Tom Nobile

Staff Writer, @TomNobile

RAMSEY — The Borough Council will hold off on voting tonight on an ordinance that could block a 60,620-square-foot gun range from coming to town.

The council was slated to vote to amend a 1961 ordinance that prohibits the firing of “any pistol, shotgun, rifle or other type of firearms anywhere in the borough.” The ordinance currently contains an exemption for gun ranges, which the council wants to remove.

Per Borough Attorney Peter Scandariato, the ordinance was tabled so he and international law firm Troutman Sanders – which was hired by the borough on a pro bono basis – could review recent Second Amendment cases around the country and possibly modify the council’s ordinance.

One such case is a February decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a ban on semiautomatic and military style guns in Maryland.

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“We believe this case is very favorable for us,” Scandariato said. “We want to analyze it and make it part of our prudence.”

Representatives from the New Jersey Second Amendment Society, an advocacy group for gun owners, have pledged to sue if the council adopts the ordinance. President Alexander Roubian has said his organization would immediately file a complaint in federal court.

The gun range application is currently being heard by the Planning Board. The next public hearing is scheduled for April 8.

Email: nobile@northjersey.com