Vermont judge orders firearms center to remove unpermitted buildings

Posted: Mar 8, 2021 / 05:01 PM EST / Updated: Mar 8, 2021 / 05:31 PM EST

FILE – In this Oct. 2, 2018, file photo, semi-automatic rifles fill a wall at a gun shop in Lynnwood, Wash. With Democrats controlling the presidency and Congress, Republican state lawmakers concerned about the possibility of new federal gun control laws aren’t waiting to react. Legislation in at least a dozen states seeks to nullify any new restrictions, such as ammunition limits or a ban on certain types of weapons. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont judge has ordered the owner of a firearms training center in the town of Pawlet to permanently end any training at the facility and to remove buildings that were constructed without zoning permits.

A Friday decision by Environmental Court Judge Thomas Durkin also imposed some $46,600 in fines and fees against Daniel Banyai, the owner of Slate Ridge. Durkin’s decision says Banyai claimed to have made $1.6 million in improvements to the property since he purchased it in 2013. The 30-acre property is only permitted to have a garage with an apartment.

There was no immediate response Monday to a request for comment sent to an email address for Slate Ridge.