PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County officials are looking into options to establish a no-shooting zone in the Tri-Area that would not require a petition with 10 signatures per voting precinct, which is the current ordinance to create such a zone.
After receiving several calls from Tri-Area residents complaining about gunfire close to homes, Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Brasfield sent a letter in March to County Administrator John Fischbach calling attention to the issue.
“The discharge of weapons [in the Tri-Area] has been found to be legal under existing county ordinances,” Brasfield wrote.
“However, the potential for property damage and injury is great. Since the county was established over 100 years ago, the density of commercial and residential development has increased dramatically.”
He said there are more than 70 businesses in the Tri-Area and at least 12 churches, three schools, several parks, the Sheriff’s Office, two post offices and the county library.
“I feel the need for a no-shooting zone in this area should not require a petition from local residents and I am asking for the Board [of County Commissioners] to begin the necessary process.
“It’s not the wild West anymore,” said Port Hadlock resident Barbara Hanson. “It’s terrible noise. It sounds like a war zone sometimes.”
