Residents Fed Up With ‘Unbearable’ Gunfire

Vermont Standard

By Curt Peterson

Standard Correspondent

KILLINGTON — When select board chair Patty McGrath looked up to see 11 people seated in the audience and said, “There are a lot of residents here tonight, so I’m guessing you have something to say,” she triggered a discussion that took up half the April 21 meeting.

Diane Hibbert started things off, saying, “I live on River Road, and I want to report there’s a lot of shooting of guns going on very near my house. They’re noisy, and they’re frightening.” She said she believes the shooting is coming from a residence called “the Oney house.”

Claudia Rainko-Bowen chimed in. “The shooting has become unbearable!” She said Adam Oney, who owns the property from where the gunshots are heard, “has brought in a lot of people no one knows, and the shooting goes on almost every day and at all times of day.” She said she’s lived on River Road for 15 years and never had this problem before.

“They sound like machine guns. After the shooting had gone on for an hour and 15 minutes I approached Adam and asked if he could stop the shooting. He told me it was his tenants doing the shooting, and that he would speak to them, but that he doubted they would listen to him.”

McGrath applauded her for going to the property owner directly to try to work things out.

Town Manager Seth Webb read a letter from resident Jonathan Pierce, who expressed concern about people’s pets being shot during gunfire sessions on River Road.

Another neighbor, Wayne Wilbur, said he counted over 200 rounds fired during one session.

“More shots than I’ve ever heard someone fire before.” He said for the past three days things have been pretty quiet, which he appreciated.

Wilbur lives on the edge of the wetlands and has a related challenge from duck and goose hunters. “They put their boats in right in front of my house, paddle out a few yards and just start shooting the birds while they’re swimming in the water.” “I own guns,” he said, “but using them like these firearms are being used changes the whole character of a neighborhood.” He suggested that Killington might adopt a rule prohibiting discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a residence. “Other states have that regulation, and it seems to work for them,” he said. Andrew McKenna said he lives 900 feet from constant shooting in his neighborhood, and has had to call the police many times. “I’ve got Whit’s (Police Chief Whit Montgomery) telephone number on speed dial!”

Rick Bowen, Claudia’s husband, said he’d heard that excessive shooting close to their homes also bothers residents in other parts of town.

Residents expressed worries about injuries to children walking past the shooting incident areas, bikers, hikers on the nearby Loop Trail, and people just enjoying the outdoors when the shooting erupts.

“Yes, and we’re working to expand foot and bike traffic all over town and on our trails system, so we need to protect them too,” McGrath said.

Montgomery made a brief presentation, which, he said, was inspired by the number of residents who had complained to him about the shooting.

“One option we have is to pass a noise level ordinance,” he said, “but I don’t recommend that avenue. Besides the gunfire, we’d be regulating people mowing their lawns and other sources of noise that don’t bother anybody.”

Referring to state statutes, Montgomery said the town could legally prohibit the discharge of firearms within the entire village, or in specific designated areas.

“We could apply the prohibition to areas where there are schools, recreation areas or in thickly settled areas of town.”

Selectman Chris Bianchi said he would rather see such a prohibition apply to the entire town rather than appear to be singling out any one property owner or neighborhood.

“I can sympathize with people who own guns,” McGrath said. “If someone owns a gun they want to use it, and there’s nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn’t affect someone else’s rights.”

Webb and Montgomery were charged with researching available ordinances from other jurisdictions and with asking the U. S. Forest Service and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, who own land in town, how they might co-ordinate regulations with the Select Board.

Montgomery’s second presentation included his recommendation that the town regulates taxis.

“One reputable taxi company has been after us for years to regulate the service in town.”

Montgomery said an ordinance would require licensing of any taxi service, and to get the license the applicants’ vehicles would have to be certified as safe and the drivers would have to pass background checks.

“Some time back a taxi driver got into a fist-fight with one of his fares over the bill for a ride. The driver beat the guy up and took his wallet. He was later arrested for robbery.” He said regulating taxi service would benefit both residents and visitors to the area.

Asked if the shuttle services provided by hotels and restaurants would come under the regulation, the chief said he thought they should be held to the same standard as other taxi services. He also recommends that a fee for the taxi license should be reasonable, but both enough to cover the cost of driver background checks and “big enough so the taxi companies take the ordinance seriously.”

“I own guns, but using them like these firearms are being used changes the whole character of a neighborhood.”

Wayne Wilbur