Drake Landing Needs Your Help

[Mike.Smith]

Hi Guys,

I wanted to share an email with you that I recevied from Drake Landing today. Dan Andrews and his crew have done so much for those of us who shoot at his facility, that I thought you might be interested in showing some support for them as they deal with these zoning issues. If my schedule permits, I will be there in person for the meeting. I know this is not possible for most of you, but there is an email address below where we can send letters of support if you feel so inclined. I think that highlighting Drake Landing as a draw for people from outside the state would help to send a powerful message.

Thanks,

Mike

"Stand for Drake Landing!"

DRAKE LANDING PUBLIC HEARING

Drake Landing Supporters,

Recently it was determined by Harnett County that we no longer qualify for the Agir-tourism zoning exemption. We have appealed this decision, and it is currently in the North Carolina Court of Appeals. In the meantime, Harnett County has requested we apply for a conditional use permit; the public hearing will be held Wednesday August 27th at 6pm in the Harnett County Administration Building, Lillington, NC.

We will continue to operate under normal business hours through this process. (Wednesday-Saturday :9am-6pm, Sunday: 1pm-5pm)

If you have done any previous business with us, your opinion matters. Anyone can attend the public hearing, if you cannot be there at 6pm you are still able to enter the hearing respectfully at any time. The more supporters we physically have there the better. If you are unable to attend you can send a supportive email/letter to tbyrd@harnett.org. Be sure to address the Harnett County Board of Adjustments in any emails/letters. You can explain your concerns and why you enjoy Drake Landing. Be sure to also include where you are from to show the county that the Drake Landing business benefits the county revenue and is a tourist attraction. Anything positive from your point of view would be very helpful.

We hope to see many supporters there, and thank you in advance for you continued support,

Drake Landing



You can get updates and RSVP to the hearing through our Facebook page!

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Mike, we all need to get behind this and send our support letters. Iwas just getting ready to post this when I saw you had. I wish this was in the general discussion forum where more people might see it and respond.
Come on folks, let's get behind this.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Mike , Just sent my e-mail to them, Gary

[John Campbell]

I wonder who or which agency of Harnett county "determined" that a long standing business no longer qualifies for this exemption? One which must now be hashed out in hearings.

I also wonder if Drakes is within the district of this Harnett Commissioner:

Beatrice Hill (D) - District 1
P.O. Box 993
Lillington, NC 27546
(910) 893-4777


Just wondering...

[David Dwyer]

Mike
I just sent an email. Is that the nice female commissioner that was at Drakes last spring? If so I will call her also
David

[Mark Ouellette]

Mike
I just sent an email. Is that the nice female commissioner that was at Drakes last spring? If so I will call her also
David

David,

Perhaps you are thinking of U.S. Representative Renee Elmers. Unfortunately a Congresswoman would have no power over a county commissioner. She may however have a little influence...

Mark

[Mike.Smith]

Harold, I wasn't sure where to post this, so I stuck it in Off Topic. General Discussions may have been a better place.

David, I can't remember if that is her or not. I think Mark Oulette would remember, he knew who she was that day, and had his picture taken with her.

Thanks Gary, and everyone else for the support, I know that Dan will appreciate it as well. I'm heading out to his place for Opening Day of Dove Season on the 1st, and I'll make sure to tell him that we're circling the wagons!

Mike

[Robin Lewis]

Email sent, I hope it helps!

[Linn Matthews]

Email sent!

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Email sent today now that I'm back in the office. Come on guys, lets give them something to think about.

[Rich Anderson]

e-mail sent. Mark can you move this to the general discussion forum?

[Daryl Corona]

E-mail sent.

[Mark Ouellette]

Gentlemen,

The deadline for input to is Wednesday, 27 August. If anyone is thinking about sending an email stating what a good business Drakes is, and how much money you spend there, at hotels and restaurants, and for gas in that county please do so soon.

Mark

[Mills Morrison]

Email sent.

[Kenny Graft]

E-mail sent SXS ohio

[Dean Romig]

Here in Massachusets, one of the most highly regulated states in the country in regard to firearms, "progress" brings along with it some pretty one-sided attitudes from those who want it "their way" at all cost to others. A significant number of folks here have tried to shut down a few shooting ranges because of the "danger" they pose to society and because of the noise of gunfire.

It was a long battle but we won!! Our general laws now state that any shooting range that has existed harmoniously in our communities are grandfathered and can't be shut down for any reason.... even if a builder decides to construct new streets and homes downrange.

There must be a way Drake's Landing can beat this.... We did!!

[Dave Suponski]

Dean and All, We did the same here in Connecticut believe it or not. Drakes deserves all the help we can afford to give...If we let up we will lose...

[William Davis]

Were the counties get you is the "Use Permit" They can't shut down a gun club in Virginia either but can make the conditions of use very difficult if they want to. Our club founded in 1937 current location since 1952, spent a considerable amount of money to come into compliance. Small things not shooting range related like handicapped parking, fence around the dumpster, toilets, was our campground permitted properly. Even our ponds dam was found to be "sub standard" We won in the end but it was a long fight.

Sounds like that's Drakes issue, hope they win the battle, nice people and place to shoot

William

[Mark Ouellette]

Gentlemen.

The public meeting is tonight. If you have not sent an email supporting renewal of Drake Landing's Agri-Tourism tax status please do so. Otherwise the "anti-gun" groups will reduce our sport and passion one shooting range at a time.

