Lawmakers call on military to relocate shooting range amid safety, noise concerns

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - State lawmakers are putting pressure on the U.S. Marine Corps to relocate a longtime shooting range in Ewa Beach.

The state House of Representatives passed a resolution on Tuesday requesting that live fire training and aviation activities move away from the Puuloa Range Training Facility.

This comes after community complaints about increased noise following a range expansion in 2011.

“The range training facility is dilapidated, it’s old. You know relocating the range or building a new one, and having the new technologies is going to improve our military’s ability to defend us,” said Alexander Gaos of the Ewa Neighborhood Board.

Residents said they are also concerned about the potential for a stray bullet to impact nearby schools, homes and parks.

“Area residents are also worried about their families health, the safety and quality of life because of those facility’s impacts,” State Rep. Rose Martinez. “Other agencies and organizations have also raised environmental concerns about these issues.”

In a statement, the Marine Corps Base Hawaii said it has safety measures at Puuloa to protect all surrounding residential areas.

Furthermore, they’re looking at installing sound dampening barriers along the western side of the facility to help minimize noise as well as using multiple smaller speakers at the range.

Copyright 2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.