Residents tell Alamance commissioners shooting range has turned neighborhood into a "war zone"

Scores of residents told the Alamance County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that a private shooting range in northwest Alamance County has created a persistent noise and safety problem for nearby homes, farms and churches.

"The constant sound of gunfire and explosions has made our once peaceful neighborhood feel like a war zone," Lee Hicks said, identifying himself as a resident of 950 Border Lake Trail and saying the range sits roughly seven-tenths of a mile from his home. Hicks described repeated late-evening shooting and use of explosive targets that rattle houses.

Pastor Tommy Fergus of Deep Creek Baptist Church said the range owner promised to stop shooting during Sunday services and funerals but resumed after a week. "He has been dishonest multiple times," Fergus said, adding that veterans in his congregation reported the noise stirred traumatic memories.

Butch McKenzie, who said his property is about 30 yards from the shooting location, presented sheriff's reports and photographs and said a .50-caliber bullet was found lodged in a bedroom wall. McKenzie showed images of berms and argued they are too low for the high-powered rifles he alleges are being used. He told the board he and neighbors had proposed mediation and offered to share costs for a third-party range-safety review; he said the owner declined.

Other residents described cracked concrete, ricochets in trees and repeated sheriff's calls. Scott Sharp and other speakers urged the county to use public-nuisance law or examine zoning changes that might address ranges placed near residential property. Henry Vines, who told the board he sits on a local planning board, said the county should consider long-term land-use changes to avoid similar conflicts.

County Attorney Rick Stevens later addressed the legal framework, telling commissioners that a state statute the county reviewed limits how local noise ordinances apply to ranges: "whatever noise ordinance is in place when a range begins operation is the law that applies to that range," he said, and that state law tends to focus on noise rather than whether a round traveled onto another person's property. Stevens said the county could adopt a shooting-range ordinance for new ranges but that such rules would likely apply prospectively rather than to existing operations.

Commissioners did not take immediate policy action during public comment, but several suggested referring complainants to the planning department, pursuing ordinance language, and having the county attorney and planning staff review options that could include setback standards or other land-use tools. Commissioner Lashley suggested the planning department could address the issue "much quicker." The chair also said staff would meet privately with affected residents after the meeting.

The board did move into a closed session later in the meeting to consult with the county attorney; no actions were reported after closed session.

The board heard multiple speakers and a number of detailed claims and produced three immediate outcomes: commissioners asked staff and the county attorney to review legal and planning options; they acknowledged the complaints and encouraged residents to share documentation; and they indicated further consideration of a prospective shooting-range regulation and planning review.

Next steps: residents said they would follow up with planning staff and the county attorney for possible enforcement or ordinance proposals. If the county pursues a local shooting-range ordinance, Stevens said it would likely apply only to ranges that open after adoption.