An Open Letter to the Loveland City Council
Dear Loveland City Council,
I wanted to express my disappointment in the level of engagement by the Council at Tuesday night’s meeting on the topic of the proposed Gun Range. (Proposed Shooting Range Next to Loveland Primary and Elementary School)
For the exception of Mr. Fitzgerald who at least opened the possibility to re-looking at this issue via way of zoning, the balance of the council either sat in silence or essentially repeated the history of why the laws and zoning requirements prevented action. There was zero...we cannot let this happen...type of resolve coming from the Council. I and the others in attendance found this very disappointing as we discussed and further organized after the meeting.
I am pleased to hear reports that through the work of the media the potential business owner in this case is now considering other locations.* That is the only reasonable outcome. However, it should not be assumed that he will choose an alternative location nor should it be assumed that even if he does, that this is the last discussion on this topic. Clearly as Mr. Fitzgerald suggested we need to have a holistic solution as to why we cannot let a gun range open 250 feet from the school. I sincerely hope you agree with me on this....we cannot let this happen now or in the future. I will offer my support to the Council and the City Management in any way needed.
The concerned parents and residents of this community will need your leadership to ensure that our school communities are safe now and in years to come. Times have changed and we must react accordingly. I will be interested to hear regular updates on this at future council meetings. In the meantime, we will continue to organize broad based community support and use all possible outlets to drive successful action.
As you can tell by the media coverage which was generated in short order as the news became public, this is a lightning rod topic which will generate overwhelming support from parents and residents of this community. We must get it right.
I and my family have lived in the Loveland School District for almost five years now. Returning to the US after 5 years abroad; we could have lived anywhere, but we decided to live in Loveland. I'm thankful we did. There is nowhere else I and my wife would rather raise our children. We have a beautiful community with unmatched assets. The parents, schools and residents of this community need this Council and City Management to take strong leadership to say...this cannot happen...not in Loveland.
Regards,
Brian Wint
Symmes Township resident and parent of three Loveland students
Editor’s Note: Wint also sent this letter to: Loveland Chamber of Commerce, Loveland City City Manager, Loveland Assistant City Manager, Loveland PTA President, and the Loveland School Superintendent.
*Since Loveland Magazine broke this story on December 17, Loveland Magazine has repeatedly tried to reach the owner of Onling Guns, who proposes the shooting range. Attempts to reach Mr. Ling by telephone have not been successful.
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