Off The Press | Letter to the editor leads to productive, positive conversation

The talk floating around social media and the internet these days is divisive, but within the opinion pages of The Issaquah Press, our local community managed a productive and positive conversation about gunfire noise at the Issaquah Sportsmen’s Club.

I give much credit to Kristen Ragain, who began the conversation with a letter to the editor. Instead of merely voicing her opinion, Ragain suggested a dialogue. And what followed were well-thought-out letters from both sides.

Some think times are changing and the consistent sound of gunfire so close to schools is inappropriate. Others say the club is an important part of the city’s history and provides a safe space to learn about firearms.

Rather than responding defensively in his letter to the editor, Pat Moore, the Sportsmen’s Club’s president, extended an invitation for Ragain to visit the club. She and I took him up on his offer — neither one of us has ever fired a gun or even visited a gun range.

Greeted by Michelle Gipson, the club’s manager of operations, and Leif Steffny, the chief range safety officer, the Sportsmen’s Club immediately lived up to its reputation as one of the friendliest gun ranges around.

I wasn’t surprised safety was of the utmost importance, but what did surprise me was just how secure I felt there. Every 20 minutes a cease-fire was declared, and before anyone could change their targets, the safety officer has to make sure the ammunition is removed from every gun. Gipson and Steffny explained the range provides a safe place for gun owners to train with their tools, rather than shooters using the woods or open space to practice.

I was intrigued to learn the club bans the use of human silhouettes as targets.

“It’s not about training people to shoot people,” Steffny told us. “The Sportsmen’s Club promotes hunting and shooting sports.”

They also explained the benefit of an outdoor versus indoor range. Enclosed ranges do emit less noise but are much smaller and hunters are unable to sight their rifles there. At least 100 yards of range is needed to sight rifles and indoor ranges are usually only 25 yards, Steffny said.

Over time, the club has worked hard to eliminate noise. Using club money, along with help from a grant funded by the state’s concealed pistol license fees, the range has taken steps to cut down on the noise by installing baffles between every third shooting station. The idea is to create as many surfaces as possible to absorb the noise. Each baffle is lined with two materials, a 3-inch fiber block and quarter-inch wall cover.

Steffny said he immediately noticed a difference. The club is planning more acoustical tests to study the impact of the sound abatement measures.

Following our visit, Ragain shared her thoughts in an email:

“Listening to the opinions and dialogue stirred by my initial letter to the editor over the last two months have been informative and inspiring. I really appreciate that the Issaquah community could have a respectful dialogue on a topic that not all agree on ... especially in the context of the divisiveness and fear in our country at this time.

“Although I’m not supportive of gun range noise near our schools, neighborhoods and trails, I enjoyed touring the Sportsmen’s Club and meeting Michelle and Leif, who conveyed important elements of the club, such as safety and community. The conversation and visit makes it easier for me to ‘agree to disagree’ now that we know each other,” Ragain wrote.

Startled by a loud shot as I left the range, I was quickly reminded of the loudness of unmuffled gunfire. It’s very doubtful that today any city would allow a gun range to be built so close to downtown. But both the range and clubhouse were built before the surrounding schools were constructed, and the clubhouse — built in 1937 — is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Though nothing may change tomorrow, I am glad for the constructive conversation we were a part of, and I appreciate the club’s transparency, which encouraged dialogue. But perhaps next time I am hiking on Tiger Mountain and hear gunfire from the club, I will be reassured knowing Gipson or Steffny is taking care of safety down at the range.