Terrell sheriff seeks local firing range as county weighs sites

Commissioners discuss safety, land availability, possible youth shooting-sports use

DAWSON — A request for a local law enforcement firing range drew support from Terrell County commissioners Tuesday, but finding a location that can safely accommodate firearms training without interfering with nearby homes, recreation or future business development remains the first hurdle.

Sheriff Vernon Jessie asked commissioners Nov. 3 to make county land available for a range where deputies could train without traveling outside Terrell County. The proposal remained exploratory at the close of the discussion, with no site selected or construction funding approved.

Jessie described a local range as an investment in officer preparedness and public safety that could save travel time and potentially reduce training expenses. He called for the county and sheriff’s office to work through location, safety, environmental and funding considerations.

Commission Chairman Wilbur T. Gamble said commissioners would work with the sheriff’s office to examine options, with the goal of developing a plan within a month or two.

Discussion initially focused on about 2 acres at a former archery site. Jessie suggested clearing the property and using inmate labor to help build the range, although no cost estimate was presented. That possibility raised questions about the land’s availability. During the discussion, the former archery property was identified as development-authority land in the industrial park. Commissioners expressed concern that a firing range there could eventually have to move to accommodate a business.

Commissioner Larron Copeland said the county needed a location where the range could remain permanently, rather than one that might later be needed for economic development.

Safety and proximity to neighbors also figured prominently in the discussion. Commissioners discussed embankments behind and alongside the shooting area to contain bullets, fencing and enough separation from homes to limit noise concerns.

“You don’t need to be too close to houses. People don’t want to hear shooting all the time,” Gamble said.

Land near the prison camp also came up, but participants questioned whether proximity to the airport would make it suitable.

Copeland suggested looking more closely at recreation department property, where earlier discussions had considered a clay target team. The board discussed whether an underused field could provide space and whether shooting could be oriented away from the highway. Questions remained about available space and how firearms training would fit alongside children’s activities.

“I like the idea a lot. We just got to find the right spot,” Copeland said.

The conversation also raised the possibility that a future range could support 4-H shooting sports. Margaret Halbrook, Terrell County’s Extension coordinator and 4-H agent, said the former archery program had moved to a pavilion after losing access to the industrial-park property and later stopped operating after its coaches retired.

Halbrook asked whether the sheriff’s office might consider sharing a future range to help revive youth shooting opportunities. No shared-use arrangement or new youth program was established during the discussion.

For now, commissioners’ next step is to examine locations and determine what earthwork and other safeguards a range would require before bringing a plan back for consideration.