BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – The owner of an east Bexar County rifle range said it will be voluntarily shutting down to reorient the direction shots are fired after multiple nearby residents said their houses were hit by stray bullets.
LoneStar Handgun shared the update with KSAT on Sunday, nearly a month after we first reported on the neighbors’ concerns and less than a week after another house was hit by a stray bullet.
Joshua Felker, the owner of LoneStar Handgun, said they do not believe the round originated from its gun range, but are making the changes out of an abundance of caution and to make the community feel safer.
Hunter Mueller is the third resident who has told KSAT that his home was struck by a stray bullet.
“I don’t feel safe coming out in my yard,” Mueller said. “I don’t feel safe walking down the street. My (family) goes and walks to the playground. Who knows how many rounds are going on over there.”
Felker said in the statement that he became aware of another home being hit by a bullet Wednesday night through social media.
LoneStar Handgun said it reached out directly to the homeowner Thursday morning, prior to any law enforcement agency contacting the range about the incident.
Felker said the home was roughly 1,450 yards away from the gun range, and photos shared online showed a heavily oxidized rifle projectile “that appeared to have been inside the side of the house for a considerable amount of time.”
Although neighbors said they can’t be for certain where the bullets are coming from, Katherine Danaway said in March that the gun range “seems the most likely suspect.”
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has previously looked into the neighbor’s concerns, and reaffirmed Saturday that there is not enough evidence to back up the claims.
LoneStar Handgun said it does not believe the bullets came from its range because it has backstops and berms in place to prevent stray bullets from leaving the range.
While deputies found holes in safety baffles during a site inspection, the sheriff’s office ultimately closed the investigation into the range.
LoneStar Handgun said it bought the 146-acre property in 2013 because it believed it would be an ideal location for a gun range, located in a flood plain with nothing around the range at the time.
As development in the area has grown, Felker said it has adapted its operations to be good neighbors to the new subdivisions in the area.
While it still believes the bullets are not coming from the range, LoneStar HandGun said it is making the changes to its rifle range “out of an abundance of caution and our strong commitment to public safety.”
“We are doing everything possible to make certain that our operations pose no risk to our neighbors,” Felker said. “We want every resident in the surrounding community to feel safe in their own home.”
The sheriff’s office said it believes the bullets may be coming from nearby open areas.
“There are other people who shoot in this area, and rounds can and do come from other sources,” Felker said. “We will continue to work cooperatively with anyone who has concerns.”
Despite the reassurances, neighbors remain concerned for the safety of themselves and their families as more bullets are discovered.
“It’s just overall concerning for me,” Mueller said. “I’m just 100% just wanting the safety of my family and my community at this point.”
The sheriff’s office asked anyone who observes someone firing weapons at the public or property to contact its deputies.
Read KSAT’s previous coverage: