Washington: Thurston County Board of Commissioners Considering Shooting Ban Ordinance

Please Contact Thurston County Commissioners Immediately

The Thurston County Board of Commissioners continues to pursue a broad shooting ban ordinance that would significantly impact hunters and shooters in the county.  Your attendance at a Commission “work session” this Thursday, April 5, is critical!  This meeting will be held at the Thurston County Courthouse – Building 1, Room 280 – at 2:00 p.m.

This Shooting Ban Ordinance is currently in its fifth draft and has steadily gotten more restrictive and harmful to gun rights with every new version.  There are two primary elements in this proposal that impact hunters and shooters:

1. This ordinance bans duck hunting within 300 yards of the shore in all of Thurston County, with some complete bans on duck hunting in certain areas of the salt water bays.  The county claims this is for safety concerns, yet the Thurston County Sheriff and the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife have gone on record stating that there were no safety concerns with existing law or hunting in those areas.
    
2. This ordinance also provides Thurston County with the tools (based on planned zoning) to restrict legal target shooting on your own property.  A property owner will be "allowed" to seek permission and pay for an annual permit IF shooting is approved by the county government.  As initially defined, this affects properties in Rochester and just outside Yelm, Tenino, Rainier, Tumwater, Lacey and Olympia.  If your property is not yet affected, the planning department will only need to change your zoning or expand the type of zoning affected by this ordinance.

You can view a full version of the ordinance here.

If possible, plan to attend this Thursday work session and make your views known.  Bring written comments and statements to give to staff and the Thurston County Commissioners.  If you cannot attend, please contact the Thurston County Commissioners by phone and e-mail. The three County Commissioners are listed below:

Cathy Wolfe (District 1)
Sandra Romero (District 2)
Karen Valenzuela (District 3)
 
They can all be reached by telephone at (360) 786-5440 or via e-mail by clicking here.

The Thurston County Courthouse Complex is located at 2000 Lakeridge Drive, SW in Olympia. Directions to the courthouse can be found by clicking here.

Plan to arrive early to find parking and meet up with other concerned hunters and shooters.