Gun club members say lawsuit a personal vendetta

Port Orchard Independent ^ | Sep 18, 2010 | Kristin Okinaka

[epithermal]

Members of the Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club gathered at their club on Sept. 9 to discuss their next step after learning that a lawsuit had been filed against the club a day earlier by Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge.

“They’re not gonna shut us down,” club executive officer Marcus Carter told the group, urging them to flood newspaper comment sites with support for the club. “It’s about control of people, not gun control.”

The lawsuit, filed in Pierce County, alleges the long-established club had relaxed its regulations in recent years, illegally allowing large-caliber and automatic weapon fire, firing late into the evening, using explosives as target, bulldozing more firing lanes and damaging wetlands.

[epithermal]

"When he and his wife moved into their home nearby in 2002, gunfire was rarely heard. He wrote that in 2008, or earlier, “the loudness and frequency of shooting sounds from the club began to increase appreciably.”"

Just guessing, but the timing would suggest this may have had something to do with political events.

[mrmeyer]

Long Islanders that moved to NW NJ in the late 90's succeeded in shutting down a range my Father brought my family to just about every saturday when I was a kid. It was where my Dad first taught me how to shoot an M1 Carbine and Colt Python at age 6. It was founded in 1946 by returning WW2 vets. At first, the initial complaints resulted in changing of shooting times, but it wasn't good enough for them. The most unfortunate aspect was that the club leased the land and did not own it. The transplants were able to work with anti-gun elements in local government to pressure the property owner to not renew the lease. That ended the range and the club.

Actions like these need to be fought tooth and nail.

[conservativehusker]

Reminds me of an incident at our gun club... I was the webmaster for our club and received an Email one Sunday morning with a complaint that the noise from our trap shoot was waking a guys 2 year year old..mind you this was 9am.

The guy was polite and gave me his address...by google it was 4 miles away!!!!!....I called the shoot director to mention the guy threatened to call the sheriff and complain...the director told me he would tell the sherrif after the sheriff's daughter got done shooting!

[VR-21]

I believe that in countries like Switzerland supressors are available to the public and are used to keep ranges quieter. I’m sure that anti-gun people and politicians in this country would have an open mind to that approach. /s

[Malsua]

Long Islanders that moved to NW NJ in the late 90's succeeded in shutting down a range my Father brought my family to just about every saturday when I was a kid.

Where was this range? I'm from NW NJ, and I don't recall it, so it's probably a ways from me, but I'm just curious.

[Vendome]

What an idiot.

You ain’t gonna hear the report of a gun 4 miles away.

I drive by local range, down busy Highway 101 and our local range being only 1/2 mile from the road cannot be heard.

Heck it is difficult to hear gun fire even on the frontage road which is closer.

[mrmeyer]

It was the Hopatcong Rifle and Pistol Club.