Two proposed gun ranges shot down in Columbia County (GA)

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW) -- The score is now neighbors two gun ranges zero after a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in Columbia County.

Neighbors have been fighting the one in Grovetown for years. About a dozen people who live near the Newmantown Gun Club showed up Thursday night to try to keep the property from being rezoned for a gun range. They say the noise is a disturbance, but the biggest issue is safety after they found bullet holes in homes nearby.

In June deputies issued a cease and desist order for the property. The owner appealed and it was continued until Thursday night's meeting.

Neighbors showed up ready for a fight, but got a surprise. The appeal was removed from the agenda and the application for rezoning was withdrawn.

"We don't know why they decide to withdraw the application. I don't have any idea why. I know there was a sheriff's department investigation into the bullet holes in the homes," said neighbor Bobbie Bauserman. "I'm just glad it stopped because the peace has come back to the neighborhood."

I’m all for gun ranges. Even if they are now near homes that have been recently developed. (And yes, the new home-owners complain about them. Or the smell of the cow pies from the nearby farm.)

But the existing “shooting range” was put in after the other homes were there. From the link:

***************

The Brauns say they sold Paul Blankenship the property with the understanding he would build a house.

“There’s no way in God’s green earth that we would have sold that land to him if we had known he was putting a firing range in there,” she said....

An attorney for Blankenship says they aren’t violating any codes because the range is not for commercial use.
“The range has been used historically by Mr. Blankenship personally,” said Attorney James Overstreet.

Neighbors quickly disputed that fact.

“I’ve heard that Mr. Blankenship uses this for his personal situation. That’s not true. Show the video,” said Bauserman.

The video showed tents set up and cars parked at the range along with constant gunfire.

“It happens several days a week, hours at a time, day after day, weekends, holidays, anytime,” said Bauserman....

Right now it’s zoned residential, but the range is planning to apply for a special permit. Neighbors say they just want it gone.....

****************************

I can see a guy out in the country safely shooting on his own property. I can also see a guy being respectful of his neighbors. The stuff on other people’s property getting shot that is being investigated might bring some charges.

Yeah, and the bullet holes in the homes could ONLY have come from the range, right?

Been shooting for over 50 years and hate to say it but there are a number of gun fans who do not always practice safe/responsible shooting. They are the minority, but all it takes is one bad apple to mush up the barrel. Used to be (and probably still is) a lot of large areas that could accommodate a shooting range and not infringe on residential areas. Perhaps they are trying to keep it close to reduce commuting tme instead of moving out where even a shot over the berm can't reach anything. I love guns/shooting and wouldn't want a range in my back yard and have to listen to the sounds and wonder if one of them bad apples might be shooting today.

Been shooting for over 50 years and hate to say it but there are a number of gun fans who do not always practice safe/responsible shooting.

Damright! We have idiots at our club who throw clays way up near the top of the berms on the pistol ranges. We can see where the high-misses have chewed the top of the berm. Some HAVE to be going over.

Don’t even get me started on what happens on the rifle ranges.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.