http://www.unionleader.com/cri...n-route-101-20170626


Sig Sauer gun ranges closed after bullets found to be falling on Route 101
By JASON SCHREIBER
Union Leader Correspondent


EPPING - Sig Sauer Academy's firing ranges facing Route 101 have been shut down after a state police investigation found that bullets were falling onto the highway.

State police announced the range closure Monday following an investigation that began in April when Kristen Burke of Hampton reported that a bullet had struck her windshield while she was traveling westbound between Exits 7 and 8.

According to state police, detectives concluded that the round that hit Burke's car likely came from Sig Sauer, which is located just north of the area where it was struck.

State police said that while the investigation revealed that rounds being fired from the ranges at Sig Sauer were falling onto Route 101, they determined that the bullet that shattered Burke's windshield wasn't fired from a pistol at the time that she was passing through the area.

The results of the investigation have forced Sig Sauer to shut down the firing ranges facing Route 101 until a proper round retention system is installed, state police said.

State police referred the case to the Rockingham County Attorney's Office for review, which determined that no additional law enforcement action will be pursued.

Shortly after the incident, Burke told the New Hampshire Union Leader that she first thought that a rock had struck her windshield while she was driving her Honda Pilot with her two young children inside. It wasn't until she brought the vehicle to a repair shop that the bullet was found inside the car, she said.

"Right away I thought, ‘If that hit me and we got into an accident it would have been horrible.' The first thought is your kids. That's where your mind goes," Burke said at the time.

A Sig Sauer representative said Monday that she wasn't aware that state police had released information on the investigation and the closure of the firing ranges.

In the days following the incident, Sig Sauer issued a statement in April defending its facility.

"The Sig Sauer Academy takes safety very seriously. We are confident that the findings of the New Hampshire State Police investigation will reassure everyone that our facilities present no danger to the public," the statement said.

jschreiber@newstote.com

I'm confused. The bullet that penetrated her window didn't come from SIG Academy, but during the investigation they found that rounds had escaped their berms? Am I reading that correct?

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I'm confused. The bullet that penetrated her window didn't come from SIG Academy, but during the investigation they found that rounds had escaped their berms? Am I reading that correct?

Ha, yeah. That threw me off too.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I'm confused. The bullet that penetrated her window didn't come from SIG Academy, but during the investigation they found that rounds had escaped their berms? Am I reading that correct?

I don't know, and I doubt anyone who has only this article to go on can tell. All I can tell for sure is that this is another sterling example of modern journalism.

quote:

According to state police, detectives concluded that the round that hit Burke's car likely came from Sig Sauer, which is located just north of the area where it was struck.

State police said that while the investigation revealed that rounds being fired from the ranges at Sig Sauer were falling onto Route 101, they determined that the bullet that shattered Burke's windshield wasn't fired from a pistol at the time that she was passing through the area.

OK I am confused. Are the state police saying that someone else not from the Sig Academy was shooting in the area? Is it me or is this just a poorly worded story?

maybe someone who has been there can clarify, but when I look at the google earth view of
233 Exeter Rd, Epping, NH 03042
it appears that the range is such that they shoot away from the hiway.

am I correct?

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I'm confused. The bullet that penetrated her window didn't come from SIG Academy, but during the investigation they found that rounds had escaped their berms? Am I reading that correct?

Yes, just poorly written? It should probably read something like: "we believe this round came from the Sig range, but can't confirm". Who knows?


"According to state police, detectives concluded that the round that hit Burke's car likely came from Sig Sauer, which is located just north of the area where it was struck.

State police said that while the investigation revealed that rounds being fired from the ranges at Sig Sauer were falling onto Route 101, they determined that the bullet that shattered Burke's windshield wasn't fired from a pistol at the time that she was passing through the area."

I googled other sources too. All are just as poorly worded/confusing. Almost like they just copied from the same source.

I think this explains it all in a nutshell. Start listening about one minute in. Enjoy

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
maybe someone who has been there can clarify, but when I look at the google earth view of
233 Exeter Rd, Epping, NH 03042
it appears that the range is such that they shoot away from the hiway.

am I correct?

That's the way it looks to me, but I've never been there. Google satellite views are generally updated once a quarter, so I'm guessing that view is pretty current.

The bullet came from the Sig Sauer Academy. The state police said that the ranges weren't in use at the time of the windshield strike, indicating the bullet, and many others, had likely been laying on the highway and kicked up by a vehicle tire.

Looks like the range is about parallel with the road but that doesn't mean a bullet could not strike a rock and fly off at a 45 degree angle towards the road.

The Izaak Walton League in Loudoun County had problems with a persons house located on the hill at about a 60 degree angle to the right of the line of fire. There were many bullets laying on the ground behind the embankment and to the right for about 100 plus feet or more.

You need an overhead trap to keep the bullets from flying behind the embankment.

Our Izaak Walton range was forced closed a good many years ago due to transpassers bringing in heavy weapons with stray shooting over the berms into housing roofs 2 miles away. The fact that local law enforcement used the ranges for training didn't have an impact one way or another on the debate leading to closure Sucked big time and no the asshats were never caught but their few unretrieved brass revealed calibers (50 cal, 338 Lapua, etc).

quote:

Originally posted by Ken226:
The bullet came from the Sig Sauer Academy. The state police said that the ranges weren't in use at the time of the windshield strike, indicating the bullet, and many others, had likely been laying on the highway and kicked up by a vehicle tire.

Or maybe it was a ghost gun.

I have shot on the Sig Academy ranges and they are the best designed for safety I have ever seen. There are many ranges on the facility so its hard to nail down which range the rounds came from. I do recall hearing highway noise behind the berm of one of the ranges but the berm was huge. Target placement can result in rounds ricocheting over the berm on any range if there are no overhead baffles. We dealt with that problem years ago with concrete bridge beams over the target area. Hope they get this worked out soon its a great facility

One outdoor range here has huge overhead beam structures about every 10 yards. It looks like you are shooting into a cave but seems to do a decent job keeping poor shots from breaking free.

There are several smaller ranges at the Academy which face highway 101. They call it "Area 51".

https://www.google.com/maps/pl...-71.0378247?hl=en-US

The berms are at least 30 feet tall with a tree line at the top. While the article suggests that the vehicle was hit by an errant bullet, I find it hard to believe that bullet came directly from a gun muzzle, more likely a ricochet from a steel target on the range - IMO.

It's unfortunate the article is so brief on facts and poorly written.

The ranges temporarily closed are six of the nine bays in Area 51. Those bays face south towards Route 101, and are the only bays on the property facing south. In Google Maps, you can not clearly see these bays as they are hidden by trees and shadows. There are more than a dozen other ranges on the property that remain open and very active.

The berms for the bays at Area 51 are high enough that (IMO) it's impossible for a bullet to end up on Route 101 unless it was propelled from a weak slingshot. It's possible a fragment or bullet ricochet flew over the berm and landed on the roadway after hitting steel. It's also possible a car or truck that was parked on the range, "picked up" a bullet or fragment in the tire's tread, and deposited it on the roadway after it left the academy.

The car on the highway was NOT hit by a bullet/fragment from a firearm discharge. There was no training or shooting happening at those bays at the time the windshield broke. Almost certainly, the fragment was on the roadway and kicked up by another vehicle when it hit the car's windshield.

I'm not saying it was fired from the Sig range, but I'm very skeptical of the "kicked up" theory. Has anyone here ever seen windshield penetration from a small "kicked up" object? I've seen and had windshield cracks and chips, but I've never seen or even heard of a small object penetrating a windshield.

Not locked, yet? Well, before the lock, I'm in.