A North Texas school district has obtained a court-ordered restraining order against a nearby gun range after two stray bullets struck the exterior of a brand-new middle school before a single student had set foot in the building — and after the gun range's own owner admitted during discussions that it was possible for a careless shooter to fire over the facility's safety berm and reach the campus.
Northwest Independent School District filed a lawsuit last week against Quail Creek Shooting Range in Northlake — a facility that has operated since 1980 — after the district discovered two separate bullet strikes on Barksdale Middle School's south-facing exterior wall and windows. The first bullet was found embedded in an exterior wall in May. A second struck exterior glass in July. The south side of the building lines up directly with the gun range's firing line approximately 1.2 miles away. District officials met with range owner David Rose to seek voluntary safety improvements. Rose acknowledged during those discussions that it was possible for a shooter to elevate a firearm and clear the range's protective berm, allowing rounds to travel toward the school — describing such a shooter as a "goober." No voluntary agreement was reached. The district filed suit the following day.
"Northwest ISD has no intention of attempting to shut down the gun range; we are merely ensuring that reasonable safety standards are met for the protection of our students, staff, and community." — Northwest ISD statement
A judge sided with the district on Friday, granting a temporary restraining order restricting Quail Creek from allowing customers to fire rounds capable of traveling the distance to the school campus. The order prohibits certain calibers and firearm types at the range until a temporary injunction hearing is held later this month. The district said it rescheduled Bronco Camp orientation events to evening hours — after the range closes — as a precautionary measure while the legal proceedings continue. Barksdale Middle School's first day of classes was August 12.
This case is not a gun control story — it is a property rights and negligence story. The range has operated lawfully for 46 years, and the district is not asking the court to close it. What the district is asking — reasonably — is that a commercial shooting facility not direct fire toward a school. The range owner's own acknowledgment that an irresponsible shooter could clear the berm and strike the campus is the critical admission. That is not a hypothetical risk. Two bullets have already proven it is real.
Quail Creek Shooting Range has been located in the Northlake area since 1980 — predating the residential and school development that has grown up around it over four decades of suburban expansion north of Fort Worth. Texas law does not prohibit the operation of gun ranges near schools, though it does impose safety standards on range construction and operation. The temporary restraining order will remain in effect until the temporary injunction hearing, at which point both parties will have the opportunity to present evidence on permanent restrictions.
Responsible gun ownership means being accountable for where your rounds go — and that responsibility extends to commercial range operators who know their firing lanes point toward a school. This is not a case that requires a policy debate about the Second Amendment. It requires a range operator to install adequate baffling, adjust firing angles, or restrict the calibers used at stations that present a risk to a neighboring campus. The court has now told them as much. The safety of students at Barksdale Middle School should not be a negotiable point.