City may curb gun club operations

The Tacoma News Tribune ^ | January 15, 2003 | Kris Sherman

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

If Gig Harbor enacts legislation to regulate the operation of a 52-year-old gun club in the city, the issue surely will wind up in court, said Dan Koch, past president of the Gig Harbor Sportsman's Club.

"I get kind of nervous when I see an ordinance that's going to put a shooting club out of business," gun club member David Gordon told City Council members Monday night, pointing out that there already are laws "against dropping rounds on your neighbors."

But residents of the neighboring Avalon Woods housing tract think it's time the city policed the facility at 9721 Burnham Drive to cut down on noise and the possibility of a grievous accident.

About 600 members use the range for rifle and pistol shooting, as well as shotgun trap shooting, Koch said.

The issue flared in the summer of 2001 after a 12-gauge shotgun slug whizzed past the head of Avalon Woods resident Jim Good and slammed into his house while he was out watering his plants.

Good wasn't injured, but the incident was a sort of call to arms for Avalon Woods residents, long simmering over the noise coming from the abutting gun club.

A lengthy investigation by Gig Harbor police and State Patrol investigators failed to determine the slug's origin.

After months of meetings with gun club and citizen representatives, the Gig Harbor City Council is on the verge of enacting an ordinance to regulate operations at the range.

The gun club, which lay for years in unincorporated Pierce County until it was annexed to the city in 1997, never has been regulated by any authority other than state law, members say.

Following some changes approved by the council Monday night, the ordinance now under consideration would restrict gun club hours to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. It also would have the gun club closed on Saturdays and open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, with the exception of a few special shooting weekends each year.

"They haven't taken it upon themselves to do anything about the noise. The hours of operation does," Avalon Woods resident Mark Schaefer told the council.

Council members will continue to study the proposal between now and Jan. 27, when the issue will come back to them for more discussion. It likely won't receive a final vote for several weeks.

Kris Sherman: 253-597-8659 kris.sherman@mail.tribnet.com

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

The onslaught against shooting ranges continues.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

bang

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Do your ping thing please

[Tijeras_Slim]

The range has been there for 52 years. Who wants to bet the nearby "residents" are recently arrived yuppie-scum. Like morons who move next door to an airport then compalin about the noise....

[Thoro]

12 gauge shotgun slug? Something doesn't sound right.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

You are correct. The folks moved in because the land was cheap and then they started bitching about the noise.

I'd like to slap the numn$ts that fired a slug on the skeet range that got this ball rolling. A range that would be closed on Saturday?!

[Kenton]

The range has been there for 52 years. Who wants to bet the nearby "residents" are recently arrived yuppie-scum. Like morons who move next door to an airport then compalin about the noise....

Or the yuppies who move out into the country and then sue to make their neighbor stop using his tractor early in the morning...

[Tijeras_Slim]

Heck! They also complain that livestock smells, well....like livestock.

[from occupied ga]

A lengthy investigation by Gig Harbor police and State Patrol investigators failed to determine the slug's origin. ... Avalon Woods resident Jim Good and slammed into his house while he was out watering his plants.... Good wasn't injured, but the incident was a sort of call to arms for Avalon Woods residents, long simmering over the noise coming from the abutting gun club.

My guess in that Jim Good or one of his liberal buddies is the origin of the slug.

[Restorer]

Restricting hours of operation of an inherently noisy business is not unreasonable. The club should have instituted some such policy long ago just to be good neighbors.

[AUgrad]

But residents of the neighboring Avalon Woods housing tract think it's time the city policed the facility at 9721 Burnham Drive to cut down on noise and the possibility of a grievous accident.

They should also issue everyone government provided Depends to prevent " the possibility of a grievous accident".

[OneLoyalAmerican]

Greetings fog:
My guess in that Jim Good or one of his liberal buddies is the origin of the slug
My thoughts too.

[Dust in the Wind]

Have you used this one?

[CyberCowboy777]

Washington State Ping List

This is all known Washington State Freepers and interested parties as of 1/03/03
Less those who opted out
If you want on or off this ping list Freepmail me.

[caisson71]

Gig Harbor is within smelling distance to "Osama Mama' Murry's district. If Washingtonians keep electing nuts to public office, they're going to have to put up with more of this.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

That's possible.

[gundog]

Makes me all the happier that I can go out into the sand dunes and make a range anywhere I please.

[Dan Day]

The range has been there for 52 years. Who wants to bet the nearby "residents" are recently arrived yuppie-scum. Like morons who move next door to an airport then compalin about the noise....

Houston's best parrot store (Adventures in Birds) is located in an otherwise "residential" area that is unzoned and has no deed restrictions against businesses. The lots are large and wooded, so the houses aren't right up against each other.

The store also has a "breeding farm" on premises. Needless to say, a few hundred parrots in outdoor cages make considerable noise, at least while the sun's up.

The owner, a very nice lady, has been in a running feud with one of her neighbors for a few years over the noise. The neighbor moved in LONG AFTER the parrot farm was up and running, and *knew* what they were moving next to...

[Dan Day]

My guess in that Jim Good or one of his liberal buddies is the origin of the slug.

Possible, but the range *does* have skeet-shooting, and it's not unreasonable to think that some skeet shooter at the range accidentally got a slug round mixed in among his skeet loads, or had one left in the chamber/magazine that he had forgotten about.

[Robert_Paulson2]

who says he did?
the slug could be a PLANT by an enviral whacko type.

they do things like that, to get their way up here in the northwest.

remember the wild fox hairs they planted in (Idaho?) to get the area listed for endangered species?

I doubt any shotgun fired a SLUG that distance, don't you?
It sounds like a ploy to shut down the gun range, incrementally whilst the NEW homeowners figure out other ways to cause the club trouble.

I suspect a plant by the homeowners... to get the ball rolling their way. Next we will hear about the dangers of lead, seeping into the aquafer... and polluting the water with deadly lead...