EDENTON — Chowan County residents packed Monday night’s Board of Commissioners meeting to voice passionate opposition to a proposed privately owned full-time gun range near Soundside Drice — a site that has for years been used intermittently by local law enforcement. Speaker after speaker urged county leaders to take a stand, citing concerns about noise, safety, property values, and community character.

Before the public comment period began, County Manager Kevin Howard provided context for the standing-room-only crowd. He explained that the property in question originally belonged to the Town of Edenton and was transferred to the Edenton-Chowan Partnership (ECP) 15–20 years ago for economic development purposes.

“It’s my understanding that there’s discussions going on between the town and the Edenton-Chowan Partnership for the town to have the property given back to them.”

Howard said discussions between the town and the Partnership were still ongoing.

“There’s nothing concrete about that,” he said. “That discussion is still going on. But that’s kind of where we sit right now.”

Here is our previous story on the matter — Partnership postponed a vote on finalizing the sale of a firing range at the Phase II Airport Industrial Park, off Soundside Drive, during its Oct. 9 meeting. The delay extends a process that began nearly a year ago, when the partnership first considered selling the property to prospective buyer Ronald Haight, who plans to operate a commercial shooting facility that will be open seven days a week, according to the proposed agreement. While the partnership voted unanimously in April to approve the sale, finalizing lease terms for law enforcement access has proven contentious.

Another point — Howard emphasized that because the property lies within the town limits, the county does not have zoning authority over the site.

“We’ll be glad to hear your comments and we’ll talk,” Howard said. “But make sure everybody understands — we can’t make anything happen on that property.”

Still, residents turned out in force to make their concerns heard.

“We support it staying as is”

Lisa Laws, a longtime Edenton resident, began the public comments by reminding those in attendance what the ECP is and who serves on its board.

“I just want to make sure that everybody understands what ECP is — the Edenton-Chowan Partnership,” she said. “It has 12 board members, of which two are on that board and are members of the county commission — Mr. Bob Kirby and Larry McLaughlin.”

Laws said she and many of her neighbors supported keeping the site as it is — used occasionally by police, but not opened as a full-time public range.

“We understand the history. We know a lot of detail about it. We have a lot of people interested in what happens,” Laws said. “We hope that you vote or influence people or have a conversation to make sure that the people that surround it don’t hear gunfire often. We support it staying as is. We’ve heard those gunshots for four years — they’re intermittent and infrequent — and we support that totally.”

“My home is my sanctuary”

Linda Sutton, a teacher and lifelong Edenton resident, delivered one of the evening’s most emotional appeals.

“I am a proud homeowner on Soundside Road, two-tenths of a mile away from the driveway that leads to that shooting range,” Sutton said. “I love this town. I love that we are the South’s prettiest small town. We value peace, beauty and a true sense of community.”

Sutton said she works two jobs, including teaching seventh-grade English, and depends on quiet time at home to rest and prepare lessons.

“This full-time shooting range across from my home would destroy that peace, not just disturb it,” she said. “The constant unpredictable sound of gunfire is not just background noise — it’s jarring, it’s stressful, it creates anxiety and tension.”

She warned that property values could also drop if the range expands.

“Nobody wants to buy a home next to a shooting range,” Sutton said. “This proposal doesn’t just threaten our peace — it threatens the value of the homes we’ve worked our whole lives to build. This range would fundamentally change that. It does not align with the character or charm that make Edenton special.”

“It’s got to change the priority to humans”

Sutton’s neighbor Karen Hatfield echoed those concerns, describing how her home has been a refuge during difficult times.

“I live right next to her,” Hatfield said. “This has been very upsetting to me — about getting a full-time gun range with all-day, every-day, sometimes late-at-night gunfire. I’ve had a lot of problems in my life. I’ve had my grandson die — Aiden — and that’s my safe place.”

Pointing to a map of local residences, Hatfield said, “Every single dot on that map is a human being. And I don’t think people making decisions know that there are human beings. I know the gun range was there long before us, but they built a community around it. So it’s got to change the priority to humans — not some gun range entertainment or gun right.”

