There is no public input allowed at today's working session. Several of the speakers from last Monday's meeting will be there to observe.
I’m skeptical of anyone with a faux French name like DeJuan, SheNique, or Mao, Stalin, etc, etc.The video has not yet been posted, but Channel 11 has their version of the truth on their web site. The reporter was our buddy DeJuan Hoggard who did the hatchet piece on our member, Carolina Smoke and Guns. And it's his usual quality, full of bias, misleading, inaccuracy and just plain ignorance. In the morning the N&O will probably have a piece that's actually useful.
However, it does appear that they are considering bringing in the Wildlife Resources Commission to run the public access.
"...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."
With your history and experience at this particular range, would you consider applying with the WRC to fill one of their staff positions at this range, if they do end up taking over management?
I dont feel like getting guns pointed at me for little pay. Most ranges just want a body in there. Care little about safety for the RSOs. Love meeting people that are true shooters. Dont care for the bucket list people. Too dangerous!It is a possibility, however, I do know what they pay RO's at the other ranges they manage. I'd be better off as a greeter at Walmart.
And, again conjecture, it felt as if the county wanted all vestiges of the past gone, including staff.
And very well done, @Miss Lily !Our own Miss Lily can be seen between 2:16 and 2:20 in the above video.
To all my friends that I have made there! May we meet up again somewhere!!!From WakeRange.com:
1/15/20 – FINAL UPDATE – Where do we go from here?
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 MORE profitable 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 [email protected] 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.
Does anyone know if Pittman-Robertson funds were used to build the range? (Excise tax on guns and ammo, for ranges, wildlife projects). If the WRC will be involved they should be able to get grants for improvements for Public Use with P-R funds.It would appear someone needs to remind her why the range was built in the first place and that with the population increases since that time there is a greater need for the facility to remain open for the public.
No, Pittman-Robertson funds were not used to build the Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center. However, these funds may be available in the future and are an important source of funding for the WRC. It would be nice if the WRC deployed some of these funds NOW to block the expansion of WCSO hours. My concern is that once we give those hours up, it's less likely that we will ever get them back.Does anyone know if Pittman-Robertson funds were used to build the range? (Excise tax on guns and ammo, for ranges, wildlife projects). If the WRC will be involved they should be able to get grants for improvements for Public Use with P-R funds.
Very Well Said! I will add one correction. It was also to be used for "LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT personnel to MAINTAIN their skills". This was never intended to be a law enforcement training center, and particularly not a law enforcement training center serving non Wake County agencies. Here we go again. Elected officials spending Taxpayer dollars on something we taxpayers didn't intend.The WakeCo taxpayers need to demand accounting of the ACTUAL HOURS the WCSO uses the range. Not standing around eating donuts and BS'ing but actually on the firing line pulling the trigger. They can BS and eat donuts somewhere else like Krispy Kreme. I dont remember the WCSO's training and certification requirements being part of the original intent for the facility. The way I remember it, it was to be a SAFE PLACE FOR THE TAXPAYERS OF WAKE CO TO SHOOT.
Some of the 52% pay, some don't. Definitely some quid pro quo and back scratching going on. GSA is allegedly fixing these irregularities. However, I don't believe as Wake County taxpayers, we need to be paying to for the training facilities for non Wake County Agencies. Nor was this why the facility was originally built. Wake County citizens are getting a raw deal.I noticed there's mention of other LEO agencies using the facility 52% of the time. Who are they paying for the use of the facility? If they are not directly paying for the wear and tear and future upgrades and maintenance something needs to be done about that. Likewise, if they are paying the WCSO for access and the monies are not being transferred back into the facility or back to the taxpayers...
9-5 weekdays aren't an option unfortunately. Glad to hear you'd join a class action lawsuit if grounds can be found to commence one. Stay tuned.Unacceptable to me. I'm retired. I want to shoot 9 to 5 during the week. I'll probably never shoot there unless they have BR matches anyway but as a WakeCo taxpayer I'd sure join in a class action lawsuit.
