A weapons manufacturer is looking to expand operations in the Sonoran desert and nearby property owners are up in arms over the prospect of a firing range in their backyard.
Scottsdale-based Dillon Aero makes machine guns that can fire hundreds of rounds in a matter of seconds. Dillon tests their products near the Sonoran Desert National Monument just west of the town of Maricopa.
While the desert might seem like a harmless place to test heavy weaponry, the nature of their operations makes some people nervous.
Carla Lee bought property near the testing site in 2004 with plans of building a home to retire in. Now Dillon Aero owns everything around Lee and a handful of other property owners.
“There is potential risk for the average citizen," Lee said. "And there is most certainly risk to the land owners.”
Lee says despite a large buffer zone between their properties and the site, more needs to be done to protect them from the firearms testing.
“The distances that those weapons fire put us in imminent danger, even if we are on our property," Lee said.
Attorney Heidi Short addressed the Maricopa Board of Supervisors Wednesday on behalf of Dillon. Short said the company is heavily regulated by multiple federal agencies that have all signed off on their plans.
“You’ve got homeland security, ATF are regularly out there, Customs and Border Patrol are gonna be out there quite a bit as well,” Short said.
The testing site is currently zoned for agriculture and Short admitted Dillon has been operating improperly there for more than 20 years.
Short said the company is seeking a Foreign Trade Zone designation for the site to help expedite weapons testing and give the company increased access to materials.
"Certain portions of the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act are suspended or you get relief when you’re within the foreign trade zone,” she said. Short requested the site be rezoned from agriculture to heavy industry to allow Dillon to take advantage of the Foreign Trade Zone.
In addition to security concerns, landowners opposing the testing site say it has decimated their property value. The Board of Supervisors will vote on the rezoning request on Oct. 18.
