In re Laberge Shooting Range, 2018-102
Attorney Hans Huessy successfully defended a decades old local institution from likely closure. Neighbors had sought to force the Laberge Shooting range in Charlotte, Vermont to apply for an Act 250 permit. The Range, which predated Act 250 by decades, could never have complied with the Act’s noise guidelines. The range is used by local gun safety instructors, the UVM shooting team, and many local, state, and national law enforcement agencies. The primary issue on appeal was whether the Range’s acceptance of donations gave the Range a commercial purpose. The Supreme Court confirmed the trial court’s ruling that, because the receipt of donations was not critical to the Range’s operation, the acceptance of donations alone did not give the Range a commercial purpose.