Agenda - 03-22-2016 - 6-a - Minutes

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12 1 Dan Axson said he is an avid hunter and shooter. He said to a lot of people target 2 practice means training, and one needs to train for the type of environment in which one might 3 find oneself. He said if problems do arise, the Sheriff's office will typically show up, and thus he 4 sees no reason for an ordinance. He said there are many turkey shoots in the county that 5 serve as fundraisers and believes this ordinance will take away these positive community 6 events. He also noted children involved with Future Farmers of America may be adversely 7 affected by this ordinance. He referred to the required signage and said he does not want to 8 advertise that he has firearms. He said if the ordinance goes through, he is greatly concerned 9 what else may be taken away from the citizens. 10 Darin Knapp read the following email: 11 12 Chairman McKee and members of the Board, 13 14 Thank you all for the opportunity to be present tonight and for the opportunity to speak. My wife 15 and I are here in support of tabling the proposed gun ordinance and to suggest that the Board 16 re-evaluates the motivations behind this initiative and uses that re-evaluation to guide the 17 course of any follow-on initiative. Having read the documents surrounding this issue, and 18 having long considered the customs and traditions of our rural neighbors and farmers, some of 19 whom are gun enthusiasts, it appears clear to me that this discussion is being led from a 20 narrow place despite having over-reaching implications that would unfairly restrict the private 21 use of land by a large constituency of our County. Nowhere in the documentation on this 22 proposed ordinance could I find meaningful reference to the healthy traditions that surround 23 shooting sports or about how regular target shooting makes for a hunter who has solid 24 command of guns and is thus safer to him or herself or others. One doesn't have to be a gun 25 enthusiast to respect those who are. 26 27 Perceptions and reality need parsed out here, particularly with regard to the safety concerns 28 and discomfort of some that have apparently arisen as a consequence of others enjoying their 29 hobbies and honing their skills on their private land. What exactly are the perceived threats that 30 seem to motivate discussions here? What evidence is there? Will perceived threats, instead of 31 actual threats, rule the day? How many bullet holes have we counted? How many citizens 32 have been killed or injured by a gun hobbyist target practicing on their own nearby land? 33 Compare that number to all the other well-documented threats that citizens face and put the 34 issue in perspective. I think it's helpful to remember that the term "gun enthusiast" does not 35 translate into "criminal." 36 37 There can be little doubt that the motivation behind this proposal arises in part from a fear of the 38 sound of a gunshot, regardless of how far away it is or how unjustified this fear is. Of all the 39 sounds that one may hear out in the county, a gunshot is not typically top of the decibel list. 40 These are not the things we want Sheriff Blackwood and his deputies focusing their time, 41 energy, and tax dollars on. 42 43 Without a meaningful and proven risk due to gun hobbyists exercising their rights on their own 44 lands, why does this proposed ordinance exist? I can only conclude that the ordinance lacks a 45 sound rationale and was proposed without full consideration of its negative impact on our 46 community. I hope that future efforts, if any, on this issue will be solidly grounded in real data 47 and inclusive input. As it stands, it is my opinion and that of many others that this proposal 48 needs major overhaul, if not scrapped altogether. 49 50 Again, thank you for your time.