HomeMy WebLinkAbout071722 Comments for July 25 No Shooting Area for Greater Jolie Way and Silver Berry________________________________
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Dear Commissioners, thank you for your attention to this very important issue for us out here. I am going to be out of town on a pre-planned family vacation during the time of the live
meeting, so here are my comments to be added to the record if you will:
Let me begin by stating I am a gun owner and am very adept at using it. Another of our signees in support of this petition for a no shooting zone is an Iraq war combat veteran with
the US Army. He too is a gun owner, and very adept at using them. Many of the other folks who signed on to support this petition are also gun owners, as well as military veterans. We
are not anti-gun ownership, when they are used responsibly and with respect to the impact of potential ricochets and noise impacts on neighbours.
I worked as a journalist covering the Iraq war for 10 years, during which time witnessing first hand a tremendous amount of violence and death. Bombings and gunfire were part of everyday
life. Nobody who lives and works in a war zone, be they a journalist, combat veteran, or civilian, comes out of it without Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I moved to Port Townsend,
in part, for the peace, quiet, and safety here. Once you acquire PTSD, you have it for life.
Every time random gunfire breaks out here, my stress level goes through the roof, and my sleep is disturbed for several days, as war images flood back in. The military veteran I mentioned
has told me he has the same experiences here with the gunfire.
While it has been happening here for years, random gunfire from weapons of various calibers, including assault rifles, has become commonplace in our neighborhood, despite the fact that
most of us walk the road to check our mail, walk our dogs, and that many young children live here and play in the woods. This is an overtly dangerous situation, that in time will likely
end in tragedy.
I now feel unsafe in my own home, which should be my refuge. What are we to do if we are unable to feel safe in our own homes, at any time of day? This situation feels untenable.
A deputy sheriff suggested we pursue having this area designated a no shooting area, so that then they could enforce it for us.
Hence, I am in support of the Jolie Way/Silver Berry Place area outlined in this petition being designated a No Shooting Area, for the safety and well being of everyone who lives here.
Dahr Jamail