Several property owners in the Pan Gap Road area have filed a lawsuit against the Firemen's Outing Club of Chattanooga because of a shooting range it owns and operates near their homes.
Located at 760 Pan Gap Road, the property owners said the area has been used as a shooting range since 2011. According to their complaint filed by attorney Stephen Duggins, the property owners said the range is loud and has brought down their property values.
The property owners have stated that the club's use of the property as a shooting range is actually a zoning violation. Currently, the 86 acres of land are in an R-1 Residential zoning district and using that land as a shooting range is not allowed without a special exception.
Area residents say many of the guns fired at the range are automatic or of a large caliber, and are very noisy. They said shooting at the range sometimes begins early in the morning and does not end until the evening. They also said it can be heard from great distances away.
According to the complaint, several plaintiffs tried to contact to the club to express their concerns, but nothing was changed.
The plaintiffs are now seeking for the club to shut down the shooting range as well as damages, not exceeding $1,250,000.