Cary approves $3M gun range for McHenry County, other police agencies to practice shooting

Construction to begin 2023

The Cary Village Board has approved an ordinance granting conditional use for a $3 million indoor gun range for the McHenry County Joint Firing Range.

The facility, approved Tuesday, will allow for McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies and other county policing agencies to have shooting practice, said Brian Simmons, the village’s community development director.

McHenry County is planning to construct and operate the indoor gun range on village owned property located at 460 Cary Woods Circle, according to the report presented to the Cary Village Board by community development.

The range will be used for local law enforcement agencies including the village of Cary for police training, according to the ordinance. Under current zoning, gun ranges require conditional use approval.

A public hearing was held on Sept. 8 before the Board of Zoning, Planning and Appeals and the plan was recommended for approval by a vote of six to one, according to the document.

The range, which will be constructed in about 12 to 14 months, will be used solely for law enforcement training purposes and will not be open to the general public.

The land, a portion of the Cary Public Works department, will continue to be owned by the village but the building will be paid for and owned by the county, Simmons said.

The building will be built in a manner that will “minimize any potential adverse noise impacts on adjacent properties from the discharging of firearms within the structure,” according to the ordinance.

Firearms only will be discharged inside the building and firing guns outside of the building or anywhere else on the property “is prohibited,” the ordinance states.