Proposed shooting range voted down in Alexander County

ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — The Alexander County Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing Thursday on the proposed shooting range.

Voters turned down the range in a 7-2 vote. County commissioners have the final say in the matter.

Approximately 250-300 people showed up for the meeting.

The proposed shooting range south of Taylorsville was under fire from neighbors concerned about noise and safety of their children.

Alexander County officials sent only four letters to homeowners in the area. One of the homeowners became so concerned, her family made dozens of copies and sent them out last weekend.

Carol Mitchell and her family have grown up around firearms, but they don’t want the noise near their home.

Mitchell said it’s not just the noise from a shooting range she’s concerned about. She is also worried about the possibility someone could get hurt.

“I have two small grandchildren over here that we go over to walk up the mountain, and we just don’t want to be scared of a bullet coming through here,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell isn’t alone.

A couple who lives less than a mile away doesn’t want to see a shooting range so close to their home either.

“I can’t image 10 to 25 men out here firing off rounds nonstop for hours on end,” resident Dawn Weaver said.

Landon Ferguson, who would be applying for the permit to operate the shooting range on Teague Town Road, said before it would open, safety measures would be in place to keep anyone from being hurt and also keep the sound of gunfire to a minimum.

“We will have 15-foot berms lining sides of the rifle range, and we will only be shooting in one direction back into the back of the mountain,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said he also planned on leaving as many trees as possible on the property to dampen the sound.

The range wouldn't be open on Sundays, late at night or in the morning.

Cox Media Group