HomeMy WebLinkAbout31 MulrooneyMark Kevin Mulrooney, Ph.D.
5243 Old Gardiner Rd, Port Townsend, WA 98368 JEFFERSON
mark k ark xna.ilxo n 713-256-5420
November 5th, 2019 •�
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Dear Jefferson County,,
As many residents of Jefferson county and surrounding areaare aware, the Jefferson County
Spor.tsm.e.n Association (JCSA) firearm range is at risk of closure yet again - just 12 months afte
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the last battle and the significant burden it placed upon .hundreds of members' time, energy,
and resources.
JCSA again needs our help. It has admirably served Jefferson and surrounding counties forte
50 years. It is a mature range with a unique comradery and decorum that has sustained since
1964. Its members are bound generationally within families, and as friends and neighbors. I
.myself joined at the behest of my .next-door. neighbor in Discovery Bay and was warmly
accepted as a new member two years ago.
Sadly though., another salvo of new ordi7.iances are being conceived and may soon issue forth
from those philosophically opposed to firearms and their fair use within the county - with the
intended goal of eliminating the JCSA by placing a severe financial hardship on the
membership. Yet more logistical and engineering variants and requirements are simply beyond
the fiscal resources of the JCSA's 700 members, the 1200 additional affiliated members (Law
Enforcement Officers (LEDs), Military, and family members), and the hundreds of non -
,members that are participants at JCSA special events.
With the demise of JCSA, a host of functions which benefit the community will cease. "he most
crucial of these is the enhancement to Public Safety that JCSA provides in three important ways:
1) JCSA provides LEOs, US Coast Guard, Armed Service Members, and many other public
safety servants, the venue to conveniently maintain, refine, and quality their firearm
skills. The range is used free of charge by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department,
Port Townsend Police, Border Patrol, Dept of Fish and Wildlife, CG, Tribal Police, US
ASMs and many L.EOs from outside Jefferson County. To be safe in their duties these
individuals must train regularly.
It is generally accepted that situations involving firearm deployment must be assessed in
less than three seconds - assessment of threat, decision whether or not to deploy
weapon, target acquisition, and firing. It is absolutely crucial for the safety of our LEOs
and the public that these skills be continuously honed and maintained and this requires
field practice. Insufficient training with firearms leads to mistakes and often with
deadly consequences for either LEOs or citizens. JCSA provides the proper venue .for
LEOs and. other civil servants to .keep their skills current. Since Kit -sap county closed .its
firing range, JCSA has accommodated its former LEO and other members for their
training needs. Without JCSA, the nearest facilities are in Shelton and Burien. Travel to
these facilities for routine (daily or weekly) training purposes is highly cost and time
prohibitive for .most LEOs. Closing JCSA means less LEO training and consequently
more risk to both them and the public.
2) JCSA has strict regulations and range participants must respect them at all times. JCSA's
safety record is unblemished in 54 years of operation. Jefferson county has an estimated
5000 firearm owners - a large percentage of whom use the range in a controlled and
orderly fashion, If JCSA closes, then firearm training and practice will invariably move
to DNR lands in unincorporated areas of the county without regulation or appropriate
standards and protocols. The very existence of JCSA prevents the. expansion of these
improvised shooting camps which are plagued with alcohol consumption, littering,
stray bullets, and of course injuries - both among the participants and the general
public. Emergency Rooms in the area are all too familiar with the tragic consequences of
alcohol and firearms at these haphazard camps. A visit to the improvised camp off Lost
Mountain Road near Sequ.i.m..is instructive - .it .is a trash dump and party spot and
unsafe. It has become a HazMat size from uncontained lead pollution - bullets are not
captured in protective berms - they are spread throughout the bordering forest.
By contrast JCSA is an excellent steward of the environment and follows EPA protocols.
Since .its .inception the range has been maintained to provide safe habitat for the deer
and animals that live on the grounds. Makeshift shooting encampments with
indiscriminate shooting trajectories are a menace to wildlife and people u1 all directions
- at JCSA shoothig is performed only iri designated ranges designed for this sole
purpose.
3) JCSA provides firearms education and traini.rig to the public at .large. A well-informed
citizenry - versed in proper harulling of firearms - is absolutely crucial to public safety.
Fear and firearms don't mix. The Project Appleseed events hosted by JCSA address this
need by emphasizing firearms safety and marksmanship training. These and other
monthly hosted events are readily accessible to the community. The inadvertent
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discharge ofhousehold firearms kills approximately one person each day in the US and
tragically one in three of them are children. JCSA is a powerful force for responsible
firearm ownership in our community. With so many households possessing firearms,
and little available training outside JCSA, prudence dictates expansion of JCSA and its
role in education rather than the threat of its elimination.
1'here also deleterious economic consequences to the closure of JCSA. Many JCSA members and
LEOs travel to the .Port '.Townsend area specifically to attend official club functions or practice
their skills. JCSA therefore draws people to the area that would not otherwise visit. They make
purchases at local businesses for food, lodging, fuel, gifts, and supplies. A cursory estimate of
the annual impact of JCSA's 700 regular members, LEOs, their family, guests, and many
hundreds of event attendees places the economic monetary influx to the area at a conservative
minimum of a250K. JCSA members also donate heavily to .local charities, including the food
bank, and provide youth development and .nlentori.ng via JCSA involvement with 41-1.
It is .hoped that through compromise, a strong consensus can be built a rrahle
hootirxg Ba ty" .Ordinance -regimen that will preserve JCSA and be guarantor of
its continued crucial role in our community - providing a unified location for responsible
firearm usage, and the promotion of public education and safety.
Sincerely,
Mark Mulrooney, Ph.D.
JCSA Member #2580;— ", J
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