Why can you hear gunshots at this high school?
Issaquah High School is like hundreds of other suburban schools around the country. But unlike most of those schools, the campus rings with the sound of gunshots.
The noise comes from a gun range at the nearby Issaquah Sportsmen's Club. It's so frequent that when an actual shooting occurred on school grounds, many assumed the sound of gunshots was coming from the range.
Some parents in Issaquah want the range to move. To them, the sound of guns at school is reminiscent of countless mass shootings that have left students and teachers dead.
But for others, the Sportsmen's Club and the gun range are a valuable part of Issaquah's history.
The range was established in 1920, long before the high school was built, and the club was a community hub for the Issaquah area throughout the 20th century.
The clash of cultures around guns has become a central part of the area's politics, including ahigh-stakes congressional race. We speak to both sides on this week's SoundQs episode.
Listen to the episode by clicking the play button above or on your favorite podcast app. SoundQs is a weekly podcast where our KUOW reporters tackle questions submitted by our listeners.
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Deborah Wang
Contributing Reporter, Editor, & Host
Deborah is a contributing reporter, editor and host at KUOW. Since joining the staff in 2005, Deborah has done everything from political reporting to podcast hosting and is now serving as Interim News Director. She is an award–winning radio and television journalist whose career spans more than three decades.
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David Hyde
Reporter
David’s people-focused politics coverage tracks local and national races. At KUOW, David has also reported for our Hearken Team answering listener questions,and covered a variety of other topics ranging from vaccine hesitancy to climate change.
More stories from David Hyde »
