Gun Range Facing Regulatory Hurdles

    A Umatilla - area shooting range is seeking county approval to bring its operations into public-use compliance, but the proposal has met with resistance from some residents.   The Cendet Gun Range, located south of Umatilla along SR 19 has operated as a private range since 2017, but more recently began opening to public use and initiated the application process to secure a conditional use permit with Lake County, a process that has taken several months.
   “It’s kind of in the county’s hands,” said range owner Dave Holmes this week. “We’re just waiting.”
   The county has allowed the range to continue to operate while the application is pending, with the business experiencing growth during the process which has been going on since early 2022, when he first began to accept public shooters. Since that time, the range has grown in popularity.
   “We’ve got tons of people coming,” Holmes said, and among the users of the Wednesday - Sunday operations is the Umatilla Police Department, which has begun to use the facility.
   As the activity has grown, so have complaints about noise. Residents in areas near the range have voiced concern over the loud sounds that sometimes come from the location.
   Holmes says he understands, but noise is a by-product of any gun range, even on Sunday, which is his busiest day.
   “People want a safe place to shoot.”
   Holmes says he hopes to continue to operate publicly as the application process makes its way through the county, and intends to seek a formal approval. Should that effort fail, however, he would intend to go back to private use as before.
   “If it’s private, we’re protected by statute.”