Georgetown Township turns down a private backyard gun range near a Hudsonville school

JENISON, Mich. — Georgetown Township trustees have rejected a resident’s request to build a private shooting range on his property near 36th Avenue and Bauer Road, citing the safety of children at a nearby Hudsonville school and a family living next door.

The township’s ordinance does allow a gun range on private property when safety and operating standards are met, WGVU News reported Oct. 6. The board denied this request on a voice vote.

In his permit application, the property owner said he would shoot small-caliber handguns and rifles into a dirt berm, according to the station. He did not attend the meeting, leaving trustees without a chance to ask him questions.

Trustee Amy Grassman said she was not convinced the range could be made safe for the school and for a nearby home with five children. She told the board she believed a bullet had already gone through that family’s garage and been picked up by a 6-year-old boy, WGVU reported. The station did not report where that bullet came from.

Grassman said she had wanted to ask how far the owner planned to shoot, noting that handgun ranges typically run 7 to 15 yards while rifle ranges can stretch to 100, 200 or 300 yards.

The denial does not change the ordinance, which still lets property owners apply for a private range if they meet its safety and operating standards.

Sources:
WGVU News, “Georgetown Township trustees deny proposed gun range near school, home with children,” Oct. 6, 2026, https://www.wgvunews.org/2026-10-06/georgetown-township-trustees-deny-proposed-gun-range-near-school-home-with-children
Photo: Noah Wulf, “Hanging Shooting Target,” Sept. 29, 2019, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hanging_Shooting_Target.jpg

Georgetown Township

Tags: Georgetown Township · News · Schools · Township Board