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Residents press planning commission on safety, notice for proposed Bentonville firing range
Summary
Multiple Warren County residents told the planning commission they fear a proposed county firing range near Bentonville poses safety, liability and notification problems; some called for alternative sites and better public outreach. The commission deferred further action pending more data and a sheriff's office presentation at a future work session.
A string of residents told the Warren County Planning Commission they are opposed to a proposed county firing range sited near Bentonville, saying the site selection process lacked public notice and that the location creates safety and liability risks for nearby families and protected lands.
John Diggins, who said he lives on Gillette Ridge Road in Bentonville, asked why the range was selected without a broader public process and raised concerns about bullets traveling long distances and about liability if someone were injured. "I don't understand why they continue... It's like they wanna are they accepting the responsibility if someone gets injured or dies in a gunshot wound in that area?" he asked.
John Swenson, whose property backs the proposed range, described his three‑year‑old grandson being frightened by nearby shooting and said residents have been told "this is the only place we got," which he called a "defeatist attitude" and urged the commission to look for other options.
Several residents and speakers said they were not properly notified of the range perimeter and questioned the criteria used to establish a one‑mile zone around the site. Commissioners and staff acknowledged the concern and said the item would be discussed further at a joint work session with the Board of Supervisors, where sheriff's office representatives have been asked to provide additional data and rationale for any chosen site.
No formal action to approve a range was taken at the meeting; commissioners said they wanted more documentation and direct participation from the sheriff's office before a decision.
