Indiana Firearms Training needs some help folks...

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  • Big Flounder

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    Sep 11, 2019
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    Huntington
    Posting this up for my friend Jay, who owns Indiana Firearms Training here in northeast Indiana. Any help would be greatly appreciated, whether you can attend the county board hearing or even just write a letter of support. Thanks in advance!


    "Indiana Firearms Training has requested a special exception to zoning to allow them to teach gun safety on their property in Huntington, IN. This property is located only half a mile from the Izaak Walton shooting range. The owner of a neighboring property is gathering opposition to this exception because he believes it will lower his property value. He recently purchased this property knowing that there was a gun range a half mile away and another range going in next door. There is shooting activity immediately surrounding these properties. The Izaak Walton range is to the north. Within a quarter mile, there is hunting to the east, someone shoots very large calibers to the west, and there is recreational shooting to the south.

    Shooting is allowed in this area and takes place many, many times every day. The special exception to the zoning is needed in order for any revenue generating activity to take place. In order for the special exception to be granted, a board of 5 members must vote to determine if the nature of the activity is in variance with the current use of the land.
    Indiana Firearms Training has offered to build large berms in order to ensure safety and promote noise reduction, unlike the shooting activities to the east, west, and south. The range would not be open to the public. In fact, the only commercial use would be a few hours midday only on weekends for class use only. This would also not take place every weekend. This range is needed as an emergency backup.

    Indiana Firearms Training currently utilizes a private range in the Fort Wayne area as well as rents the Izaak Walton shooting range in Huntington. These ranges are not always available for use. Use of the private range in Fort Wayne could be lost permanently at any moment. The Izaak Walton range is rented for class when available, but other groups, leagues and members rent it as well. This is a very narrow range that only allows room for one shooting activity at a time and only allows room for a few people. Indiana Firearms Training absolutely needs a safe range available on weekends when students have enrolled to learn gun safety and self-defense. This would constitute very limited commercial use of the property when necessary.

    There is one other range available to shooters in all of Huntington, the Roush Shooting Range. Due to this being a government owned range, no revenue generating activity is allowed on this property. Also, holsters are not permitted on this range, which students need to learn how to use a holster safely. The next nearest range, located in another town and also not always available, has been proven to be very dangerous and very expensive. Instruction must take place in a safe environment.

    While the first public hearing clearly showed that the proposed use of the land is absolutely in alignment with the current use of the surrounding area, the vote was tabled until January 28, 2020 at 6:30pm at the Huntington County Court House in order to allow time for more research. The owner of the neighboring property has made calls threatening to bring a large mob of opposition to the next hearing consisting of neighbors and members of a church located to the east beyond the hunting activity. Eliminating the resources needed to teach gun safety and self-defense is absolutely a form of gun control and is fundamentally wrong.

    Huntington consists of many gun owners and desperately needs resources to learn gun safety. The Izaak Walton range is the last available resource to do practice from holster in Huntington. While Indiana Firearms Training has been helping the Izaak Walton range increase its membership, it is still in immediate danger of shutting down due to lack of members. Efforts must be made to save the Izaak Walton range as well as to allow other resources to form in Huntington.

    Indiana Firearms Training is putting great effort into finding an alternative solution that will make everyone happy. Unfortunately, the opposition is only putting effort into preventing this resource from being available to Huntington. Please come show your support for gun safety and 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] amendment rights at the public hearing on January 28, 2020 at 6:30pm at the Huntington County Court House. Gun control is fundamentally wrong and must be stopped.


    Thank you


    John P Michaels
    Lead Instructor
    Indiana Firearms Training"
     

    Trapper Jim

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    Dec 18, 2012
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    Posting this up for my friend Jay, who owns Indiana Firearms Training here in northeast Indiana. Any help would be greatly appreciated, whether you can attend the county board hearing or even just write a letter of support. Thanks in advance!


    "Indiana Firearms Training has requested a special exception to zoning to allow them to teach gun safety on their property in Huntington, IN. This property is located only half a mile from the Izaak Walton shooting range. The owner of a neighboring property is gathering opposition to this exception because he believes it will lower his property value. He recently purchased this property knowing that there was a gun range a half mile away and another range going in next door. There is shooting activity immediately surrounding these properties. The Izaak Walton range is to the north. Within a quarter mile, there is hunting to the east, someone shoots very large calibers to the west, and there is recreational shooting to the south.

    Shooting is allowed in this area and takes place many, many times every day. The special exception to the zoning is needed in order for any revenue generating activity to take place. In order for the special exception to be granted, a board of 5 members must vote to determine if the nature of the activity is in variance with the current use of the land.
    Indiana Firearms Training has offered to build large berms in order to ensure safety and promote noise reduction, unlike the shooting activities to the east, west, and south. The range would not be open to the public. In fact, the only commercial use would be a few hours midday only on weekends for class use only. This would also not take place every weekend. This range is needed as an emergency backup.

