I live on Elder Mountain - have for over a decade - we love it - remote but close to all of Chattanooga.
Last year at this time we would sit outside and listen to the birds - now we listen to the cannon blasts. Let me report what I think is happening.
From our home we have a view of Lookout Valley - several churches, a day care center, the high school, and a lot of residential neighborhoods. Over the last year a roof was built right in the midst of the schools, churches and homes - and we found out it is an unlicensed gun shooting range. I Have been told it is a Gun Club. I was told it was opened on the site of an old Gun Club. I was told that the shooting area was moved to its current location from a more remote site - and it was expanded. That is what I have been told - the only things I am 100 percent positive of are:
- it is loud.
- the location shares a property line with a pre-school
- as mentioned - churches and other schools are within less than a quarter mile of the range.
- over the last decade we have seen many neighborhoods blossom in this part of the valley - very nice residential areas - this noise has to be driving them crazy.
- the shots occur at all times of the day - seven days a week. During school, during church, they are relaxing by shooting while all the neighbors are trying to relax at home.
- there are automatic weapons being discharged there.
- I went there one day to ask them to cease because the shooting was wild and our neighborhood was having a get-together (hard to describe how loud it is - and we are two miles away) and I was not granted access to the Gun Club.
I would be scared if my child was attending the pre-school Monday through Friday. If I chose to have a wedding on Saturday I would have to compete with the explosions of the guns.
I pretty much believe the Gun Club does what it wants - when it wants.
David Krishock
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Thank you, Mr. Krishock. I am within a stone's throw from the river here in the Valley and was brought out of bed last night by a barrage of repeated explosions that reverberated throughout the area that is nestled at the base of mountains and ridges. Since I heard no sirens or other indications of a catastrophe, I had to assume that we were safe.
This is ridiculous. We have enough lawlessness here and reported daily in the Etc. Section of the newspaper for law enforcement to know about a firing range in our residential areas and especially near our schools and churches. We also have some of those law enforcement officers living in the area.
Charlotte Parton
Chattanooga