To all Goochland County residents:
Please join Peacengoochland in its campaign to keep Goochland County free from commercial shooting ranges by signing this online petition. This is neither an anti-gun issue nor an anti-hunting issue, but rather a campaign to keep our neighborhoods free from the noise, the lead pollution, and the negative impact on property values which accompany a commercial shooting range in proximity to a residential neighborhood.
Goochland County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors are considering a conditional use permit to allow a commercial sporting clays range on Orapax Farm. Goochland County zoning ordinances give the Board of Supervisors authority to grant a conditional use permit for gun ranges on any land zoned A1 or A2. Thankfully, however, Goochland County Boards of Supervisors have protected Goochland citizens from all types of shooting ranges. Nevertheless, Orapax Farm has applied once again for a conditional use permit to operate a sporting clays course. The neighborhood is saying "NO to the noise, "NO" to the lead pollution, and "NO" to the negative effect on property values from a sporting clays range at Orapax.
This struggle can easily spread to other Goochland neighborhoods. Sporting clays are growing in popularity, and a sporting clays course can be quite profitable for the owner. If the Board of Supervisors permits a commercial sporting clays range at Orapax, a precedent would be set, and the citizens of Goochland could expect to see more applications and more shooting ranges on any of the 275 parcels of land in excess of one hundred acres zoned A1 and A2. Just as there are several golf courses in Goochland, there could be several shooting ranges. In addition, there is growing pressure from shooting clubs in the greater Richmond area to be able to have commercial shooting ranges in Goochland County where they can practice, because their own counties have had the good sense to protect their own citizens from the nuisance of a shooting range.
The county assessor has already lowered assessments for three properties which are adjacent to the hunting preserve at Orapax. and for another property on Lee Road within earshot of a shooting range.  For almost a quarter of a century, Orapax’s neighbors have endured the gun shots from the commercial hunting preserve. They should not be asked to tolerate any additional negative impact. Please tell the Board of Supervisors you would not like a commercial sporting clays range in your own neighborhood, and you are uniting with Peacengoochland in their effort to keep commercial shooting ranges out of Goochland.  Please join with us throughout Goochand and say, “Protect Our Neighborhoods, No Sporting Clays.” After the online petition signatures have been collected they will be presented to the Board of Supervisors.