“This has nothing to do with the Second Amendment,” she added. “It’s human freedom — my freedom to sit on my porch with quiet, peaceful time.”

Hatfield said she had spoken to the gun range business owner and no longer trusts his intentions.

“I’ve talked to that owner and he’s changed his mind several times on what he’s going to do,” she said. “Once he gets a hold of that, it’s going to be whatever. I just hope people care about the people who live in Cape Colony and Edenton Bay. It’s our lives. We don’t need all-day gunfire in our peaceful community.”

“Let’s do what’s right by involving the public”

Alan Smithers, who lives in the Mulberry Hill subdivision, called for a public forum before any decision is made.

“This isn’t about opposing the firing range,” Smithers said. “It’s about making sure the community has a voice and clear information before decisions are made.”

He listed several areas that he said need to be addressed publicly — noise, safety, and environmental impacts.

“Soundside Drive and the airport runway are roughly 1,000 feet from the proposed range,” he said. “That highlights why a public discussion about safety, design, and noise mitigation is essential.”

Smithers also raised environmental concerns about lead accumulation in the soil and cited examples of other ranges facing lawsuits and shutdowns.

“It doesn’t make sense to proceed without the full support of the Edenton Police Department,” he said, noting that police had indicated they wanted to keep the current range noncommercial for training use.

“Hosting a public forum isn’t just good practice,” Smithers concluded. “It reflects the principles of open government and accountability.”

“There is a direct impact”

Erin Lambert said county officials could not claim to have “no impact” on the project.

“You do,” Lambert told commissioners. “It will be serviced by the county. The sheriff will be responding. Anything that happens on that site — whether it’s an injury or any incident — will be serviced by the county.”

Lambert asked several pointed questions: “What type of bond or insurance is the proposed owner contractually going to be obligated to provide to protect you from any suits? What is the zoning of this property currently? If it’s industrial, the industrial zoning does not permit this type of facility to be open for the public.”

Lambert said a full-time public range represents a “significant expansion” of use and would likely require a public hearing.

“Lastly,” she said, “where’s the economic impact study — who is conducting that? On the waterways, on the wildlife, on noise to the surrounding communities, on housing values, on the ground soil? Which state departments have you spoken to?”

Lambert urged any commissioners who also serve on the ECP board to recuse themselves from future votes.

“Perception of conflicts of interest”

Joe Angelucci, a recent transplant to Edenton, said he and his wife had been impressed by the town’s community spirit — but worried that the range controversy was eroding public trust.

“The biggest problem that I have is that, when you look at who owns the land, how it’s being sold, and the relationship between the county, the town, and the partnership — there’s the perception of conflicts of interest,” Angelucci said.

He also criticized the removal of concerned citizens by deputies at a recent ECP meeting, calling it “something that does not seem right.”

Angelucci questioned whether the proposed sale would even comply with North Carolina General Statute, which governs the conveyance of public property to nonprofits for economic development.

“When the property is sold, it has to be sold for the public interest and for the public good,” he said. “A membership gun range, in my opinion, is a for-profit enterprise. I would question the legality of having a for-profit business within that economic zone.”

“Be voices for peace”

Susan Inglis of Water Street kept her comments brief but heartfelt.

“You are all powerful voices in our community,” she told the board. “I invite you to be voices for peace. This proposed change to the gun range will not promote peace in our community. That is the worthiest goal for you all to work towards.”

“Accidents can always happen”

The youngest speaker of the evening, 12-year-old Sofia Lafferty, stepped to the podium to share her worries about safety and noise.

“I know that people like gun ranges and big attractions,” Sofia said, “but what they don’t think about is the people that live near those gun ranges. Accidents can always happen — and with a public gun range, there’s always a chance that there are people under the influence.”

She added, “All the loud noises can wake people up if somebody likes to go shooting at night, and make our dogs bark whenever they hear noises.”

At the close of public comment, the commissioners did not take action on the matter.

For now, the fate of the proposed gun range — and the quiet neighborhoods surrounding it — remains uncertain.