SHOULD I STAY OPEN?

**renierr** · 03-02-2017, 18:34

Originally Posted by Shigawagga

This is the problem. I have on record (voice recordings of phone calls and a meetings with them) where I have repeatedly asked them what it is they want exactly, upon which they beat around the bush and respond "we don't know, but the noise & existence of the range is offensive".. I have also put offers to them of reduced shooting hours, allowing only silenced rifles on saturdays, and even to close the range for a day or two if they give me advance notice of anything special happening on their farms for which they are in need of total silence. No response! However I hear from others that they are boasting that they will close me down completely. They do not seem to be interested in compromise.

That right there. Says to me it's past negotiations and surely if you can get that on record somehow there should be a legal process you can follow not so? Sounds like malicious intent?

**A-R** · 03-02-2017, 18:44

Originally Posted by renierr

That right there. Says to me it's past negotiations and surely if you can get that on record somehow there should be a legal process you can follow not so? Sounds like malicious intent?

Harassment? Crimen injuria?

**renierr** · 03-02-2017, 18:47

Originally Posted by A-R

Harassment? Crimen injuria?

Yeah I was thinking along those lines

EDIT: Aaaahaah see now you mentioned that already lol

**SeanG** · 03-02-2017, 19:00

What are the chances they want a slice of the pie?
Possibly hear the range and think tons of customers= tons of money and are jealous?

**Shigawagga** · 10-02-2017, 10:21

Still waiting for their next move. I hear via the grapevine that a lawyer has been approached.....
I will keep this thread updated on development, as I'm sure other shooting range owners will be interested to see how far a matter like this can be pushed.

**Dick** · 19-02-2017, 21:33

I was chairman of Somerset West Pistol Club for about 18 months in 2000-2001. We had been harrassed (that's the only word for it) for several years by the neighbouring farm manager. Exactly the same things you describe - noise, ricochets, shotgun shot polluting his grapes when the direction of shot was in an entirely different direction. And of course, the vague notion that the range was "dangerous" without any evidence. He had an easy weapon available to him - as the range is on municipal ground any complaint no matter how spurious got the range closed "pending investigation." In the years before I became chairman, we had sacrificed rifle and shotgun and reduced our shooting to Saturday afternoons only. Each of those things had been sacrificed in return for the promise that no more demands/complaints would be made. But he reneged each time and renewed his attack. As an experienced pro gun activist I was a bit wiser than previous chairmen and recognised that we were being whittled down to extinction. I should add that, in addition to ongoing discussions with the council SAPS had also involved itself. At a meeting in the station commander's office, the farmer, frustrated by my harder attitude, declared that "if we can't get cooperation we'll go for closure" thus declaring what the real aim had been all along. That's when I said that, as he had reneged on every agreement and his intention was now obvious, the club would regard all agreements as null and void and reinstate all activities it had sacrificed, seven days a week.

These people want to close you down. If you give ground they will see it as encouragement to take you down a piece at a time. Record all conversations and keep detailed records of everything that happens and everything that is said. Record all users of the range, calibres and times to the minute. My experience in years of activism has been that the ability to quote hard fact is crucial.

A final point regarding noise is that our opponent relied on that a lot. But when we took decibel readings they showed that the noise at his residence was less than the traffic noise from the road 500m away. And that noise was way below nuisance level - it was in fact barely noticeable.

**A-R** · 19-02-2017, 21:50

Originally Posted by Shigawagga

... I hear via the grapevine that a lawyer has been approached.....
.

That's good. Any lawyer worth his salt will charge them good money for every letter, discussion etc. Let them pay. More evidence for the intimidation/harassment charges too. Just don't be intimidated by BS.

**Shigawagga** · 24-02-2017, 15:38

Thanks for sharing your experience Dick. It's certainly encouraging to know that others have had the same problem and prevailed. It also gives me some food for thought on any further "compromises" that I might have been considering.