{"id":291537,"date":"2026-09-22T13:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T13:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/291537\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T13:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T13:40:13","slug":"a-legal-battle-over-a-berks-county-firearms-range-shows-the-power-of-pa-s-gun-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/291537\/","title":{"rendered":"A legal battle over a Berks County firearms range shows the power of Pa.’s gun laws"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story was produced by the Berks County bureau of Spotlight PA<\/a>, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom. Sign up for Good Day, Berks, a daily dose of essential local stories at spotlightpa.org\/newsletters\/gooddayberks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

EXETER TOWNSHIP \u2014 Nearly a decade ago, residents of Pathfinder Meadows started pleading for help as a neighboring gun range held late-night shooting events and began allowing the use of automatic weapons.<\/p>\n

Then they started finding bullets in their homes and yards.<\/p>\n

Now, fed up and frustrated by what they say is a lack of response from the local government, six residents have filed a lawsuit. They want the courts to provide zoning relief to roll back what they argue is an illegal expansion of University Rifle Club.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit, located at 590 Schoffers Road in Exeter Township, has publicly denied wrongdoing and largely refused to change its operations. Attorneys for the club say it has not expanded in the past six years, while also arguing that any such expansion would be legal under a doctrine embraced by the state\u2019s appellate courts. The club is also immune from noise complaints under state law<\/a>, the lawyers argue.<\/p>\n

The rifle club abuts the backyards of homes on Ladderback Lane in the Pathfinder Meadows community \u2014 a land development project Exeter officials approved in 2006 \u2014 with a short wall dividing the two properties.<\/p>\n

The residents filing the suit say they aren\u2019t anti-gun or anti-Second Amendment. They know they moved next to a shooting range \u2014 the gun club is mentioned in at least one Pathfinder Meadows deed reviewed by Spotlight PA. But they want accountability from the club and local officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to know that there\u2019s safety measures in place, and that this isn\u2019t going to happen,\u201d said Raquel Lebron, a plaintiff in the suit who says her home was hit by bullets at least twice. \u201cAnd if, God forbid, it happens again, there needs to be clearly outlined consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pathfinder residents first raised concerns with Exeter officials about the gun range in 2017, with one submitting a formal complaint. In 2018, two people spoke publicly at a Board of Supervisors meeting about the issue. Three years later, in July 2021, a .50-caliber bullet hit a Pathfinder Meadows home<\/a> while people played outside, according to police.<\/p>\n

Other incidents followed. Residents said they found bullets on sidewalks, in backyards, and in the sidings of homes. One pierced a bedroom window in November 2023.<\/p>\n

In response, homeowners spoke at board meetings, sent emails to officials, and petitioned for a public meeting to discuss the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m at the end of my rope. We tried to get the township \u2026 to help us,\u201d Russ Magazzu, who moved to Pathfinder Meadows in 2007 and is a plaintiff in the suit, told Spotlight PA. He later clarified in an emailed statement: \u201cBecause they have not acted on our concerns, including addressing our safety concerns, we don\u2019t just feel disappointed or abandoned, we do feel betrayed by the Township.\u201d<\/p>\n

Records obtained through a Right-to-Know request show Exeter Township conducted a review of the club in response to resident complaints and found the range hadn\u2019t violated any local ordinances. Officials still tried to negotiate a compromise between the parties, but talks fell apart.<\/p>\n

This disagreement between the township and residents over zoning enforcement at the gun range ultimately prompted the lawsuit before Berks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Nevius.<\/p>\n

While the township is not a party in the lawsuit, Solicitor J. Chadwick Schnee said the pending legal matter limited which questions from Spotlight PA he could answer. He said Exeter Township \u201ctook the position that the URC had not expanded the use of the property\u201d in 2021, and declined to answer questions about issues that arose in the years that followed or how the township responded.<\/p>\n

University Rifle Club is represented by the Firearms Industry Consulting Group<\/a>, a pro-Second Amendment law firm that defends individuals, manufacturers, and gun ranges in state and federal legal matters. In filings, attorneys there point to Pennsylvania\u2019s preemption laws in seeking the case\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Spotlight PA, one lawyer for the club emphasized its concern that making concessions will lead to a slippery slope.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you dug into this, you know that residents have been complaining about the club for as long as the club has been there,\u201d attorney Dillon Harris told Spotlight PA. \u201cThe club feels that it will never be enough. There will always be further requests for additional concessions.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Sen. Judy Schwank (D., Berks), who has helped advocate for the Pathfinder residents, was not surprised by the gun club\u2019s stance. Pennsylvania has many gun-friendly laws on the books, including one that preempts most municipalities from enacting any sort of restrictions on firearms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they know they are fully within their rights to operate the way that they want to, and they don\u2019t have to give an inch,\u201d she told Spotlight PA. \u201cSlippery slope, no. They are not going to give anything up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Night shoots and steel targets<\/p>\n

Magazzu said he has lived near University Rifle Club for the past 45 years, and told Spotlight PA he feels it has changed since he first bought his home in Pathfinder Meadows in 2007.<\/p>\n