UPDATE - 2/12/20 - Video and half a loaf
So, public hours will tentatively resume on March 15th. The public hours will be
Friday 5p to 9p
Saturday 9a to 7p
Sunday 9a to 7p
Monday 5p to 9p
Like a lot of ranges these days, you’ll have to watch a video, sign a waiver and get a card. It's thought that all 4 ranges will be open but nothing concrete on that front yet. Also nothing concrete on the training programs and leagues. It's hard to have an Education and Training Center without education and training but know that it will take some time to re-build that part of the business at the range.
And yes, it will be FREE to the public just like all the other Wildlife ranges.
More info at WakeRange.com.
Thanks for sharing. It's interesting how public interest in this issue has completely faded.
Giving up week nights and moving three additional hours into the weekend shut out the Leagues, Action Pistol alone was 300 members being displaced. Seems equitable? I think NOT.
Even though the Public used the WCFETC 20 hour per week, the contract with RSM permitted, with WCSO approval, up to 25 hours per week. Action Pistol, other Leagues, some educational programs, and Special Events made use of the additional five hours. I argue that these activities DID NOT "keep LEO from using the range during those times", as LEO and particularly the WCSO had sufficient time to fulfill its training mandate during the regular M-F 8am to 5pm time allocation. I guess the Leagues could flood the WCSO with requests for access, requesting that said events continue during the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening time slots, but make no mistake about it, the WCSO is interested in the conversion of the WCFETC into a Law Enforcement Training Center, as indicated in the October 2019 WCSO business plan presentation to County Staff.Weren't the Action Pistol shoots scheduled for weeknights that were not public hours? If so then those shoots kept LEO from using the range during those times. Why not try to make a deal with the Sheriff's office to get a night or two a month for Action Pistol? Was the previous schedule made between the League and the Sheriff, or between the League and RSM?
Weren't the Action Pistol shoots scheduled for weeknights that were not public hours? If so then those shoots kept LEO from using the range during those times. Why not try to make a deal with the Sheriff's office to get a night or two a month for Action Pistol?
Even though the Public used the WCFETC 20 hour per week, the contract with RSM permitted, with WCSO approval, up to 25 hours per week. Action Pistol, other Leagues, some educational programs, and Special Events made use of the additional five hours. I argue that these activities DID NOT "keep LEO from using the range during those times", as LEO and particularly the WCSO had sufficient time to fulfill its training mandate during the regular M-F 8am to 5pm time allocation. I guess the Leagues could flood the WCSO with requests for access, requesting that said events continue during the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening time slots, but make no mistake about it, the WCSO is interested in the conversion of the WCFETC into a Law Enforcement Training Center, as indicated in the October 2019 WCSO business plan presentation to County Staff.
The primary reason the WCFETC was built was FOR THE PUBLIC as a safe place to shoot. This arose out of a Wake County firearms ordinance prohibiting the discharge of a firearm inside city limits (and unincorporated parts of the county). The secondary reason the facility was built was to provide LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL TO MAINTAIN THEIR SKILLS. Today, this facility is not how it was originally envisioned. Sure, times change. But as Wake County Tax Payers, do we have the obligation to pay the operation and maintenance costs on a facility to train non Wake County Agencies and other entities such as private armed guard services? I think not.
Next up: I'm eager to see what the proposed Simulations Center, which the WCSO wants to build on the property, will cost Wake County Tax Payers.
This is true. However, cramming the same League, Special Event, and Education resources into a condensed weekend time frame will be impossible. Furthermore, the public hours component lost Tuesday and Thursday evening access. Please don't under estimate the negative consequences of the loss of those evenings to the general public. Additionally, any League access will now limit public hours even more, since many Leagues require multiple bays.This bears repeating. No one has yet said classes and leagues cannot happen.