Gun range under fire

Nick Noyes/Gulf Breeze News Bill Howe's firing range has been a recent topic of debate between his neighbors and lawmakers.

Most of the 48 people at Monday night's Town Hall Meeting at Oriole Beach Elementary wanted to talk about how to shut down a target firing range on Soundside Drive in Gulf Breeze. Santa Rosa County Commissioner Lane Lynchard had organized the meeting to discuss the firearms noise ordinance to be discussed and placed on agenda for a vote at today's County Commission meeting. Lynchard explained to the crowd Monday night that if the private firing range on Soundside is meeting National Rifle Assn. (NRA) standards, the county cannot do anything to shut it down.

Monday morning homes in the surrounding neighborhoods to the Soundside Drive range were peppered with flyers asking residents to come to the Town Hall meeting, with the flyer saying 300 people should show up and tell the commissioners that firing range should be shut down. But only 48 Gulf Breeze showed up, and not all of those knew about the range or even lived in the area close to Soundside.

Lynchard explained the noise ordinance is the best they can do to minimize problems for all residential neighborhoods when firearms are being shot on or off a range. One resident asked why the ordinance is only covering the south end of the county. Lynchard said commissioners might change that Thursday. "Overall, the population density is much higher south of Yellow River, so this firearms noise ordinance was written to cover that area," Lynchard said.

Several residents countered 'have you been to Pace lately?"

One resident said the county was using this to try to placate south end residents about the Soundside firing range. "You are dodging the issue, using this to say you did something," he said. "This does nothing."

Some residents of Kitty Hawk Drive were at the meeting asking for commissioners to write an ordinance that would stop this shooting range. "The way the state has written their ordinance covering firing ranges and private target practice, we cannot do what you are asking," Lynchard said.

Kitty Hawk resident Rick Dillon, who has been addressing the county who has been addressing the county on the firing range issue since April, told the crowd that he has lived in his home behind the range for 15 years. "I know there has been firing there for several years, and I used to hear a few shots once in a while and it was no big deal," Dillon said. "But there has never been the high powered high caliber shooting until the last about 18 months." Dillon said he has not contacted the range owner by phone or in person with his concerns or complaints.

Lynchard said the owner of the firing range on Soundside told him over the phone that he is wiling to compromise on hours of shooting, number of days each month, and even caliber size. But no one has contacted him.

Jerry Utsey, who also lives on Kitty Hawk behind the range, said the residents who are concerned may need to get an attorney. "We would not really have standing to sue Dr. Howe, the owner of the range, since we live in another neighborhood and 1400 feet behind the range. But we could sue the county," Utsey said.

The new ordinance being proposed says no repetitive discharge of any firearm from a parcel of property is allowed more than five times in any 30 minutes. One resident suggested the county change that to read no more than two times in 24 hours. Lynchard said the public hearing will be Thursday morning, and commissioners will discuss any suggestions raised at that time before they vote.

Vic Bindy, a neighbor of the firing range on Soundside, said he is concerned about the ordinance and opening the door to more restrictions.

"If this is done, then what is next?" he said.