Commissioners Reject No-Shooting Plea Say Shooting Ban In Rural Area Couldn’t Be Enforced

The guns won’t be silenced at a popular hunting and shooting area north of Newman Lake.

Armed with signatures from 11 of his neighbors, Fred Palahniuk asked county commissioners to add more than 2,000 acres north of Foothills Road to the county’s “no-shooting” zone.

But commissioners said Tuesday there are already plenty of laws to prevent the misuse of guns. It would be impossible to enforce a shooting ban in the rural area, they said.

Instead, commissioners suggested neighbors keep a closer watch over shooters, and report people who trespass, fire guns from roads or pepper signs with bullets.

“I feel like we should be far more responsible for our own selves and not have government step in and do things for us,” said Commissioner John Roskelley, who lives on 40 acres a few miles over a ridge from Palahniuk.

The decision pleased most who testified. Shooting guns in his own back yard is one of the attractions of country living, said Dan Parker, whose family and neighbors “shoot almost every day.

“We all have shooting ranges, we all hunt, we’re teaching our children the basics of safe shooting.”

Those who brought the request to commissioners said it does little good to keep hunters and target shooters off their land. Palahniuk said bullets fired from neighboring woods often whiz through his pasture.

Karin Hilgersom said she moved to Newman Lake last year “and was really stunned by the number of shots you hear…. I have three small children and I’m afraid to let them walk to the end of my property.”

“I’m afraid to go out and feed my chickens or work on my flowers,” said Geraldine Burdett, who has lived on her 120 acres since 1950.

Most of the land in Palahniuk’s request is owned by Inland Empire Paper Co. and is open to hunting and other recreational uses.

An advisory committee that reviews all requests to expand the no-shooting zone suggested commissioners exclude the paper company land from the proposal, then approve it.

Instead, commissioners said they’ll probably expand the “no-shooting” committee, which now includes only three county employees.

Hunters, target shooters and other county residents should be part of the committee, said Commissioner Phil Harris. He said worries the no-shooting area eventually will become so large “there won’t be any hunting.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of Newman Lake area