Harnett shooting range can operate as is, but debate isn't over

Fuquay-Varina, N.C. — The Harnett County Board of Adjustments voted Thursday night to allow Drake Landing farm and shooting range to keep its agritourism classification, but county leaders are already working on a plan that would overrule that decision and prohibit firing ranges from being agritourism destinations.

After four lengthy nights of testimony over the past three weeks, the board decided to break down their decision into eight individual activities at issue on the family-owned farm in Fuquay-Varina.

Hunting preserves, continental tower shoots, archery shoots, sporting clays and skeet and trap shoots on the land all qualify as agritourism, the board agreed, but they were divided on the rifle shooting range and pistol pits.

Three board members said the rifle range and pistol pits are not connected to farming in any way and should require a conditional use permit. Two board members, however, upheld a 2011 finding that the conditional use permit wasn't necessary.

Because the board couldn't reach a four-fifths majority to ban the activities, Drake Landing can continue to allow both, despite protests from neighbors that the ranges are noisy and pose a safety hazard to the surrounding communities.

However, the county Board of Commissioners have already directed county attorneys to draft a resolution that would disallow shooting ranges from being considered agritourism – a classification that exempts certain agricultural operations and activities from county zoning laws.

The commissioners can override the Board of Adjustment's vote, but it wasn't clear when they plan to meet on the issue.

30 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 30 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments

I attended a 'hunter safety course' on this land (taught by Dan Adrews son) back in the earlier 1990's. The couse was set up to teach a Boy Scout Troop the proper use of shotguns. As the Committee Chairman of this Troop, I also took the course. The subdivions did not exist back then, only some house along Rawls Road. My son took the course and is now a hunter!

fkhaywood
January 25, 2013 4:04 p.m.

Well now, bronco611...we actually agree on your point that "It's amazing to me how this country has turned into a land where a handfull of complainers can ruin something beneficial for the majority"

Do us all a favor and send a copy of that to Mitch McConnell and John Boehner....they don't seem to realize the majority is being ruined by a handfull of complainers who lost the last election, and that their complaints are seriously exaggerated.

SARCASTICLES
January 25, 2013 3:53 p.m.

"With all the complaints from the neighbors, I would just close it down... and put in 10 hog houses. Open a slaughter house and smoke house. Then give tours to all the FFA classes and 4-H clubs. See if the neighbors like what they can smell more than what they hear..." mj1angier

Good point! File that one in the "be careful what you ask for" category...

bronco611
January 25, 2013 3:19 p.m.

It's amazing to me how this country has turned into a land where a handful of complainers can ruin something beneficial for the majority. While I'm sure the noise may irritate some "sensitive" neighbors, I believe a lot of these complaints are seriously exaggerated. The facility is run well, and the noise does not carry far enough to be a real concern. They have taken steps to keep any bullets from leaving the property by installing berms and by limiting the shot angles from the rifle tower. Drake's offer a PUBLIC SERVICE to hundreds if not thousands of gun owners who NEED a place to shoot (places that are getting harder and harder to find). Now, go figure - a few complainers want to shut it down. Don't let some of these reports mislead you if you haven't been there - Drake Landing is located way out in the country on hundreds of acres of wooded land. They could probably relocate to the moon and some bozo would move in next door and start complaining about the noise...

bronco611
January 25, 2013 3:11 p.m.

Thirty years ago around here, the population density was much lower than it is now, so shooting guns on your property was no big deal.

Now that a good chunk of the farmland has been developed into home sites and subdivisions, common sense SHOULD recognize that it's too crowded to shoot guns like we used to.

There's a good reason discharging a firearm in the city limits is usually illegal.....there's so many people living in a small area.

It's also extremely unnerving to hear continuous gunfire, especially when you're out in your yard. (YES...around here it's not unusual to hear shot raining down, or hear a stray bullet whizzing by. NO....asking them to stop doesn't work, and since it's legal out here, the sheriff's dept. can't do anything about it. YES....I was living here WAY before the firing squad moved in next door. NO....I'm not a socialist.

We'd rather not get together and lobby the county for new zoning restrictions against gunfire in the community, but enough is enough.

SARCASTICLES
January 25, 2013 2:30 p.m.