Chuckulator
Member
Link to the board meeting agenda includes legal opinion and map of the area.
http://www.cascadetwp.com/ReferenceDesk/BoardPackets/2006/060628.pdf
warning pdf is very large 11.6 MB.
Sound of gunfire riles neighbors
Saturday, June 17, 2006
By Rick Wilson
The Grand Rapids Press
CASCADE TOWNSHIP -- Char Carlson is tired of ducking at the sound of gunfire while grilling in the back yard.
But the man who is the source of the gunfire said he is not doing anything illegal. Local authorities still are not sure.
Carlson and a handful of neighbors have asked Cascade Township to investigate whether it can stop Kenneth Gunderson from firing into a large hole on his Buttrick Avenue SE property.
Township officials hope to discuss the matter at their June 28 meeting. They are consulting an attorney to find out what authority they have in stopping what some believe is a dangerous practice.
"Does somebody have to die before the board will do anything?" Carlson said. "It's unbelievable that it goes on."
Charles Helmholdt, who has lived nearby for 15 years, said he has heard at least two large explosions.
"This was like half a stick of dynamite. It shook the whole house," he said.
Gunderson, who considers himself a responsible gun owner, said sheriff's deputies have been to his home more than once this spring. He claims he is not breaking any law because he is not hunting on his nearly 20 acres near Cascade Road and Buttrick.
"We should be able to do whatever we want on our own property as long as it's safe, and this is safe. We shoot into a hole," Gunderson said.
Another neighbor, township Trustee Brian Currier, said he has seen Gunderson's family shooting at old cars in a hole as large as a house foundation. That report has stirred concern that bullets might ricochet and endanger people.
Officials are being cautious, especially after the Michigan Department of Natural Resources rejected a hunting ban proposed by the township in 1997.
It is not yet clear whether townships, like cities, have the authority to ban the discharge of a firearm.
Supervisor Michael Julien wants Gunderson, neighbors and deputies to attend the June 28 meeting.
"I don't think firearms should be discharged anywhere near a person's home," he said.
"If I could decide this myself, I'd make this against the law."
http://www.cascadetwp.com/ReferenceDesk/BoardPackets/2006/060628.pdf
warning pdf is very large 11.6 MB.
Sound of gunfire riles neighbors
Saturday, June 17, 2006
By Rick Wilson
The Grand Rapids Press
CASCADE TOWNSHIP -- Char Carlson is tired of ducking at the sound of gunfire while grilling in the back yard.
But the man who is the source of the gunfire said he is not doing anything illegal. Local authorities still are not sure.
Carlson and a handful of neighbors have asked Cascade Township to investigate whether it can stop Kenneth Gunderson from firing into a large hole on his Buttrick Avenue SE property.
Township officials hope to discuss the matter at their June 28 meeting. They are consulting an attorney to find out what authority they have in stopping what some believe is a dangerous practice.
"Does somebody have to die before the board will do anything?" Carlson said. "It's unbelievable that it goes on."
Charles Helmholdt, who has lived nearby for 15 years, said he has heard at least two large explosions.
"This was like half a stick of dynamite. It shook the whole house," he said.
Gunderson, who considers himself a responsible gun owner, said sheriff's deputies have been to his home more than once this spring. He claims he is not breaking any law because he is not hunting on his nearly 20 acres near Cascade Road and Buttrick.
"We should be able to do whatever we want on our own property as long as it's safe, and this is safe. We shoot into a hole," Gunderson said.
Another neighbor, township Trustee Brian Currier, said he has seen Gunderson's family shooting at old cars in a hole as large as a house foundation. That report has stirred concern that bullets might ricochet and endanger people.
Officials are being cautious, especially after the Michigan Department of Natural Resources rejected a hunting ban proposed by the township in 1997.
It is not yet clear whether townships, like cities, have the authority to ban the discharge of a firearm.
Supervisor Michael Julien wants Gunderson, neighbors and deputies to attend the June 28 meeting.
"I don't think firearms should be discharged anywhere near a person's home," he said.
"If I could decide this myself, I'd make this against the law."
