The Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center was abruptly and unceremoniously closed to ALL public use effective 1/15/2020. Fortunately, it has re-opened. Let's keep this unique facility open and available to the people of Wake County to whom it was dedicated!
If you had a paid membership to the Wake County Firearms Education
and Training Center prior to the closure of public hourson Jan 15th be assured your refund
check is on its way today.The county
has a list of the memberships and has prepared and mailed your refunds so you
should see your check in the next few days.If for some reason you haven’t gotten your check by March 5th
or so, send an inquiry to kim.lorbacher@wakegov.com.
As Commissioner
Holmes noted elsewhere this is "particularly for government, exceptionally
quick turnaround".Thanks Kim!
Mark Valetta, the man behind the petition that has garnered over 10,000 signatures so far, has posted an update that gives us some insight into the quiet machinations of the county's effort to re-open the range to the public.
"I am pleased to report that our commissioners reached out to the NC
Wildlife Resources Commission and are in negotiations to have an
innovative County/State partnership put in place. Both the County
Commissioners and the Wildlife Staff have been very receptive to the
public organizers. In a meeting I attended earlier this week with
Wildlife staff, we were very pleased to have earnest conversations about
the future of the range. I am very confident that this range will
remain a publicly accessible facility for generations to come. But we
do not let down until that outcome is realized. We're not done until
that's a done deal! "
Cause for optimism to be sure but as Mark says, it ain't over until it's over. If you haven't already signed the petition please do so NOW. It's important that the Commissioners and the Wildlife Commission be kept aware that there is still great interest in keeping this range and the training available and open to the public.
There was another meeting of the Wake County Commissioners that was open for public comment and the shooters of Wake County were heard (again) and well-represented by over a dozen speakers. The particulars, agenda etc, are available HERE. VIDEO of the meeting is HERE and below. The speakers for the WCFETC start around 1:03 and end at 1:44.
Three themes emerged in the comments:
1) It is important to have the public represented as a stakeholder in all further discussions.
2) A reminder the the facility was in fact built for the public.
3) The ladies would like very much to have their range and the ladies'-only programs back.
Thanks to all of you who made the effort to be downtown early on a Tuesday afternoon to help save the public hours at Wake Range. Special thanks to Parry Ketchmark for his deft organizational skills keeping hope alive.
If you want to keep up with events then hit the email subscription link
in the right hand column. We'll let you know what happens as we find
out ourselves.
Sometime today, RSM senior management will head over to the
range one last time to pick up the paperwork and odds and ends that constitute
the company’s property remaining at the FETC.I would imagine that the flood of memories and the awkward glances from
WCSO staff you used to consider friends will make it uncomfortable for the
fellas – this is not how they deserved to go out.Just shameful.
If you watched the video from Monday’s work group you know
that there are still many questions left unanswered. It will be interesting and
instructive to keep an eye on doings at the WCFETC to see how it all eventually
shakes out.Will they, in fact, continue
to offer public access to the range or will Sheriff Baker get his dream of an
LETC free from the vermin of the public (BTW, aren’t LEO’s citizens just like
non-LEO’s?).If public hours are
offered, will there be more than the 20 hours a week offered by RSM or
fewer?[ED: My personal opinion – there
WILL be public hours.There will be four
of them between 8am and noon on Sundays, twice a month] Does my range card
still get me in or do I need to pass another orientation to use the range?Do the annual members get a discount or
refund?Any updates on that $100,000
Feasibility Study? And of course, how will the range become MOREprofitable if you’re running it FREE to the
public?
We here at WakeRange.com will be stepping back from the
daily monitoring of the situation but we’ll not step down. 8500 people signed
Mark Valetta’s petition, WakeRange.com has been accessed 2000 times, 300-ish
people actually showed up for the Commission meeting on the 6th –
that’s a lot of folks with a passion for keeping the range accessible and safe
for the shooters of Wake County. That’s
also a lot of eyes and ears that can watch and listen for updates on
circumstances at the Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center.Over the next several weeks and months if you
see or hear of any developments please ping a quick email to ProfoundMan@Gmail.com or tweet to
@TheProfounds .We’ll continue to update
this site as a resource for all concerned. Also, we’ve listed the email
addresses of each of the County Commissioners on the website for your
convenience.It seems important that
they be kept informed of the consequences of their actions as time goes
by.
It has been a true pleasure and honor serving as your RO’s,
Instructors and friends over these many years.The warm memories will be with us always.
It's not hard, after watching the video of the work group of the Wake County Commissioners, to conclude that the fix is in and in fact has been for awhile. RSM was treated like yesterday's news, the Sheriff is the highest priority for most if not all the Commissioners, the NC Wildlife Commission rode in on a white horse to save the day for the public except they're going to have to find out from the WCSO which days they can save first. Further, it's not clear whether or not the Wildlife Commission will be teaching CCH classes, NRA classes, hosting leagues or even fielding the "1 RO per range policy" that RSM adhered to. Does my WCFETC card still get me into the range during whatever public hours are allowed? What about my annual membership payment - do I get a refund? When and how will I know when the range is again open to the public? So many questions...
