Residents speak at Winona County meeting: safety worries about rifles, pleas to protect warming center

Several residents used the board's public-comment period to raise safety concerns about expanding rifle use in local hunting areas and to urge the county to support the warming center and day center serving people experiencing homelessness.

Richard Anderson of Rushford told the board he opposed allowing rifles in the local zones and said safety is his "number 1 concern." He said hunters from outside the area and frequent shots near his property concern him: "If I don't know who's in my woods and I can't stop them, the bullets get closer."

Zane Jacobson, also of Rushford, said he has a building on his property already damaged by a shotgun slug and argued shotguns keep pellets closer to the ground compared with high-powered rifles, which "carry a hell of a lot farther." He said groups of hunters firing many shotgun shots have pushed deer and that rifles would make hunting more dangerous for nearby properties and families.

John Hazleton, speaking as a citizen (not on behalf of the Winona County Sheriff's Department), said he supports allowing rifles in the zones. Hazleton, who described himself as a hunter and trainer, said rifle hunting can reduce the number of shots fired because rifles are more accurate and often used with scopes. "What it will change, it'll change the amount of shots that are being fired," Hazleton said, adding that limiting rounds and increasing accuracy can reduce property damage and risk.

Em Shepperson, a care worker and mutual-aid organizer in Winona, asked the board to protect the warming center and day center. She told commissioners that in 2024, "86 unique individuals stayed at the warming center" and that the day center is projected to close in September; she said the community remains about "1,500 units short" of housing and urged the board to be "good neighbors" by protecting the centers.

Why it matters

Public-comment speakers raised both public-safety concerns tied to hunting regulations and local housing and shelter needs. The comments may inform future county consideration of hunting-zone regulations and housing-service funding, but no formal county action on hunting regulations was taken during the meeting.

What's next

Speakers' remarks were aired during the public-comment period; commissioners did not announce immediate policy changes. The issues raised—firearms safety in hunting areas and support for homeless services—may be taken up in future agenda items or budget discussions.