OLDHAM COUNTY, Ky. — A 370-acre farmland on Rebel Ridge Road in Oldham County could soon be home to Heritage Gun Club. Zenith Properties LLC pitched the proposed project that would include a world-class sporting clay facility, entertainment center and shooting range, but not everyone in the area is a fan.

“Growing up in LaGrange my whole life, I’ve always felt that we desperately needed entertainment here. I can’t remember when our movie theater shut down. We really haven’t had anything for entertainment here in a long time,” Jacob Dietrich, sole member of Zenith Properties LLC, said.

Dietrich compares the proposed project to “golf with shotguns,” where customers can rent shotguns, golf carts and purchase ammo for target practice. He said Heritage Gun Club would solve problems Kentucky is lacking like family time, tourism diversity and entertainment options.

The proposed project, "Heritage Gun Club" located in LaGrange, Kentucky. (Courtesy: Jacob Dietrich)

“From right here, we’re about 225 yards from our property line, and this is where we are looking at probably our first station. All of our shooting stations are over the hill,” Dietrich said.

For Hannah Finch, a lifelong Oldham County resident, the proposed gun range would be quite the opposite for her family of 6. After purchasing their forever home in Westport, Finch said she received notice, along with 35 adjoining properties, that the farmland would be used for a commercial shooting range.

“We have been preparing to build our dream home, and it was not next door to a gun range. So it would displace a lot of people, my family included,” Finch said.

That’s why Finch launched a petition against the commercial gun range, private club and venue in Westport. She said the proposed project would negatively affect the residents in the surrounding areas regarding safety, traffic and noise. 

“Rarely can you pass side by side next to a vehicle, oftentimes you have to pull over and let one car pass,” Finch said. “I can’t imagine having three hundred plus people to an event or opening day come down these narrow rural roads.”

Dietrich said the shooting range will feature backstops and sound barriers in accordance with the NRA’s recommended standards and local ordinances, along with event space for weddings, retreats and corporate events. 

In doing research, Dietrich said he recorded an average of 16 vehicles per hour in the morning peak hour and 14 vehicles per hour in the evening peak hour at his driveway on Rebel Ridge Road.

“These are sound barriers used along major buildings and occasionally highways,” Dietrich said. “Each wall will be surrounded by Cyprus trees or a bunch of pine trees to help even further knock down the noise.”

Ultimately, for Finch and her family, it’s more than just the traffic. After her husband served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the project would force them to find a new home to avoid PTSD concerns.

“We are in the bottom of a valley. Everything echoes. It’s going to sound like a war constantly,” Finch said. “He suffers from severe PTSD, so living and bordering a gun range is not ideal. It will displace us, we will have to move.”

So far, the petition against the proposed Heritage Gun Range has nearly 700 signatures.

Dietrich said regardless of the vote, Zenith Properties LLC has made an agreement with the 4-H Youth Program to allow them to shoot on the property. There is also a petition for the Heritage Gun Club and Dietrich says if you have questions, email him directly at jacob@heritagegunclub.com.