When it comes to lobbying government, it's good advice to remember "no" doesn't really mean "no." It just means not right now.
Residents who join their neighbors to "fight city hall" or any other level of government sometimes earn a victory, then go back home hoping they can return to their lives minus the activism necessitated by the potential for government action. Perhaps in a few cases, a final decision ends up being final decision.
What’s the point?
A gun range proposal for longer hours is a good example of the need for people to remain vigilant to ensure their voices are heard by their government.
Ask the neighbors of the Lonesome Oak Guns & Range at 2106 W. Centerton Blvd. In 2012, Benton County officials approved operation of the business, which was then called Nighthawk Custom Training Academy. Nearby neighbors fought it and won a victory at the Planning Board, which considered the use incompatible with nearby properties. The neighbors lost on the business' appeal to a panel of three justices of the peace. Although neighbors eventually lost the bigger fight, they achieved some success. The appeals panel set limits on operation hours -- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- required compliance with National Rifle Association guidelines on safety berms, included expectations for a noise buffer and other changes.
So the company got its "yes." The neighbors got some of the limitations they wanted if the business was destined for approval. Decision made. County officials say the company has lived up to its end of the bargain.
But the nature of government, as with the nature of our communities and our lives, is that few decisions are unshakably final.
Now, the gun range operators want expanded hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the week for the general public and as late as midnight for law enforcement personnel who want to train there. Customers want to shoot after work, according to Kathy Kinyon, who applied for the modifications along with Kenneth Swank. The request is scheduled to be heard during the Planning Board's 6 p.m. meeting today at the Benton County Administration Building.
Understandably, the neighbors aren't feeling good about the new request. Who knew after the last battle over this noise-producing business that county limitations would become a moving target?
"We figured it was a done deal," said neighbor Bob Bland. "We're totally shocked to hear they're coming back to the county. It's very frustrating that we're going to have to go through this whole thing again."
The immediate area around the range isn't heavily populated, at least not yet. But there are homes nearby, and the onward march of subdivisions has reached less than half a mile away. It's close enough that the Centerton Planning Commission has urged the county to deny the longer hours of operation.
The neighbors have learned to live with a shooting range and the accompanying noise, but 10 p.m.? Midnight? Kinyon cites the use of the gun range by local law enforcement agencies as part of the reason for the request. Who can blame the neighbors for feeling less than protected and served when these public agencies are part of the foundation for expanding the hours of a venture they consider a tolerated nuisance?
As most gun-loving Americans know, constant vigilance is the price one pays for liberty. It's also the price people everywhere must pay to ensure government takes their interests and concerns into account. It's sad these neighbors so quickly have had to re-arm themselves with justifications for their desire to limit the gun range's impact on their lives.
Commentary on 05/20/2015