    Indiana Firearms Training currently utilizes a private range in the Fort Wayne area as well as rents the Izaak Walton shooting range in Huntington. These ranges are not always available for use. Use of the private range in Fort Wayne could be lost permanently at any moment. The Izaak Walton range is rented for class when available, but other groups, leagues and members rent it as well. This is a very narrow range that only allows room for one shooting activity at a time and only allows room for a few people. Indiana Firearms Training absolutely needs a safe range available on weekends when students have enrolled to learn gun safety and self-defense. This would constitute very limited commercial use of the property when necessary.

    There is one other range available to shooters in all of Huntington, the Roush Shooting Range. Due to this being a government owned range, no revenue generating activity is allowed on this property. Also, holsters are not permitted on this range, which students need to learn how to use a holster safely. The next nearest range, located in another town and also not always available, has been proven to be very dangerous and very expensive. Instruction must take place in a safe environment.

    While the first public hearing clearly showed that the proposed use of the land is absolutely in alignment with the current use of the surrounding area, the vote was tabled until January 28, 2020 at 6:30pm at the Huntington County Court House in order to allow time for more research. The owner of the neighboring property has made calls threatening to bring a large mob of opposition to the next hearing consisting of neighbors and members of a church located to the east beyond the hunting activity. Eliminating the resources needed to teach gun safety and self-defense is absolutely a form of gun control and is fundamentally wrong.

    Huntington consists of many gun owners and desperately needs resources to learn gun safety. The Izaak Walton range is the last available resource to do practice from holster in Huntington. While Indiana Firearms Training has been helping the Izaak Walton range increase its membership, it is still in immediate danger of shutting down due to lack of members. Efforts must be made to save the Izaak Walton range as well as to allow other resources to form in Huntington.

    Indiana Firearms Training is putting great effort into finding an alternative solution that will make everyone happy. Unfortunately, the opposition is only putting effort into preventing this resource from being available to Huntington. Please come show your support for gun safety and 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] amendment rights at the public hearing on January 28, 2020 at 6:30pm at the Huntington County Court House. Gun control is fundamentally wrong and must be stopped.


    Thank you


    John P Michaels
    Lead Instructor
    Indiana Firearms Training"

    good luck with your venture. Just a thought though...might it be easier to just join and support an existing club?
     

    Coach

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    Apr 15, 2008
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    Coatesville
    Good luck. Been through this in Putnam County. Lost.

    Zoning laws suck.

    When you get denied everyone will tell you how much they support the 2nd amendment. But will speak and vite against you.
     

    KokomoDave

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    You're not the only ones that have lost. Here in Kokomo. Large acres that supported hunting and shooting were lost to be included in annexation. My property was one of them.

    Good luck gentlemen!
     

    Big Flounder

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    Sep 11, 2019
    49
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    Huntington
    Just a thought though...might it be easier to just join and support an existing club?

    The only options we have locally are a DNR owned/ran range and the local Izaak Walton League. The Izaak Walton League's range isn't very big and there are other members that want to use the range so it's not always available when Jay needs to schedule classes. Jay is a member and officer at the club so he's tried that avenue as much as possible. The DNR owned range has rules against anyone using the range in a for profit scenario so that is ruled out. It's a nice range but not an option for business use I'm told. Nor do they allow drawing from a holster.

    Coach sent me a pm asking me a question about why isn't Jay a member here and posting for himself. I'm fairly new here myself and can't reply via pm due to not having 50 posts, so thought I would just address that here. Jay isn't very active on social media, forums, etc. I'm working on him though and hoping he'll show up here any time. Funny thing is he's just a "kid" in his 30's and I'm almost 50. I just posted up here because I believe in what he's trying to do with his business and help him out. I don't work for him or anything like that. I'm just a friend and resident of Huntington County hoping to have a good place to train and learn better firearm safety, tactics, etc.
     

    Coach

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    Sypathetic to his cause. Feel like this is the sort of thing that should be done by him directly. Hope it works out.
     

    Big Flounder

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    Sep 11, 2019
    49
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    Huntington
    Sypathetic to his cause. Feel like this is the sort of thing that should be done by him directly. Hope it works out.

    Just to be clear, Jay didn't ask me to post anything. I took the email he sent out and posted it here trying to gather some support for him.
     

    Coach

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    I wish him luck. But this will come down to the zoning meeting, and that will come down to no on at the meeting being in opposition.
     
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