Posted on 02/17/2012 6:22:07 AM PST by marktwain
The outcome of Kitsap County vs. Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club has undoubtedly brought relief to a lot of people in the northwest part of the county.
Since the club began expanding its facilities in 2005, its neighbors have been bothered by increased noise from bulldozers and from larger and larger weapons, as well as by the threat of bullets flying beyond the club's embankments.
Until 1993, the club had rifle and pistol ranges with cleared land between them, but then it began clearing more acres, grading the land, excavating wooded areas and using bulldozers to rearrange the earth for berms and backstops.
It also began adding shooting bays and allowing higher-caliber, automatic weapons capable of firing bullets more than four miles. Because the berms weren't high enough to contain bullets, errant projectiles ended up far outside the range and endangered the public.
The club intensified members' use of the range in two additional ways: It allowed them to fire at exploding targets, and it extended its hours so members could shoot from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week.
In 2005, the Kitsap County Department of Community Development spelled out what the club would have to do to comply with the code for rural wooded zones; but even though the club admitted that its use of the property had intensified, it believed it didn't need to because of its grandfathered status.
The County's code enforcement officers began building a case against the club and at one point issued a stop-work order on the club's expansion of its shooting ranges. But in the spring of 2009, when the enforcement officers wanted to inspect the property and were told by the club's leaders they'd first have to submit an application to the club's board, it became clear to the county prosecutor that the only way to resolve the issues was to bring a lawsuit against the club.
A glimpse into the club's mind is evident on its website where the claim is made that the right to keep and bear arms comes from God, a claim that may help explain the almost-religious fervor with which some gun owners pursue their cause.
The website also claims that the club was established for "sport and national defense." Sport, yes, but "national defense" is a pretty grandiose claim. While some of their members and instructors are veterans of our military organizations, and while the club holds competitions among law enforcement teams, it's far from the well-organized militia referred to in the Second Amendment.
A citizens group living downrange from the club presented their concerns about some of the club's activities to the county commissioners through a petition signed by 145 households complaining about the noise, threats to public safety, and environmental damage from the gun club's expansion, but the commissioners seemed indifferent.
The leaders of this group, CK Safe and Quiet, are gun owners and shooters themselves; at least one has a concealed-weapons permit. They emphasize that they're not opposed to guns. "We need shooting ranges," they said, stressing the value of gun clubs in providing instruction in gun safety in addition to a safe, tightly regulated, legally operated facility to pursue their sport.
They illustrate what a well-run shooting range should be by pointing to Poulsbo Sportsmen's Club where overhead baffles muffle sound and make it impossible for bullets to escape, and where, in response to a neighbors' request, it once shut down the range so a birthday party wouldn't be interrupted by the noise of firearms. With this kind of neighborliness and much safer conditions, some former members of KRRC now shoot at the Poulsbo range instead.
The judge found in favor of Kitsap County and declared KRRC a public nuisance. "Shooting sounds from the property have changed from occasional and background in nature to clearly audible in the downrange neighborhoods," she wrote. "Rapid-fire shooting sounds from the property have become common and rapid-firing often goes on for hours at a time ..."
She found that the club had illegally expanded and intensified the use of the property, so she closed the range until the club is issued a conditional use permit, and club members aren't allowed to shoot on their ranges until they comply with county codes.
In the end, it was a costly, ill-conceived strategy for KRRC to challenge to the county's land use codes: not only did it run up its own large legal bill; it must now reimburse the county for the costs of the trial, and it forfeited indefinitely its members' right to use their own shooting ranges.
The author does a good job of appearing very reasonable while giving a completely onesided view. I would like to read equal time written by club proponents.
Here are a couple of comments on this column:
But ya know... not a single recording of "the sounds of war" were presented. I personally, on more than one occasion went through the neighborhoods to get a listen for this myself... Just had to get a first hand listen for determination myself, for there was plenty of foresting conducted that had nothing to do with KRRC that could have attributed to the increase in noise, in which case, would be an understandable concern, I agree.
Unfortunately, I could not agree with the complaints at all. If you do some research, you can hear on a recorded news report that has birds louder than gun fire. The announcer even says "if you listen closely". So this judge simply took their word for it, no indisputable evidence was presented! I say go for an appeal. A proper judge is required here. That became very evident when the defense was about 20 minutes into their second witness, and Serko was pushing for trial to end... I could not believe my ears! This after allowing Wachter two full weeks of uninterrupted witness after witness. Far as I'm concerned, the decision was made long before the trial ever began. Duggan was there, so someone at the Sun knows this happened as well... Interestingly, unreported....
"The club intensified members' use of the range in two additional ways: It allowed them to fire at exploding targets, and it extended its hours so members could shoot from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week."
Yeah, the whole 4 or 5 times that happened... Talk about exaggeration.... Rob, read all testimony, then get back to us. Until then, you are simply a pundit for the county, not an investigative reporter... But hey, why should the Sun even bother being quality right! Never have been. I find the Sun entertaining, informative about half the time, opinionated always.....
“Because the berms weren’t high enough to contain bullets, errant projectiles ended up far outside the range and endangered the public.”
Sounds like conjecture based on a faulty assumption.
Sir, we may know each other, or at least have seen each other, as I am also a KRRC member.
While I agree with your assessment of the legal and media forces aligned against KRRC, I have not been impressed with KRRC’s defense to this legal assault. The verdict was fairly predictable, IMO.
While the range has not been guilty of many of these charges, they have also not been quick to improve the facility on their own without legal pressure. It’s really a fairly loosey-goosey operation, IMO, and their response to suggestions for upgrading the operation has been more confrontational than necessary, and unprofessionally petulant.
Their decisions regarding legal defense also set a personal and confrontational tone that won them few points with either the public or the court. Fighting a more powerful enemy, they alienated potential allies, and then decided unwisely to undertake glorious and self-righteous frontal assaults. Personalities and strident emotions ruled. Poor strategy.
I went to several of the County Council meetings. I went to several of the KRRC meetings. I contributed money. But it became evident long ago that they were going to loose this fight on their own lack of savvy, flexibility and coolheadedness. No one wanted to hear this. The tone at the meetings was juvenile. It was amateur night. I quit going.
At a time when 15% of the adults in this state have concealed carry permits, when expansion of gun rights and gun ownership is proceeding apace all over the country, in a county with a large military and ex-military population and another range that is not being assaulted in the courts, the leadership at KRRC played this very foolishly, and the verdict is no surprise. And, the verdict is likely to be repeated on appeal if something doesn’t change.
The Paul Bunyan club in Puyallup will be next.
Weirdos. It's like they were repeating some kind of cultish belief found in the Declaration of Independence or something.
Thank you for your post with local information. I am not a member of the club, I have only seen the articles on the net.
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