The decision to postpone their consideration of a potential shooting range ordinance didn’t spare Alamance County’s leaders from the crossfire of feedback that has accompanied this contentious proposal.
The county’s board of commissioners was ultimately approached by 15 individuals who were on hand to weigh in on the ordinance when it came up for consideration during a special-called meeting on Monday.
Although the commissioners had tabled this contentious proposal at the start of this gathering [See separate story in this edition], they nevertheless encouraged these speakers to share their thoughts when they kicked off a designated public comment period early in the proceedings. At the suggestion of commissioner Pam Thompson, the board even waived its usual 30-minute cap on the cumulative comment period to accommodate everyone who had signed up to speak before the meeting began.
In the end, the individuals who availed themselves of this opportunity were divided more or less down the middle between residents who supported restrictions on gun ranges and gun range enthusiasts with qualms about the proposed regulations.
Some of the harshest criticism that the ordinance drew came from Rudy Cartassi, the proprietor of Rad Range Training and Events Center along Jim Barnwell Road.
Situated in a relatively fast growing area north of Burlington’s municipal limits, Rad Range has attracted complaints from its neighbors ever since it entrenched itself in this location in 2021. These persistent gripes, which include reports of stray bullets crisscrossing private property lines, recently prompted the commissioners to have the county’s legal department rough out an ordinance that addresses the neighborhood’s safety-related concerns. But in Cartassi’s view, even the cause of public safety isn’t enough to justify abrogating an operation that he believes is protected by the Second Amendment.
“What we can’t start doing is infringing on the rights of our citizens, and that includes the gun rights,” Cartassi declared before he commended the commissioners for putting off their decision on the proposed ordinance. “In two weeks,” he added, “we can come back here and have another master class on how not to hurt the rights of our citizens.”
The commissioners also heard some remarks in Rad’s defense from two people who live or own property in the gun range’s shadow. But Cartassi’s plight didn’t receive nearly as much sympathy from individuals affiliated with some of the county’s other gun ranges.
Under the legal department’s proposal, these rival operations would fall under the same regulatory framework as Rad – which may subject them to annual permits and the mandated presence of a “qualified range officer” to supervise shooting. The proposed ordinance also contains provisions for buffers and berms that proved far less objectionable to the representative of venues like the Central Carolina Gun Club along NC 62 North and the Durham Pistol and Rifle Club on Jim Minor Road.
Some of these structural safeguards seemed like sheer common sense to David McFarling, a past president of the DPRC who also identified himself as a member of the Central Carolina Gun Club.
“We won’t ever contest anything having to do with firearm safety,” McFarling declared during Monday’s public comment period. “Safety first, last, and always…I think every bullet that’s fired in North Carolina should go into a berm.”
McFarling nevertheless took issue with the proposed ordinance for its suggested imposition of permitting and standardized operating hours on commercial shooting ranges. He also faulted the recommended rules for failing to differentiate between commercial shooting ranges and the private gun clubs he himself patronizes.
The proposed ordinance also raised some misgivings for Jim Young, the current president of the Durham Pistol and Rifle Club, whose spacious grounds are located in the southeastern corner of Alamance County.
“I think we can reach some kind of balance with the county attorney,” Young told the commissioners. “The proposed ordinance is not it but I think we can reach some sort of balance.”
The club’s president went on to object that the regulations under consideration would unfairly penalize safety-conscious gun ranges that have strived to cultivate a good relationship with their neighbors.
“I’m going to be honest,” he added, “the only reason we’re even here is because of one place, and you can’t punish the rest of us because of what one place is doing.”
The distinction between Rad and other gun ranges was also clear to some of the residents who live near Cartassi’s operation.
Mark Terry, a relative newcomer to this neighborhood, told the commissioners that he has recently obtained some insights into proper gun range operations thanks to a course offered by the National Rifle Association.
“Very few of their recommendations are being observed by the Rad range gun owners,” Terry insisted. “Rad’s property is just over 23 acres,” he added, “with a 500-yard range squeezed in on the edges…and if Rad range doesn’t accept these reasonable recommendations, it’s because they don’t own enough land to accommodate them.”
Terry went on to profess his support for the right to bear arms – a declaration that many other residents made when they, too, reached the podium on Monday.
“Contrary to some claims, the homeowners in the area are not anti-gun or against the Second Amendment,” asserted Terry’s neighbor Lee Hicks. “It is essential that there are facilities where individuals can responsibly hone their shooting skills…The proposed ordinance ensures that these facilities are operated and maintained with the highest safety standards. This ordinance does not threaten or infringe on anyone’s Second Amendment rights.”
The rights of gun owners also seemed safe from infringement to Paige Sharp, a resident of Jim Barnwell Road who spoke up in support of the proposed ordinance.
“I believe that with those rights come responsibilities to ensure the safety of others,” Sharpe asserted before she shared an experience that has brought the importance of safety home to her and her family.
“We found a stray bullet in our driveway just two feet from our front door,” she recalled. “Now, the possibility of someone getting hurt is no longer just a worry, it feels like a reality.”
The commissioners also heard from a couple of residents who recounted their close calls with errant gunshots or their discovery of bullet fragments that they traced back to Cartassi’s business. Meanwhile, Steve Barker told the county’s elected leaders about another, impromptu shooting range that one of his neighbors has set up on the other side of the county.
“About six weeks ago, they shot over 1000 rounds,” Barker recalled. “They have used my property as a berm, damaging more than three dozen of my trees.”
In the end, this barrage of feedback opened up many new vistas for the commissioners to explore as they continue to wrangle with the proposed regulation of shooting ranges. But when all was said and done, it was the fact that the community had an opportunity to air its concerns that seemed particular crucial to commissioners like Pam Thompson.
“I really appreciate people showing up – whatever your cause is,” she said at the end of Monday’s special-called meeting.
