I am disappointed to note

that six months later the range is still in operation.

This is especially troubling in that a new sports season

has come and gone and, once again, our children continue

to be exposed to the dangers inherent to that activity.

As I stated before, the range is too close to the playing

fields and therefore puts the children and others in

jeopardy of being struck by an accidental discharge.

Additionally, as there are no sound buffers, the noise

from the weapons firing exceeds safe level.

One could argue forever

about the merits of the range, so let me make just two

observations. First, the range does not have the safety

features recommended by the National Rifle Association

and other safety-oriented organizations.

These measures would

prevent an accidental weapon discharge from causing harm

outside the range. There should be barriers to the left,

right and rear of the firing line. Additionally, there

should be an overhead cover - basically a roof

- that ensures that a weapon accidentally fired

above the plane of the target will not carry outside the

range.

This problem is not just

for the users of McCurry Park. It should be of interest

also to those living in the neighborhoods directly in the

line of fire. Homes along Calloway Road, Clear Brook Way,

Clear Brook Lane, Den Creek and others are in the

immediate hazard area of the range. Some of these homes

are within 900 meters of the firing line, well within

range of any rifle inadvertently fired at a 30 degree

angle.

The second point is the

sound. It is known that the high-impulse noise produced

about 75 decibels. The firing at McCurry range is

probably twice that since the average noise produced by a

shotgun is estimated at 150 decibels.

In addition to the clear

safety hazard this poses, there is also the issue of

public nuisance. The range is frequently in use after 10

p.m. and before 7 a.m., including Sunday mornings. The

sound of firing is clearly audible inside homes up to a

mile away.

To save your readers from

some of the responses this letter is likely to generate,

let me address the most obvious rebuttals here. First, it

does not matter if the range was in place before the

nearby park or homes were built. The operators and users

of firearms ranges never have the right to expose the

property or the occupants of adjacent land to any of the

hazards of firing. If the shooters have in the past used

the range without the appropriate safeguards, they were

wrong to do so. To continue doing so now that homes and

children are directly exposed is irresponsible.

Second, it does not matter

that the range serves a valued public function such as

sport or police marksmanship training. Nor does it matter

that the users of the range are all fine, stable citizens

who are sure they will never make a mistake with a gun in

their life. The range must have appropriate safety

features or be closed down. Even well-intentioned,

experienced marksmen make mistakes. And finally, please

let's not hear that the homes in the line of fire are

protected by the woods beyond the range. Trees are an

uncertain buffer at best, even where they are not being

cut down by nearby construction activity.

What can concerned citizens

do? Write to the county administrator, Billy Beckett, at

Suite 100, 140 Stonewall Ave, Fayetteville, GA 30214, or

call at 770-460-5730. Tell him what you think.

Parents of children who use

the McCurry Park facility, have your child tested for the

type of hearing loss associated with high-impulse noise.

If the school won't do it, use a private audiologist.

Hearing loss in children can impair their intellectual

development and can contribute to other physical and

emotional problems.

Finally, the most important

thing we can do is vote. It's our county. If we don't

like the way it is being run, we can change it.

Brendan Wilson

Fayetteville