Is East Haven National Guard Gun Range Back On State’s Scope?

EAST HAVEN, CT - An old issue - using the National Guard range on North High Street in East Haven as the new site for a state police practice range - may have new life with Ned Lamont as governor.

Lamont said Friday that the new state police gun range won’t be in Griswold.

“We’re going to do a complete analysis,” Lamont said.

The previous administration said that the East Haven National Guard site would not meet the state police’s training needs because police are trained to react differently in a shooting than Army personnel.

Former Griswold First Selectman Kevin Skulczyck and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, didn’t want the gun range to be where previous Gov. Dannel Malloy wanted it – in Griswold. They continually pushed East Haven as what they term the "common sense" alternative.

On Friday, living up to a campaign promise to residents of Griswold who lobbied hard against the gun range, Lamont reiterated that Griswold would not be the location.

Former East Haven State Representative James Albis fought hard against the East Haven suggestion and East Haven's mayor agrees.

When asked previously about the idea, Mayor Joe Maturo, Jr. said: "I will point out that the current range is located in the Farm River flood prone area. Certainly during periods of significant river flooding, the range is one of the first locations in that neighborhood to be found under water."

Maturo added: "No one from the state delegation nor any state official has ever reached out to me regarding this bill. I believe it is very irresponsible for anyone to put forward a bill impacting a community without the courtesy of reaching out to the local leaders."

Griswold residents, in a non-binding referendum, voted 437 against to 63 in favor of the gun range proposal. Opposition from Griswold residents to the plan has been loud and ongoing, with opponents citing concerns ranging from noise and lead pollution to road maintenance costs and disruption of wildlife habitats in the nearby Pachaug State Forest.

The state Department of Administrative Services had wanted to buy a 113-acre parcel of privately owned forest and farm land on Lee Road as a site for a new State Police training facility. The current facility in Simsbury is in a flood zone and repeated flooding and mold led to condemnation and demolition of the classroom building on the property.

Courtney, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said that instead of building the new gun training facility, the state should consider using already existing locations, such as the National Guard firing range in East Haven and a dynamic shooting range in Simsbury.

Utilizing the East Haven facility more would make it less of a target for potential closure by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, Courtney said.

State officials have contended that the East Haven National Guard site would not meet the state police's training needs because police are trained to react differently in a shooting than Army personnel.

But Courtney has said he finds that explanation "hard to understand."

A state website that addresses questions about the training facility suggests that using other sites isn't a possibility.

The explanation on the site says: "The CT Army National Guard has two training facilities in Connecticut, the East Haven Rifle Range (EHRR) and the Stones Ranch facility in East Lyme. Neither of them is a suitable alternative . . . The Connecticut State Police evaluated both sites extensively before determining their unsuitability. There is no range at Stone's Ranch and no land to build one. The East Haven Rifle Range was designed to meet the specifications of the National Guard, not the State Police. The differences are significant, and both agencies agree that it cannot be modified to meet the collective training requirements."