Respectfully requested,
Mark

[John Campbell]

For the convenience of those who have not yet acted, here is the email address to use:

tbyrd@harnett.org

[Jim DiSpagno]

Email sent, I hope it helps. Jim

[Dean Romig]

Email sent.

[Mills Morrison]

We are going to be shooting at Drakes this Sunday if anyone wants to join us.

[Robin Lewis]

Just curious, what was the result of yesterdays public meeting?

[Mills Morrison]

Off their FB page:

Thank you to all that came and sent emails to support Drake Landing last nights hearing will be continued tonight at 6:00pm we will let you know what happens again Thank You!!!

[Eric Eis]

Off their FB page:

Thank you to all that came and sent emails to support Drake Landing last nights hearing will be continued tonight at 6:00pm we will let you know what happens again Thank You!!!

Mills keep us up to date. thanks

[FRANK HALSEY]

EMAIL SENT.

[Richard Flanders]

They're likely getting awry of Agenda 21 and will be put out of business an any cost.

[John Campbell]

They're likely getting awry of Agenda 21 and will be put out of business an any cost.

Perhaps they're under alien control... the, ahem... DEMOCRAT county commissioner I mean.

[Mike.Smith]

Thanks to everyone here that posted and sent supportive emails. I'll see Dan this weekend for sure, and I'll let him know about the great support our members have shown for them. I'll let you know the outcome when we hear more.

Mike

[Mike.Smith]

Well, after two nights of debate, it looks like Drake Landing will be allowed to continue to operate the shooting range at their facility. :)

So, we've won the battle, but not the war. It's still a conditional use permit, and their fight is far from over, but it's a step in the right direction. Thanks again for all of your help. Here is the news article from this morning about the decision. It also has some links to most of the past articles about this ongoing saga.

http://www.wral.com/debate-over-harnett-co-gun-range-stretches-into-second-night/13934031/

Thanks,

Mike

[Dean Romig]

Golly, some of those county laws are stricter than some of the Massachusetts laws.

Seems when folks move to the country to escape the urban life they start complaining abut things they didn't expect in the country - so they begin to make changes there so things will feel more "urban". It happens everywhere and on every level. A way of life is rapidly disappearing and it is saddening.

[John Campbell]

Good news about Drake's. But as stated, the "war" continues. However, I make these suggestions for the continued battle;

1) Get the NRA involved NOW. With their clout, the future odds are in Drake's favour.
2) Get the NSSA and NASCA involved too.
3) Get the NAME of the Superior Court judge who ruled against Drakes, and start a campaign to remove him or her.
4) Publish the NAME of the county commissioner who voted against Drakes. And start a campaign against that person. Heck, put a Drake's owner on the next ballot !!
5) Offer Drakes a booth at the next Southern FREE in order to solicit donations for legal defense. If Drakes falls... Deep River could be next!
6) Hire a PR firm to work through much of this.

[Daryl Corona]

Good news Mike, thanks. I see that they are closed on Sunday which I would assume is one of their busier days. Too bad. Looks like we'll have to get there a day earlier next April to get our fair share of shooting in.

[Mills Morrison]

We shot there today. Really hot, but still fun. At Bellini's now

[Mills Morrison]

They were closed Sunday, but we shot at nearby Kidd's Place which was pretty good. We shot doves at Drakes this morning and it was excellent. Photos to follow.

[Mike.Smith]

Mills, I hope you and Julia had as much fun as we did this afternoon at Drake Landing. I hate that they were closed on Sunday and that I missed shooting with you guys.

The heat was absolutely oppressive (95 degrees today), but the birds flew anyway. My brother in law and I went out there at 2:00 and were in the field by 3:00. I think it's the most Doves that I've ever seen on a shoot. You couldn't go five minutes without seeing a Dove, and we had them coming in sometimes in groups of 10 or 12. Dan told me later that he's been scouting the fields and leading up to today would see them coming in 40 to 60 at a time :shock: Needless to say, I took my limit and had a great time doing it. Of course everything that Dan does is first class, including his hunts. Jesse cooked an amazing dinner, including Rib-Eye Steaks and some Caribbean Jerk Doves! Mmmmm, tasty.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3918/14927044667_bd080168bf_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/smithshady/14927044667/)

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3918/15110600841_b1f6c94cc1_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/smithshady/15110600841/)

We did talk a little bit about the events of this past week, and now that they have been granted this conditional use permit, they should be all set barring annoyances like having to close on Sundays. They do a lot of revenue on Sunday afternoons, but the feeling was that they could have lost every day, so it's still a victory. I'm told that about 85% of the people who showed up on Wed night were in support of Drake Landing staying open (not sure about Thursday's ratio), and they evidently had a huge stack of emails from supporters like us. The next step will be to hopefully win back their Agri-Tourism status, but there is no timeline as to when that appeal will be heard. if they do get that status reinstated, then they can stay open 7 days a week if they want too. In the meantime, I'll just start shooting early on Saturday morning instead of late on Sunday like I have been. :)

Mike

[Mills Morrison]

We are sorry we missed you too Mike. We will see you at Backwoods though. We had a great morning hunt. Julia shot her VH 16 and I shot my Sterlingworth 16.

[Mills Morrison]

This off an email from Drake's. They are suggesting sending a thank you email to Harnett County for the conditional use permit. I sent one myself.

Thank you for all the emails, calls and well wishes during the recent weeks. Please take a moment to thank Harnett County Board of Adjustment, for the recent decision at tbyrd@harnett.org.