They’re drawing a bead on the shootout that takes place nightly on Jackson Town Square.

In the past several months, business owners have sent a string of letters and e-mails to town councilors about the shootout in which they detail numerous incidents of property damage and crowds blocking the entrances to their businesses. In the letters, business owners repeatedly say they support the shootout, which is held at 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but do not think it should be held in front of their stores.

“We are not against the nightly shootout but believe that our corner is not appropriate for several reasons,” said Leslie Still, proprietor of Buffalo Trails Gallery, in a letter sent to councilors. “Because of the design of the walk and the railing, people are forced into a narrow space. Our front door is completely blocked by the spectators, not allowing entry or exiting of our gallery.”

The council moved the shootout, now in its 54th season, to the corner of Deloney Avenue and Center Street from its previous location on Broadway two years ago to relieve congestion on the road to St. John’s Medical Center, Councilor Mark Obringer said.

The changing 20-minute melodrama features bar maids, Indians, snake oil salesmen and, of course, a duel. It is known as the longest continuous running show of its sort in the country and this year is put on by members of the Jackson Hole Playhouse cast of “Annie Get Your Gun” under chamber of commerce sponsorship.

“We knew moving it off Broadway was something we had to do,” Obringer said. “People were having trouble getting to the hospital.

“But now the show is on a corner that features elevated boardwalks, railings and little room to get into adjacent businesses.

“We didn’t know about the unintended consequences of holding it at a place that has balconies and railings,” Obringer said. “But no matter which corner we have it on, there are going to be negative impacts to someone.”

Still said the problems began immediately after the move but said she was unable to raise her concerns with elected officials. This year, Still tried to get out in front of the issue.

After sending a letter to councilors in April, Still said she was directed to come to a meeting and address the council with her worries.

She did so in May and was told town staff would look into the matter and continue to monitor it. Since then, however, no action has been taken and the problem persists, Still said.

Still, along with staff from Hines Goldsmiths and the owner of a building on Center Street and Gill Avenue, requested that the town consider moving the shootout into the middle of the Town Square so no businesses are affected.

“They raise some legitimate concerns, and we need to address them,” Town Manager Bob McLaurin said. “There has been some property damage, and if it stays there, we need to talk about what we can do to prevent that from happening.”

McLaurin said he asked Town Clerk Roxanne DeVries Robinson to organize a meeting with business owners along the Town Square as well as with representatives from the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce to discuss the issue.

“My intention is that before we take this to the council and ask them to move the shootout, we should hear from all sides of the issue,” McLaurin said.  “We should pull everyone together in one room and see what the consensus of opinion is and what is going to work for everyone.”

Despite the consternation over the impacts of the crowds that gather to watch the event, there are many supporters of the long-standing event, which began in 1957. It draws hundreds regularly.

“People come in and get stocked up before the shootout,” said Rick Bickner, owner of Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream, which has a store at the corner of Deloney and Center. “It’s been good for me, but it pulls people into town for dinner, too. People come into the store to get water and ice cream and then they head to the shootout and then they beeline to get dinner somewhere.”

Bickner said the solution could be as simple as just reinforcing the railings on some of the elevated boardwalks.

“I think you can take a positive approach to this and not just say we need to get it out of here,” he said.

Business owners have pressed for the shootout to be moved elsewhere, because they said deterrents, such as signs, have already failed to prevent audience members from sitting and standing on the railings in front of the stores.

Still sent a series of photos detailing the damage to the railings and the potential safety hazard posed by audiences sitting on them.

“I would have taken photos of people standing on the banister/railings Saturday, but it was so congested I could not even attempt to get close enough to take photos until the shootout was over,” Still said, referring to the scene in front of the gallery June 19.

Still’s landlord also has lobbied the council to consider moving the shootout.

“We spent $11,982 last year to put all of these railings back together and paint them to make the front of our building look great,” said Scott Shepherd, a managing member of SSDA LLC, in another e-mail to councilors. “Now that the shootout has come to our corner, the front of our building is being torn apart.”

One of the most critical problems with the situation, Shepherd said, is that the railings could collapse.

“These railings have not been designed to take the loads that they are being subjected to,” he said. “We have had both railings totally full of people and kids standing upon them. They will fail and the people will drop through to the crowd below.”

In another letter, dated May 24, staff at Hines Goldsmiths said some of the props used for the shoot out also have caused problems for their employees.

“After the shootout, the stands/tables that are used as props during the show were stored in the back alley by our back entrance,” staff said in the letter. “This is the entrance that all employees use in the morning when opening the store and the evening when closing and multiple times they were placed in a position so that they were blocking the door, preventing exit from the inside.”

Obringer said he was open to moving the event but said the council will likely have to deal with problems at any location.

“It started on the square and we could move it back there but there would probably be some problems with it there, too,” Obringer said. “If we’re going to hold a shootout, it’s going to have to be somewhere.”

Still said that moving the event to the grassy area in the middle of the Town Square would help reduce the impacts on any business owner.

“We all pay a monthly rent to be on the square and have a short amount of time to make income to support our businesses,” Still said in another e-mail. “I am not against the shootout, but I think these and any other functions that are held should be on the Town Square park so businesses do not have to suffer and lose money.”

All sides said they are amenable to working through the issue.

“I’ve been watching this since I was a kid,” Bickner said. “I would hate to see it go. I’m sure there is some logical way to get around this.”