University Rifle Club has nearly doubled its acreage over the past decade, and offers military and tactical-style shooting. As of March 2026, the club permitted both steel targets and automatic weapons, didn\u2019t limit the time and frequency of their use, and allowed night shooting past sunset for special events.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t the case as recently as 2018. Club rules from that year, which Spotlight PA obtained through a records request, show that only paper targets were permitted and the use of automatic weapons was not allowed.<\/p>\n

Pathfinder Meadow residents began speaking out at Exeter board meetings that year about what they said was increased activity and noise from the gun range. They also complained about the shooting happening after the private business\u2019 posted hours of operation.<\/p>\n

In the following years, residents said they saw the club clear trees, move dirt, and build mounds to establish ranges. Meanwhile, Exeter officials internally sought answers about the work being performed at the gun range.<\/p>\n

On July 4, 2021, a .50 caliber bullet struck<\/a> a home. That caliber is typically used in the military for disabling lightly armored vehicles and equipment, or in long-distance shooting.<\/p>\n

Exeter officials assured residents in August that police and an \u201cinternal committee\u201d were working on the issue. The Pathfinder Meadows community called for a special meeting with supervisors in a petition signed by 114 residents in early 2022. The meeting never happened.<\/p>\n

Residents say problems continued, citing bullet damage to the exteriors of homes and bullets lying on the ground of the residential community. A bullet hit the second-floor bedroom window of David and Raquel Lebron\u2019s home on Crooked Court in November 2023. The couple said their home was hit again in January 2024.<\/p>\n

David Lebron said he tried to resolve issues with University Rifle Club amicably.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understood nobody purposely aimed at my house and shot,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be a bad neighbor. I didn\u2019t want to be an enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Pennsylvania state trooper for 13 years and a Marine who served in Iraq and Kuwait, Lebron is intimately familiar with the sound of a bullet ricocheting and the physical marks left by a shot.<\/p>\n

He said he asked club officials to stop shooting at steel, to which he attributes the bullets landing in the community. Discussions with club officials about fixing his window ultimately \u201cleft a bad taste\u201d for Lebron, he told Spotlight PA. The Lebrons have yet to replace the window, to preserve evidence, but they plan to repair it soon.<\/p>\n

The problems prompted then-Exeter Police Chief Matthew Harley in June 2024 to alert supervisors to the \u201ccritical safety issue involving the University Rifle Club.\u201d Berks County District Attorney John Adams also got involved and threatened, in a letter, to take \u201cimmediate steps to file charges against the club\u201d for any projectiles leaving the range property.<\/p>\n

Citing police reports, Adams wrote, \u201cit is clear that projectiles are routinely striking homes and the residential area of Pathfinder Meadows outside of the property lines of the University Rifle Club.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cFortunately, no one has been injured, but we all are fearful that an innocent bystander could be injured or killed if immediate steps are not taken to abate this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Harley, who retired as police chief in 2025, declined to comment. Current Exeter Police Chief Stephen Powell also declined to comment.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were all sympathetic, and they all responded to the issues and were very concerned,\u201d Schwank said of Exeter and Berks officials, \u201cbut again, all limited in terms of what they could necessarily do to help in the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adams told Spotlight PA that police were never able to identify where the projectiles came from or who the shooters were, so no charges were filed. University Rifle Club is the first gun range with which Berks County has \u201cever had issues,\u201d according to Adams.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut again, the gun range was there before the development was there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Complaints about the club continued as the gun range hosted multiple late-night shooting events that featured automatic weapons and steel targets, according to a November 2025 letter that Adams and then-Township Manager Bill Heim sent to the rifle club.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am hoping the club will cease these night shoots or enter into an agreement that is more reasonable for nearby residents,\u201d Adams and Heim wrote.<\/p>\n

(Larry Piersol, the current township manager, declined to speak with Spotlight PA for this story.)<\/p>\n

Harris, the club\u2019s attorney, responded a month later, saying in a letter it had \u201clong endeavored to maintain a good relationship with the Township and its neighbors, despite the foreseeably foolish decision \u2013 for which it is liable \u2013 to permit and develop residential homes directly on the border of an active shooting range, but it will not be bullied, and the Club will vigorously defend its legal rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

In letters to the township obtained by Spotlight PA, the rifle club declined to reduce the number and duration of night shooting events and use of steel targets and automatic weapons, countering with its own proposal.<\/p>\n

The club\u2019s attorneys offered to end night shooting by 11 p.m. if the township met several demands: agreeing not to further limit the club\u2019s activities; making a public statement that the club\u2019s activities are lawful; indemnifying and defending the club against legal action; allowing the club to expand for long-distance shooting; and providing financial assistance for relocation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear if or how the township responded. The records provided to Spotlight PA do not include a response from Exeter officials on University Rifle Club\u2019s offer.<\/p>\n

Weeks after the gun range\u2019s letter, Pathfinder residents notified Exeter of their lawsuit. Township officials declined to answer questions from Spotlight PA about the latest interactions.<\/p>\n

Harris, the rifle club\u2019s lawyer, spoke briefly with Spotlight PA about the lawsuit against the gun range. He said University Rifle Club denies the residents\u2019 allegations, but didn\u2019t answer follow-up questions about whether members think the bullets came from the range.<\/p>\n

