West Islip Rifle Range

West Islip Rifle Range

I am the West Islip rifle range. You never heard of me? I am part of the West Islip High School. When taxpayers voted to construct the high school, I was there and I still am. I am located southwest and at the same level as the indoor swimming pool. There is a locked door that can be opened. You travel down one flight of stairs make a left into a hall way and another door. It has been said that I am the best or at least the second best range in Suffolk County.

I was open for pistol clubs and boy scouts. You see anyone who is twelve years old can learn to shoot a rifle in New York State. Obviously, the adults who voted for the school including the swimming pool and rifle range thought it was wise to have their children learn to swim and to learn respect for the use of a .22 rifle with adult guidance and supervision.

Boy Scout Troop 118 met in the Higbie Lane elementary school during the 50’s and 60’s. The boys sold candy bars and raised money to purchase four- (4) bolt action open peep sight rifles. The rifles were kept in Scoutmaster James Badger’s house. The school had a representative who was present whenever the scouts met. Mr. Ed Guiffre and the adult scout leaders would open the range and instruct the lads in safety courses, shooting positions, firing and cleaning target rifles. Many of the adults spent their time with youth because they had been in World War II. They passed on their hard earned knowledge to these boys.

Mr. Guiffre coached the West Islip Rifle Club and the Rifle Teams for many years. Sometimes, he’d let the members of the rifle team come down at night to watch the pistol team shoot. The boys saw and learned that competitive pistol shooting is an adult sport. Sometimes the boys would get in some extra firing. It seemed that they were more relaxed at night than when they normally practiced after school.

The West Islip High School Rifle Clubs and teams were open for all students. One of the best was a girl named Barby MacNeil who went on to earn national honors on the college level. Of course, in those days, the school administration was wary of any coed sport and unfortunately Barby was not allowed to compete with the boys but she could still be a member of the rifle club.

The West Islip High School Rifle Team won a lot of matches against other schools. Principal John O’Donnell announced the scores the next morning on the school PA system. The 1964 – 1965 team was undefeated and the school received a trophy. These young men fired a Suffolk County record 919 and were led by Pete Pauwels who fired a Suffolk County and school record 191 out of a possible 200. He was hot that day! Some of these boys were drafted or volunteered and saw action a few years later in Viet Nam. I witnessed the skills that were taught and passed on to them and know that what they learned saved at least one of their lives.


Yes, I saw all of these events and many more. I saw the hallway used as a weight room. You see our football coach, Charles Skiptunas, wanted to change WI football from a bunch of kids who just wanted to have fun playing football into a program where a bunch of kids would learn what it takes to win.

But I am closed now. The favorite excuses to keep me closed are the need to improve the ventilation system, while the next is to clean out the spent lead. Obviously, ventilation and lead removal were not problems when boy scouts, pistol teams, rifle clubs or teams used me for sport and recreation. Nor was ventilation considered an insurmountable problem for weight lifters. The board is just too afraid. I am afraid as well. I am afraid that some kid from WI could have had the opportunity to learn riflery in his own high school but was denied the chance and ends up dying in some foreign land when he could have been taught the basics right here at home.