As far as opposition, you'd get the standard anti-gun folks in Lexington and Louisville creating noise about some subversive training center, but you're going to have that in any state work a large metropolitan area.

Support? I remember messaging whoever runs your IG back in 2021 that this place was a dead zone for APC after groups dried up, and up until very recently it has continued to be one. I hope the guy organizing it currently has the best of luck, but my personal interest is most likely not there anymore.

Political support, there's a few firebrands in the state house that might be worth reaching out to (Rep. Maddox immediately springs to mind), but a good chunk of the state still works on the good ol boy network, so making inroads wherever you land locally will be hard at first.

Past that, our gun laws are currently some of the most permissive in the country, and I really don't see that changing soon.

Good luck to you and your organization, I hope y'all can find a place to call home and do good work.

That is a bit difficult of a question to answer. I have only lived here for a few years, so I can only answer as an outsider to a large degree.

There is a very strong gun-culture out here. No one is going to ask questions regarding gunfire at most times.

We have many hollers that are great training for mountaineering. I go rappelling regularly in the Red River Gorge area. There are plenty of back roads to get to different locations for setting up camp. I've been out in the woods for a few days and haven't seen another soul.
Lots of lakes and rivers to do work at.

I'd say we aren't quite as hot as Tennessee gets. But we still get ice and snow in Jan/Feb.

Many of our legislators tend to be very down-to-earth and easy to meet. I have been tracking the legislature's activity for the past three years. Yes, we have a bunch of good-old-boys in the legislature, but most aren't going to be hostile to the APC's mission.  Also, we have other people in the legislature who I think would be very helpful.  

If it does end up here, I’ve got time to give. I was an Engineer team/squad leader in light sapper companies with the 101st and 25th from 2016-2021. Over a decade of experience in remote construction and survival in Alaska and the the Arctic (we have a mutual friend with our cohort in Fairbanks who flew down to MT as a winter course instructor for you. I lived in his camper while clearing post/retiring in ‘21 ) as well as recently being a tree climber/apprentice arborist/forester. Currently going to college again for a degree in Homeland Security on Voc Rehab, so time is the one thing I DO have.


As for the state, I’m a recent transplant so I have not gotten to take advantage of all it has to offer. Red River Gorge is a great place for rucks and training, and I may have a line on a range to use near it. You mentioned a place in KY, TN or WV, and KY and especially the Bluegrass is centrally located between them. I’ve seen land around Stanton for lease, although pennies on the dollar is a hard one to ask. There is an Archery club with some infrastructure near stanton that may welcome the helping funds as long as we arent around during hunting season.  

There are also several remote DOD training sites run by the state nearby, and I’ve known them to allow the boy scouts to use the one near Clay City.

Property in large tracts is generally cheaper in KY and WV, but KY offers a better variety of terrain with more flat clearings along with the hills.

We also have the most inland waterways of any of the lower 48 states for river, lake, creek, etc training.

There are still counties where you can build without permits blah blah which could enable building of large training structures with little hassle.

Kentucky is centrally located with interstates entering it from all directions and something like half the US population lives within a half a days drive from here, so logistics and transportation is pretty big.

*Edit*

Took a look at the other state threads.

Since this is 503c, tax wise, KY and WV are 6% sales tax while TN is 7% since you’ll be paying that at least.

Since you said price isn’t really an issue I’d say you’re going to have a better chance at getting a large contiguous tract in KY vs TN. Also lol @ less impact from cold weather in TN. I guess they stop fighting when it’s cold down there?

@Ben I'm working to send an email to my state Senator and just ask - What Can Kentucky offer these fine gentlemen?

The reciprocal is going to the question of - What does APC offer Kentucky? Can you please help me articulate what APS's strategy will be once the center begins to break ground? Will this center be able to offer any type of advantages to groups like volunteer fire departments, police stations, etc?

I am just beginning to go through the APC book, and I haven't attended any "formal" events, so I can't articulate what it is that APC will do - other than it's focused on the types of skills I'm trying to learn, and it sounds like fun.

If she doesn't respond in a timely manner, I'll ask one of my friends who's a good friend of hers to ask her.

Maybe we can get a state-level bill out of it? Or maybe at least a legislature resolution?

It is an apolitical organization, and being at the mercy of the state for any funding or expectations in emergencies is not what APC is about. It is about individual or community readiness and skills, not what it can provide to the state as whole. APC is not there to be called upon by the state for anything.

Kentucky is a commonwealth

Tennessee and West Virginia are both states

Many have forgotten, but our government was founded on the sovereignty of the people united for the common good

Attached File


Here's your best reason.

~650 acres of mountain land will run you ~$1,000/acre

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/0-Buffalo-Branch-Rd-Pineville-KY-40977/2069980183_zpid/