WILTON — A Wilton property owner posted his sand pit on Route 2 as of Thursday, after learning of complaints from residents of loud, repetitive gunfire there, Police Chief Heidi Wilcox said.

Marius Carrier was unaware of the target practice, Code Enforcement Officer Adam Cote told selectpersons this week.

The pit is next to Upright Frameworks.

Cote contacted Carrier after a McLaughlin Road resident came to the board with complaints this month. The resident said there were repetitive shooting noises and what sounded like high explosives. 

“We’re hearing gunshots for hours on end,” she said. “I’m really tired of it and so are my neighbors.”

Resident Irving Faunce came to the board this week to ask that steps be taken to get it under control. The neighborhood has listened to it all weekend and are tired of it, he said.

The noise echoes across Route 2 and a large field to Main Street and the McLaughlin Road area, about half a mile away.

Faunce went to the site and said the shots were being fired randomly into the side of a hill. He was concerned about them ricocheting.

“It is a pressing safety issue,” he said.

Some of the targets are old refrigerators and TVs.

Along with the targets, the shooters are using Tannerite, an exploding rifle target, Wilcox said. Tannerite is legal and readily available, she said.

The space is a relatively safe place, she said, and when done during reasonable hours there has been no crime committed, she said. Every time police have responded to shooting complaints, people have said they are there with the owner’s permission, she said.

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