Source: Reuters
Florida mayor fights backyard gun ranges in 'Gunshine State'
By Barbara Liston
ORLANDO, Florida Thu Mar 6, 2014 1:49pm EST
(Reuters) - Every Wednesday afternoon, Doug Varrieur steps into his backyard in the Florida Keys, aims his .380 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol and fires shots that ricochet through city halls around the state.
Varrieur, 57, discovered a little-noticed part of Florida law which prohibits local governments from restricting gun rights in any way, and in December he set up a personal gun range on his property in a residential subdivision.
Neighbors were outraged by the live gunfire, but their surprise was nothing compared to that of municipal leaders, who were shocked to realize there was nothing they could do about it.
"The rational gun owners I speak to realize this is lunacy," said Michael Ryan, the mayor of Sunrise, in southeast Florida.
