CLEVELAND, Ga. — It’s rare the White County Board of Commissioners meeting draws a large crowd, but on Monday the meeting room was elbow-to-elbow and the crowd spilled out into the lobby area for a public hearing on a proposed outdoor gun range on Ga. Alternate 75.

Chairman Travis Turner asked for a show of hands before the hearing started and 37 raised their hand in support and 25 in opposition. While the issue is an emotional one, the arguments, pro and con, were mostly respectful.

Gun enthusiasts spoke about the need for a place to teach young people how to handle firearms safely. They said the nearest gun range is located miles away in Banks County.

Cindy Border said, “My grandfather, when I was a little girl, taught me how to shoot and how to be safe with a gun. I can’t take my child where I live and shoot safely because there are so many houses around us and so many more coming in. I want to be able to go to a place to teach my daughter safely how to shoot a gun. It could save her life one day.”

Opponents, many of whom live near the proposed facility, cited the noise factor and also the potential reduction in their property values.

But one of the most compelling arguments came from Tammy Dean, the mother of a special needs daughter whose family has lived across the road from the proposed gun range for five generations. Her young daughter suffers from epilepsy and is prone to seizures that can be brought on by loud noises.

“We have to take precautions at school,” Dean said. “She is not allowed to be in the building when a fire alarm goes off. We have had instances where we have had to call an ambulance and White County ambulances know when they come to pick our daughter up they can’t use their sirens. We have also had to take her somewhere else during the times when these gentlemen (property owners) have been shooting.”

The White County Planning Commission voted 5-1 against recommending approval. The Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on the issue in two weeks.