff’s Office and later brought their concerns to county commissioners. The board promised to explore ways to redirect shooting to prevent future incidents.
Gun range owner steps up
Robert Buker, the gun range owner said, “I wanted to be a good neighbor, so we had a 40-foot berm right down here, but I extended it a quarter mile down so it covers the entire end of the property.”
This new, taller berm now acts as a strong barrier between the gun range and the resort. Buker says the berm is taller than any police range he modeled it after, ensuring stray rounds stay safely contained.
Buker didn’t stop at building a berm. He also compensated Mlinar for the damage to his RV, covering the costs out of pocket.
“That’s what you should try and do in life. As much as it’s possible for you, try to live at peace with your neighbors,” Buker said.
Sources include FOX 4
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RVT1224b
Sounds like a good resolution. Kudos to all the involved parties.
I strongly object to the sentence “His actions show a rare effort to balance gun owner rights with community safety”. There’s nothing rare about it at all, and no range operator – whether it’s a business or a gun club – wants to create a safety issue for people living downrange.
A far more common scenario is that people decide build homes near a gun range that has existed for decades, then they complain about it and try to shut it down. No effort is made to balance gun owner’s rights and it’s important to understand that it’s the homeowners who are the “invasive species”.
Sounds to me like the range owner has gone above and beyond to make his range safe. In my experience that’s pretty much the attitude of range owners/clubs that I’ve worked with. I do wonder who decided that putting an RV park and golf course at the business end of a gun range was a good idea and who in local government approved it?
This happens with race tracks as well. People build/buy homes next to something they have to know will be a massive noise issue and then complain about it…
At least no one was hurt.
Well said Kim.
Thank you for the update, Russ and Tina! Glad to hear how well this ended. Have a great day and safe travels!