One thing that as of this evening is clear, the thousands-member family that was the Wake Range and RSM is over. The range as most know it will cease operations tomorrow, Jan 14th at 9pm. Damn shame that. Those people, that place, those times constituted a sense of community that those who are fond of publically preaching about "the community" can only aspire to. Respectful gratitude is due to Fred, Fritz and Eric, the owners of RSM, for (almost) 20 years of service and fun for the shooters of the entire region.
ABC11 is reporting that Kyle Briggs, deputy director for N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has made the following statement:
"A partnership is truly a joint activity where we're not being paid for
our services. We're providing this to the public," said chief deputy
director for NCWRC Kyle Briggs. "Obviously, our shooting ranges that we
operate are always free to the public to use. So that would be our goal
in this partnership."
If we are to take Sheriff Baker's requirement that the public hours be profitable to the county seriously, charging the public $0 an hour as opposed to the $12 an hour the range get's now (that's cheap btw) is going to be an accounting nighmare for someone. Should be interesting...
There will of course be more to report over the next several weeks (and probably months) as we learn how and when the range will again open to the public. If you want to keep up with events then hit the email subscription link in the right hand column. We'll let you know what happens as we find out ourselves.
As Mr. Stough so adroitly points out, it's hard to make a business profitable when you have absolutely no control over anything affecting profitability.
The room was full. There are reports the "overflow" room was pretty full too. A low-key Sherrif Baker was in attendance. 33 speakers , couple of hours, the range effort acquitted itself well. County Manager Ellis let it be known that the range is to be closed temporarily and more will be known about the future of public access to the WakeRange at the meeting on the 13th. Keep an eye on this and watch the livestream of the meeting on the 13th.
I gotta say as an observer that is was fun to watch. Everyone was respectful and on point. First, a large and uncontrolled Atta-Boy! to the Commission. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and then prayed. I kinda' wasn't expecting that. Also unexpected was the Commissioners going well beyond the customary time limit for public comment. And all that done in a warm, professional style.
If you're a WakeRange denizen as I am, it should come as no suprise that our side handled themselves admirably. Lot's of facts presented by people who have a reason to know the facts. The WakeRange/RSM family can (and should) be proud.
And it wouldn't be right not to give a shout-out to this lady:
THIS IS NOT OVER! It should be pretty quiet on this front for the next week or so but it seems we will certainly know more - perhaps much more - on the 13th. As they say, stay tuned.
In an effort to get as much information to the Commissioners as possible, please post a comment in the Comments section below. Your thoughtful words will be collated and given to the Board members on Jan 6th. Please be respectful. Remember, we're the class act here.
January 6th is a critically important date for you to
reserve on your schedules. In response to a huge public outcry the Wake
County Board of Commisioners will be hearing public discussion
regarding the future of the Wake County Firearms Education &
Training Center. It is vitally important for our elected officials to
see the faces behind the almost 7500 citizens who responded to the
petition calling for the range to remain accessible to the citizens of
Wake County for whom is was built.
Will attendance be problematic?
Because it is downtown and the meeting starts at 5:00 it could be
troublesome but anything worth doing demands diligent effort. Let's
make time to fill the room with the taxpayers who paid for this public
facility. Our core group of organizers have prepared comments to
deliver to the commisioners. As time permits additional comments may be
afforded, each limited to three minutes. Though time will be limited we
encourage "all attendees" to prepare written comments to be given to
the commisioners. You should prepare nine (9) copies of those and we
will see that they are given to the seven commissioners, county legal
representatives and the secretary recording the meeting discussions.
We earnestly request that all attendees maintain a professional and
courteous demeanor throughout the entire evening. Inflamed discourse
will cost valuable speaking time and will only detract from the civil
discourse we have sought to maintain all along.
Parking is Available in the Wake County Parking Deck at 216 W. Cabarrus St.
Location
Wake County Justice Center - Room 2700
310 South McDowell Street
Nash Square Entrance
Raleigh, NC 27601
You
are receiving this email because your are either a member or student at Wake
County Firearms Education and Training Center.
As
you probably know by now, earlier this week the Wake County Sheriff notified
Range Safety Management, operators of the public range activities, their intent
to terminate their contract as of January 15, 2020. This action
effectively closed Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center to the
public.
When
this occurred, a group of committed individuals came together and began a
campaign to keep the range open to the public. Over this past week there
has been a lot of action, including a petition on Change.Org and conversations with both the Wake
County Manager and the Chairman of the Wake County Commissioners. It
appears that the hard work as paid off as late yesterday afternoon we received
an email from the Chairman stating that Wake County is taking control of the
facility back from the Wake County Sheriff.
The
email further stated: "The
firearms facility and training center was built with taxpayer dollars by Wake
County Government for its use by law-abiding gun owners and law enforcement
professionals. It is a community asset and Wake County commissioners and staff
will work to ensure that the facility is again made available for the
community’s use as soon as possible."
