Ideas to defuse the tension

The issue is basic, yet not easily solvable: Some neighbors who live around the shooting range are upset about the sound of gunfire. They believe use of the range is increasing and that the weapons being used are louder than they have heard over the years.

In response, the Gun Club points out that they have been using that location for several decades, and it would be unfair for those moving in to expect a significant change in activities on the property.

Both sides have good points to make, but last week's meeting was unhelpful for several reasons. First, there was no sound system in place at the Park Center where the meeting was held. Many people could not hear what was being said. Given that reality, there was little hope of communication from the outset.

Second, there were too many people trying to be heard at the meeting, and that situation leads to a lack of focus.

Here's a suggestion for what we'd like to see happen from here: Two or three representatives of the residents who are unhappy with the noise levels need to sit down with two or three representatives of the Mount Adams Fish & Game Club and have a frank discussion. Then the club's board and its members can consider the ideas developed at that meeting.

Our view is that the Gun Club should not be forced to restrict its hours beyond the reasonable limits it already has set (i.e., generally 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at this time of year, and there is no shooting after dark in any season), as it was an existing recreational club and its activities are legal and valued by many residents of the community.

However, here are a couple ideas that the Mount Adams Board of Directors could voluntarily choose to consider. We stress the word voluntarily, because no one has the right to force the Gun Club to restrict its hours of operation. But one idea for discussion could be closing the outdoor portion of the shooting range one day each week. This, hopefully, would give the residents who are being impacted what they are asking for: a specific period when they know there will not be shooting going on. Most businesses are not open seven days a week, and this might be one approach that could reduce these conflicts.

Second, the Gun Club may need to consider new ways to ensure that non-members are not using the facility for shooting. Owen and Maryann Stembridge live on site and have been handling this well, but of course they cannot always be there around the clock. Anyone using the shooting range who is not authorized to do so is guilty of "theft of services."

Ultimately, the Gun Club is part of the community, and indeed, the club was here before most, if not all, of the adjacent houses were. It would be unfair to expect the members to alter the club's policies, which, as we have pointed out in the past, have so many positive aspects -- i.e., the FFA trapshooting, gun safety classes, etc. And in another community benefit, the Gun Club plans to sponsor a pair of fundraisers in August with proceeds that will go to benefit Skyline Hospital.

This may sound harsh, but it's true: If you choose to move near a gun range, expect to hear gunfire now and then. It's the same type of thing when someone moves next to a railroad track, for example, and then complains about the sound of trains going by. That's not fair.

In any case, it is in the interest of all who live here in the community to not let this issue become an ongoing source of division. The two sides need to sit down out of the public eye and find a way to resolve the tensions we saw on display on July 26.

JB