Approval of safety canopies that will prevent bullets fired at the Manteca Sportsmen Club from going over a nearby levee is before the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors when they meet Thursday, Feb. 5, at 5 p.m.

The improvements — as well as a requirement that a certified range master to be on site during hours of operation — are being required to ensure activities don’t pose a safety issue to attendees or the general public.

The capabilities of guns have evolved since the county approved the range in 1964, nestled between Airport Way and a levee just east of the Airport Way crossing of the San Joaquin River.

That has resulted in projectiles, or bullets, traveling greater distances.

The Planning Commission formally declared the range a nuisance in 2022.

That decision came after bullets were landing outside of the shooting range property causing a safety hazard to the public.

Bullets were found up to 1-mile north of the shooting range on land owned by the San Joaquin County Office of Education.

Thes site contains two educational facilities — a regional center for STEM and environmental exploration (Durham Ferry Outdoor Education Center) and a charter school (Historic Durham Ferry Academy).

At that point, the club was ordered to stop using certain types of guns on the range until medications were made.

Those modifications are now before the planning commission.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com