The club\u2019s legal filings also don\u2019t directly address where the bullets came from, instead saying residents haven\u2019t proven the projectiles originated from University Rifle Club, and claiming the residents\u2019 allegations of bullets leaving the range are \u201cimmaterial and inappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

While University Rifle Club was first established in another location in 1916 to train soldiers for World War I, in a 2021 hearing a club official said it no longer trains people to use firearms. He also said members are expected to already have firearm experience.<\/p>\n

An email obtained by Spotlight PA shows the club in early 2026 reminded members to abide by safety rules, like not shooting at loose steel targets or using .50-caliber bullets.<\/p>\n

A disputed expansion<\/p>\n

Six Pathfinder Meadows residents are pursuing legal action using a section of Pennsylvania\u2019s municipal planning code<\/a> that allows plaintiffs to prevent or correct a zoning violation through the courts when a municipality doesn\u2019t act.<\/p>\n

Because University Rifle Club was established before zoning rules for the Exeter community were enacted, it is considered a \u201cnonconforming use\u201d under township law. Such properties can\u2019t expand without \u201cspecial exception<\/a>\u201d approval from the township\u2019s Zoning Hearing Board.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit alleges the club expanded without the necessary zoning relief. It also argues township officials failed to enforce the zoning ordinance despite years of complaints about the gun club\u2019s activities and alleged expansion.<\/p>\n

The club has been at the Schoffers Road location since the 1950s, and up until 2014, the roughly 18-acre shooting range was mostly an open field surrounded by woods.<\/p>\n

That year, the gun club bought 16 acres<\/a> of land surrounding its current property and the neighboring Pathfinders community, and began clearing trees and building raised earth mounds, typically called berms, for designated shooting ranges.<\/p>\n

This work began without required state approvals. In October 2014, the state Department of Environmental Protection inspected the site after receiving a complaint about the work and found violations related to the Clean Streams Law and more.<\/p>\n

The agency ordered the work to cease until the gun club obtained a permit and developed an erosion and sediment control plan. The club received its permit from DEP to \u201cfill berms for the purpose of expanding the rifle club<\/a>\u201d in January 2015. Exeter Township issued a timber harvesting permit in 2015 for the work.<\/p>\n

A club official would later tell Exeter Township officials that in 2015 it extended a handful of ranges, including one to 600 yards, so law enforcement and hunters could shoot from long distances. He also said the club enclosed two of the four ranges at the property with berms for safety purposes.<\/p>\n

The official said the club stopped using those extended ranges in 2020, when it received a Notice of Violation from Exeter Township. (Spotlight PA asked for a copy of this notice, but the township denied the request, claiming an exemption under the Right-to-Know Law.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got the letter from the Township that said it was a no-no, and we need to file for a special exception,\u201d John \u201cJack\u201d Piho, University Rifle Club\u2019s secretary and treasurer at the time, testified in 2021. \u201cWe took everything down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Piho was testifying to the township\u2019s zoning board. The club had filed a special exception permit so it could use the extended ranges and sought an opinion about whether it needed the permit to construct three additional ranges.<\/p>\n

It withdrew the application a little over a month after the hearing. (Piho, who is a member of the Exeter Township Board of Supervisors, did not respond to requests for comment.) Because of that withdrawal, the Exeter Zoning Hearing Board closed the case with no opinion on the matter.<\/p>\n

Later, in March 2023, Exeter supervisors announced at a public meeting that they had found the gun range was not using the expanded ranges, was exempt from noise ordinances, and was complying with all local zoning laws.<\/p>\n

But the township apparently made a determination years before that. The Exeter solicitor told Spotlight PA that since at least Aug. 3, 2021, the township has taken the position that the gun range hasn\u2019t expanded. However, he said the township withheld a document from Spotlight PA\u2019s request from that date because \u201cit reflects internal \u2026 deliberations.\u201d<\/p>\n

In court documents, the gun club argues residents bringing the suit are bringing their complaint too late, too vague about the alleged expansion, and not substantially impacted by the range beyond noise, for which it is immune.<\/p>\n

It maintains that \u201cincreased intensity of a nonconforming use is specifically protected by the doctrine of natural expansion.\u201d This doctrine, adopted<\/a> by state appellate courts, allows a nonconforming use to grow as long as the expansion remains similar in character; within the property\u2019s original footprint; isn\u2019t a different use; and doesn\u2019t negatively affect public health, safety, or welfare.<\/p>\n

The parties met in court on Aug. 3 to argue their points, but the judge has yet to decide whether the case will move forward. He could dismiss the case outright, ask plaintiffs to amend their complaint, or move it forward.<\/p>\n

Magazzu said he feels his quality of life has suffered because of the changes the gun club has made over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t let it go. I can\u2019t go outside and enjoy my yard,\u201d he said. \u201cI still worry about a bullet hitting somebody or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

BEFORE YOU GO\u2026 If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org\/donate<\/a>. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you<\/a> who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story was produced by the Berks County bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom. Sign up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291538,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":["post-291537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}