WEST SPRINGFIELD – In response to safety concerns voiced by residents in District 4, the Town Council voted at its Dec. 18 meeting to amend language in its firearms and weapons ordinances, prohibiting the use or discharge of firearms within 1,000 feet of a residential property in the area.

Mayor William Reichelt explained to the council that the current state law prohibits the use of firearms within 500 feet and while the area from which the complaints originated represented a small number of dwellings, with the continued development of previously sparsely populated areas expanding the ordinance to 1,000 feet was in the best interest of public safety.

“We’re no longer the same farming community that we used to be,” he said.

Reichelt also noted that the 1,000-foot threshold would limit shooting to publicly-owned land that could be used for that purpose with permission of the Mayor’s Office and the Police Department. The outdoor shooting range at the Pioneer Valley Sportsman's Club located on Sikes Avenue and the new Hot Brass Indoor Firearm & Bow Range on Main Street are exempted from the ordinance.

Councilor Daniel O’Brien, who first heard complaints from residents, noted that all growing communities are faced with similar decisions and are tasked with trying to balance safety with other wants and needs. In this case, it was a “common sense ordinance,” he said.

“I look at the balance as safety versus convenience. It’s convenient to walk out your back door and use your own home range. I used to be able to shoot in my area of town. However, in the past 20 years, other houses have popped up and I can’t shoot anymore,” he said. “That’s what happens when land is sold and developments are put in. But the balance always has to swing in favor of safety.”

Council Vice Chair Brian Griffin concurred with O’Brien’s assessment of the proposal.

“I agree wholeheartedly with Councilor O’Brien’s comments with respect to siding with safety. That is paramount to what we’re up here for,” he said.

Griffin also lauded O’Brien and the process for handling the matter swiftly.

“I think this is what’s good about West Springfield,” he said.

Council President George Condon, a member of the NRA and a self-proclaimed “gun guy,” admitted he initially planned to fight the ordinance, but upon learning more, decided to support it.

“I’d rather err on the side of safety in this particular case, looking at where this is located. Three-hundred and sixty degrees, there are houses around there,” he said.

Former Councilor Jill Fortier-Withee, also a member of the NRA and the Agawam Revolver Club, likewise agreed that for the sake of public safety the ordinance should be passed.

The council also voted to adopt a tax shift factor of 1.5 for fiscal year 2018, ending a lengthy hearing on the subject that spanned several meetings. As a result, residential property will be taxed at a rate of $17.05 per $1,000 of assessed value. Commercial, industrial and other personal property class rate of $32.9 per $1,000.

The decision maintains the residential tax rate from FY17. Last year’s commercial tax rate was $33.14, meaning FY18 will represent a slight tax break for businesses.