Upstate neighbors files lawsuit against nearby gun range
Neighbors in Salem, SC, are firing back against a local gun range.
Neighbors in Salem, SC, are firing back against a local gun range.
Neighbors in Salem, SC, are firing back against a local gun range.
Neighbors in Salem, South Carolina, are firing back against a local gun range. They are voicing that the gun range has ruined their peaceful neighborhood and that enough is enough.
Instead of a gun, they are using the courts and filed a lawsuit Friday morning.
"The lawsuit is really about property rights. It's about a person's right in this country, a fundamental constitutional right that you can own property and use it to your enjoyment as you need to," attorney Matt Ozment said.
The group of neighbors is suing for six specific reasons. They range from negligence to assault.
Forrest Moore is one of the nine people suing the gun range. He says not only is he worried about his horse's safety but his own.
"Every time I get on one, I'm getting worried of them shooting and a horse jumping out from under me," Moore said.
However, he wants to be clear this lawsuit isn't about owning a gun.
"No one here I know of is against the 2A. I am a life member of the NRA. This isn't about that. This isn't about that at all. This is about the comfortable enjoyment of my property," Moore said.
A year ago, Oconee County Councilman John Elliot said their hands were tied on this issue. Friday, he released a statement in support of the neighbors.
"I am 100% in favor of the second amendment but this gun range is in the wrong place. People who live around it live in constant fear of stray bullets. The noise is incredible and deafening on weekends. I have no ill will towards the Durhams but I hope this lawsuit ends the issue amicably with all parties getting what they want."
"Our clients have tried for years at this point to try to figure out something that could be done with this but really had no luck. I think this is kind of what they finally came to. It was going to take a lawsuit to get something done," Ozment said.
Neighbors said the only way this can end is if the gun range shuts down.
"When I am shoeing horses or riding horses, nobody knows it. I don't disturb anybody. However, when they start shooting, it disturbs everybody," Moore said.
We have reached out to the owner of the gun range for comments. We are waiting to hear back.
You can read the full lawsuit here.