While
at this time we do not know the final outcome, we are hopeful that a quick
resolution is in hand. As additional information becomes available, we
will send it out. In the meantime, if you have not signed the petition on
Change.Org,
please click on the link below and do so.
Also,
take a moment to reach out with a thank you email to Greg Ford, Chairman, Wake
County Board of Commissioners. He has been extremely supportive and we
would like to show our appreciation. His email is Greg.Ford@wakegov.com.
Wake County will close its firearms training center to the public in January.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office ended its
contract with Range Safety Management (RSM) LLC’s because of the
company’s “lack of profitability and a review that fees and funds
collected by RSM were not accounted for accurately,” according to a
Sheriff’s Office news release Wednesday.
“To the responsible gun owners who use the
facility, I understand your concern,” Sheriff Gerald Baker said. “This
decision was not made in haste. We will continue to review how to use
this training center that works in the best interest of all citizens,
while saving taxpayer money. Unfortunately, the current agreement only
met the needs of a few.”
The Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center, located near
Holly Springs, is used by the Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement
agencies for training, and has been open to the public for shooting and
classes.
Mark Valletta is a member of a pistol league and shoots at the range
twice a month. He started a Change.org petition demanding the center
remain open. It had gained more than 1,100 signatures in under 24 hours.
“We will have nowhere to go,” he said. “We will have to try to find other facilities, if they even exist.”
Center finances
Questions about how much money the center was
getting from the sheriff’s office and the public were not answered by
the Sheriff’s Office or the county Wednesday afternoon.
But Fred Stough, one of three partners of RSM, said the sheriff’s statement was inaccurate.
The center was opened to the public from the beginning as part of a compromise over the county’s gun ordinance
and was never meant to be profitable, he said. The county prohibits
people shooting a gun within 100 yards of a home without permission of
the homeowner and within 100 yards of a “public building” likely to be
occupied. Giving the public access to the then-new firearms center gave
people a chance to practice their shooting.
A resident has to complete a range safety class
before being allowed to shoot at one of the ranges, which include 50
yards for pistols and rifles, and 100 yards for rifles. More than 25,000
people have completed that course and become members since the range
opened in the early 2000s, Stough said.
Some people shoot regularly and others come once a year to check their rifle scopes before hunting season.
Memos sent to the Sheriff’s Office from Wake
County this summer outlined a number of concerns within the sheriff’s
department including how “both the firing range and general WCSO
offices” were not following the county’s policy of handling cash. The
sheriff’s office recently rebutted those memos with nearly 200 pages of
his own documents.
The county’s cash-handling policies were recently revamped after the former Wake County Register of Deeds was charged and found guilty of embezzling money from her department.
Wake County did have concerns about how money was
handled at the firing range, but none was ever missing, Stough said.
The firing range doesn’t have an office, and the money for classes is
collected from an off-site post office box and processed at RSM’s
office, also off-site.
“We understand they had some concerns and talked
to us about it, but they did a full accounting every month,” he said.
“There was never a nickel missing when it was supposed to be there.”
Last month a civilian firearms instructor at the center accidentally shot himself in the leg while putting his gun back into his holster, The News & Observer reported.
It was the first accident where someone was shot
in nearly 20 years, Stough said, adding he didn’t know if the incident
contributed to the sheriff ending the contract.
“It’s not a matter of if, but when there is an accident,” he said. “Firearms are dangerous.”
Future plans at the center
There is a need for more training space for
local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, according to the
Sheriff’s Office news release.
“We are living in dangerous times,” Baker said.
“We need to have an ability to provide increased training opportunities
for our officers, so that they are prepared to face the dangers that may
await them every day they protect our neighborhoods.” This year’s budget
includes $100,000 to study whether a “simulation training facility”
could be added to the Wake County Firearms Training Center.
“The Sheriff ’s Office has requested the
construction of a training facility that will allow their employees to
conduct real life training in a simulated live ammunition environment
that would include configurable interiors for various scenario
training,” according to the budget approved by commissioners this year.
Simulation buildings and projectors are
frequently used as training tools for officers, including when there is
an active shooter threat.
A “simulation building” at Wake Technical
Community College’s Public Safety Education Center was part of a $349
million bond approved by voters in 2018. Officers already use a room
that looks like an apartment to investigate mock crimes like shootings
and domestic violence crimes. Wake Tech’s proposed simulation building would
allow for a mock city with streets, first-floor apartments, kitchens,
police and fire stations, The N&O previously reported.
Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article238507413.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article238507413.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article238507413.html#storylink=cp
Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article238507413.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article238507413.html#storylink=cpy
If you had a paid membership to the Wake County Firearms Education
and Training Center prior to the closure of public hours on Jan 15th be assured your refund
check is on its way today. The county
has a list of the memberships and has prepared and mailed your refunds so you
should see your check in the next few days.
If for some reason you haven’t gotten your check by March 5th
or so, send an inquiry to kim.lorbacher@wakegov.com.