Redondo Beach

Gun Range Next to School Raises Parents' Ire

Parents are up in arms over bullet fragments that litter a school playground in Redondo Beach from a neighboring open-air police shooting range and have filed a lawsuit.

"All's you need to do is put a lid on it," said activist Harry Stuver, who, along with other residents, filed a $5 million lawsuit over the issue. "Put a cover on it."

They fear children are being exposed to harmful lead considered a poison linked to brain disorders and nervous system damage if ingested.

The lead is on the grounds and sidewalks, said Stuver.

The lead came from bullets, fragmenting when they hit targets at the facility.

The source is the Redondo Beach Police Department's shooting range.

They got the city to also vacuum up the pieces at Towers Elementary School across the street, where many of the fragments landed, but Stuver said the efforts are not enough.

Parents are concerned.

"We're playing at the parks. We're walking around," said Cristina Thain, a parent.

Thain believes it's time for the city to enclose the shooting range or shut it down.

"We noticed that there are now strict orders here, that officers cannot fire lead-based bullets," she said.

The only rounds allowed are called "frangible," not made of lead and designed to disintegrate on impact.

But Thain and Stuver claim those rules are being broken.

"Make it enclosed," she said. "Monitor, I guess, the grounds a little bit better."

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