ALERT - Island County - Proposed No Shooting Zone Ordinance

[huntrights]

ALERT - Island County - Proposed No Shooting Zone Ordinance

A post was started in the Virtual Campfire regarding this urgent topic; it has been moved the Hunter's Rights topic area so we can keep it on our radar.  There will be a Commissioner's work session on 11-21-12 regarding this proposed ordinance.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,110534.15.html

[Odell]

thanks for the heads up. Island county commissioners are dead set on removing all hunting from whidbey

[pjb3]

Lets get the Island guys to attend to show our dissapproval and stop this stuff
Trying to sneak this one under the radar, sneaky

[Tealer]

Who runs the local WWA chapter up there?

[huntrights]

Who runs the local WWA chapter up there?

This was a last minute notice, so it's difficult to know how many people have been notified.

Input from those that know how these things work:

 - Fill the room with people that oppose the proposed ordinance, even though this is just a working session.  Be there to listen and to make video recordings of what they say.

- Get word to Jill Johnson, the County Commissioner elect, to let her see how much opposition there is to this attempt to slip this unjustified ordinance through during the lame-duck period.  She should attend this meeting.

All of you Island County waterfowl hunters, and hunters in general, you must get involved in this opposition effort. Start by attending the 11-21-12 work session.  Let your overwhelming presence be seen and your voices be heard when you have the opportunity.

Have the Commissioners sincerely considered, and communicated with, all parties that have a vested interest in this issue (i.e. waterfowl hunters, recreational shooters, hunters in general, the WDFW)?  Probably NOT.  The scenario sounds exactly like the Thurston County fiasco.  The Commissioners responded to a handful of shoreline property owners that didn't like the noise from the waterfowl hunting activity, so they tried to turn it into a safety issue in order to justify their agenda.  There were no demonstrated safety issues.  There was definitely anti-hunting and anti-gun sentiment ingrained in the proceedings.

Get the word out and get involved!  These are your rights and freedoms you are fighting for!

[huntrights]

The Island County Board of County Commissioners will convene a regular meeting on Monday, December 17, 2012

http://www.islandcounty.net/commissioners/Agenda/2012/

http://www.islandcounty.net/commissioners/Agenda/2012/documents/dec172012_000.pdf

This is an opportunity to briefly voice your opposition to their proposed ordinance:

http://www.islandcounty.net/commissioners/Agenda/2012/121712-Firearms.pdf


“10:00 a.m. Public Input or Comments
This is time set aside for members of the public to speak to the Board about subjects of concern or interest, or items on the agenda. Comments on matters scheduled for Public Hearing will be taken at the time shown on the agenda. The Board will take all information under advisement, but generally will not take any action unless it is emergent in nature. To ensure your comments are recorded properly, please state your name and address clearly into the microphone. Please limit your comments to 2 minutes.”

DECEMBER 17, 2012
10:00 a.m. Regular Meeting
Employee Presentations/Public Comments/Consent Agenda

They will meet again on Thursday, December 20th, 2012 with continued discussion regarding the proposed No Shooting Ordinance.  Public comment does not appear to be currently shown in their agenda, but your presence has a significant affect.  Sign-in stating opposition to the ordinance.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012
9:00 a.m. Regular Agenda
[Items listed under this portion of the Agenda are typically considered separately.]
Public Works
20) Resolution C-148-12 Establishing a Minimum Property Value Exemption from the Island County Clean Water Utility System of Charges 
21) Grant Deed of Conservation Easement – Whidbey Camano Land Trust; Permanent Easement to protect Conservation Values of 654 Acres of Community Forest through Trillium Community Forest Public Use Plan (RM-PW-2012-416) (PW-1220-141)

Commissioners
22) Continued Discussion regarding draft ordinance to establish procedures for designation of additional “no shooting areas” through a petition method


Location (Unless otherwise noted): Board of County Commissioners Hearing Room (Room 102B Basement), Island County Annex Bldg., 1 NE 6th Street, Coupeville, WA


Please try to attend these meetings and voice your opposition to the proposed ordinance if given the opportunity.  Also, please contact the Commissioners with your thoughts via email:

Kelly Emerson (R): district3@co.island.wa.us

Angie Homola (D): district2@co.island.wa.us

Helen Price Johnson, Chair (D): district1@co.island.wa.us

[huntrights]

Here is some additional input received on the subject:

"Outgoing Island County Commissioner Angie Homola (Whidbey Island District 2) is trying to rush through a new ordinance before she leaves office in a few weeks.  This ordinance would establish a process for a neighborhood to petition the Board of Island County Commissioners for a no shooting zone.  Sounds reasonable except that if only 60% of landowners in the neighborhood sign the petition, then the commissioners would consider establishing a no shooting zone on the entire neighborhood.  Essentially one set of neighbors legislating what the other neighbors can do on their property.  However, there is no definition of "Neighborhood" in the ordinance.  So the petitioning neighbors and the commissioners would be able to draw the neighborhood boundaries any way they want.

The instance that appears to have pushed Commissioner Homola over the edge is a safely established, sherrif approved, private shooting range on 8 acres, adjacent to some homes on much smaller lots.  under the new ordinance, the neighborhood of smaller (suburban) lots is looking to shut down shooting on adjacent "rural" lots by creating a new "neighborhood" boundary that includes both sets of properties, and where they can get 60% of the landowners signing the petition. 

Attend the next two Commissioner meetings if you can:

Commissioners Public Meeting: Monday December 17th, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Commissioners Meeting Room (Annex Building; 1 NE 6th St.) (Video conferencing should also be provided at the Camano Island County Offices).  This meeting is SUPPOSED to have only minimal information regarding the No Shooting Petition Ordinance, but public comment should be allowed and our presence is important.
Commissioners Working Meeting: Thursday December 20th. 9 a.m. at the Commissioners Meeting Room (Annex Building; 1 NE 6th St.) Video conferencing should also be provided at the Camano Island County Offices).  This meeting is SUPPOSED to have detailed commissioners discussions on the No Shooting Petition Ordinance, but public comment will be limited.  Still, our presence is very important.

Please contact the commissioners with your thoughts:

Hellen Price-Johnson district1@co.island.wa.us

Angie Homola district2@co.island.wa.us

Kelly Emerson district3@co.island.wa.us

Thanks for your support."

[hillbilli]

I'm deployed, so I cant be at the meetings, but I sent e-mails to the commisioners office, and other hunters on the island I know, and got ahold of folks there at North Whidbey Sportsmans (gun range), and the guys said they were aware of it, and would pass word to Central whidbey Sportsmans as well.. got to do all we can to stop this crap...

[huntrights]

I'm deployed, so I cant be at the meetings, but I sent e-mails to the commisioners office, and other hunters on the island I know, and got ahold of folks there at North Whidbey Sportsmans (gun range), and the guys said they were aware of it, and would pass word to Central whidbey Sportsmans as well.. got to do all we can to stop this crap...

Thanks hillbilli, we need to get fellow sportsmen enagaged in Island County and throughout the state; the Commissioners need to hear all of our voices. 

[singleshot12]

Whidbey and Camano island are very heavily populated now,even more than some towns with no shooting zones in place. It's just a matter of time that Island county will be too. We might be able to stop the proposal for another year or two but that's it. It's not the country anymore