Lakeway TFA chapter August meeting

[Tim Nunan]

The August meeting of the Tennessee Firearms Association Lakeway Chapter

will be held on

Tuesday evening, the 19th of August, 2008

Melvin Greene will speak on his family’s newly opened gun shop M & M Firearms located on St. Clare Rd in Whitesburg as well as his plans for an indoor pistol range to be built on the same site.

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Our meeting place is the Shoneys Family Restaurant at 1933 West Andrew Johnson Highway (Hwy 11E), Morristown TN.This restaurant is located 1/2 block east of the West Andrew Johnson highway (Hwy 11E) and Morris Blvd intersection, more or less across from the Home Depot. There is a large, highly visible sign in front along with plenty of parking space. A pre-meeting social hour is from 6 PM to 7 PM during which you may want to eat dinner. The meeting will begin promptly at 7 PM and end at 8 PM. Opportunity will be given to ask questions related to the topic.

Membership is not required - gun owners, 2nd Amendment supporters, and interested public are urged to attend. For more information contact Bill Kaylor 423 586 9121/email w9dsm@charter.net or Tim Nunan 423-586-8459/email bentcreek@outdrs.net.

[Tim Nunan]

Bumping this as it has yet to appear on the calendar.

[Tim Nunan]

http://www.citizentribune.com/news/view_sections.asp?idcategory=9&idarticle=10160

Open range? Commissioners express concern over outdoor shooting ranges

By Bobbie Young, Tribune Staff WriterHamblen County commissioners approved strict limits on shooting ranges Monday and may make them even stricter, particularly for outdoor ranges.

"I'd like to do away with outdoor ranges completely," said Herbert Harville, chair of the County Commission?s Public Service Committee.

The committee voted unanimously to send proposed regulations to the full commission for approval at next week?s meeting.

The county currently has no regulations governing commercial shooting ranges and one recently opened in the county, upsetting some neighbors.

Some action is necessary and soon, Commissioner Dennis Alvis said.

"I'll bet Grainger County wishes they'd done something before this canned hunt thing came up," he said.

A property owner in Grainger County has imported exotic animals such as zebra and watusi to be hunted on 60 acres of property.

The regulations coming from the County Planning Commission would have allowed outdoor ranges on any property zoned A-1 or agricultural but indoor ranges only in commercial zones. That just didn't make sense, Commissioner Paul LeBel said.

"Any commercial business should be in commercial zoning," he said.

Under the regulations from the Planning Commission, an outdoor range would have to be located on a minimum of 10 acres and surrounded on all sides by agricultural zoning. The minimum distance from the firing stations to adjacent property lines would have to be 1,000 feet on the front and sides and 500 feet on the rear of the property.

An outdoor range could be no closer than a mile from existing schools, churches, nursing homes or childcare facilities.

LeBel moved that any outdoor range would also have to be located on property zoned for commercial use.

The regulations from the Planning Commission would also have allowed an outdoor range to open at 30 minutes after official sunrise and close 30 minutes before official sunset.

"That?s just stupid," LeBel said. "We could have people shooting off guns outside from 6:30 in the morning until 8:30 at night."

He moved that operation of outdoor ranges be limited to no earlier than 11 a.m. and no later than 4 p.m. Alvis quickly seconded the motion.

LeBel, like Harville, doesn't like the idea of outdoor ranges.

He asked County Mayor David Purkey, "As a former law enforcement professional, which is safer? Indoor ranges or outdoor?"

"Indoor," Purkey answered.

The committee voted to amend the proposed regulations with LeBel?s suggestions, limiting the hours of operation and requiring commercial zoning for all shooting ranges. Commissioners also asked County Attorney Rusty Cantwell to research the issue and let them know if they can outlaw outdoor ranges entirely.

The proposed regulations apply only to commercial enterprises and would not affect fundraising activities such as turkey shoots or private hunting.

"You can shoot as many rabbits as you want," Harville told one concerned citizen Monday.

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This is the result of Mr. Greene trying to establish a range in Hamblen County.