Madison County’s shooting range will re-open to local law enforcement officers July 1. The supervisors recently approved a temporary policy – that expires Dec. 31 – which will cut back the range’s hours and the number of days it can be used each month.

Thumbs up to county officials’ idea to block access to the county’s shooting range to non-Madison County law enforcement officers. Madison officers do need a close-by range to practice shooting – and so do taxpayers, who would be hit with added expense if they have to keep paying hefty mileage fees for Madison deputies to use ranges in other counties. But letting outside agencies over-run the Shelby range apparently inflicted a good bit of unneeded misery for folks living nearby. The outsiders overwhelmed the facility, forcing expanded hours and even creating traffic problems as users sped to and from the site (we’re assuming the out-of-county lawmen were the ones reportedly speeding, since hometown “Madison Pride” likely keeps Madison lawmen more neighborly than outside ones).