PA Bill Number: SB1198
Title: In plants and plant products, providing for plant and pollinator protection; conferring powers and duties on the Department of Agriculture and ...
Description: In plants and plant products, providing for plant and pollinator protection; conferring powers and duties on the Department of Agriculture and .. ...
Last Action: Referred to AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Last Action Date: May 17, 2024
Pennsylvania: Borough council drafts firearms ordinance - Waynesboro :: 08/04/2017
WAYNESBORO — Last summer, a Waynesboro property owner took a handful of arrows to borough council and asked for help.
Wednesday night council voted unanimously to move forward with a draft that repeals its current firearm ordinances and adopts relaxed standards.
The language in the ordinance could better prevent a resident from having arrows fired into his/her yard, but it may bring some other changes as well.
While restrictions on the discharge of firearms have long been in place in the borough, some added distance modifications and additional prohibitions have been a hot topic over the last few months for the borough’s public safety committee.
For example, the discharge of any firearm would be prohibited within 150 yards of any residential structure, school building, playground, public park as well as across any public road or burial grounds. Also, the discharge of a bow and arrow would be prohibited within 50 yards of the same locations and not be allowed across public roads and burial grounds. Bow and arrows would only be permitted for hunting on game lands as well as self-defense.
The draft ordinance allows exceptions to firearm usage for law enforcement officers; hunting according to Pennsylvania Game Law; indoor ranges permitted by the borough’s zoning ordinance; private basement or cellar ranges with accepted standards determined by the National Rifle Association; and to protect life and property.
Waynesboro Police Chief Jim Sourbier IV has long seen the value in making changes to the borough’s firearm ordinance, but he shared several concerns about the language on the current draft.
“By and large it’s satisfactory because all it does is reinforce common sense, but there are some caveats and concerns. You mean to tell me a parent can no longer take his son out in the yard with a tin can and BB gun and teach him fundamental gun safety under our ordinance,” Sourbier asked. “I do find that a difficult pill to swallow.”
Waynesboro Borough Manager Jason Stains replied, “I believe the way that this is written, that would be true.”
“I think it kind of negates what we are trying to enforce in the ordinance with the proper training and education of handling a firearm by prohibiting them from doing it,” Sourbier added. “There are places where that can be safely done.”
Sam Wiser, Waynesboro’s borough solicitor, said, “I think we can easily address that. Having a son with a (Daisy Red Ryder) BB gun, I do know that they fire at a projectile of 350-feet per second so in the definition of a firearm we can add to the last sentence, gas or air set to project of more than 350-feet per second (are prohibited),” said Wiser, which would allow BB guns.
Sourbier said he believes that Nathan Green, the property owner who brought the initial concern over arrows to council and many others have waited a long time for some changes to the ordinance and he encouraged council to act now and make any modifications necessary to the draft presented Wednesday night.
“There are laws that apply to his neighbor shooting an arrow into his yard without needing this (drafted ordinance),” Councilman Patrick Fleagle asked Sourbier.
Sourbier countered, “There are other potential remedies to this, but those other remedies present a different level of proof whereas our ordinance is ours and its simply another option.”
He added that he will no longer be able to grant permits for residents to use firearms for rodents and pigeon control.
“This is something that I routinely granted based on location and under the new language of the ordinance it doesn’t appear that I would be able to still do that,” Sourbier said.
The proposed ordinance will be advertised to allow for public feedback and will be on the agenda for the Sept. 6 council meeting at 7:30 p.m. for a final vote.
— Contact Dustin Haluska at dhaluska@therecordherald.com, 717-762-2151 or on Twitter: @dhaluska
http://www.therecordherald.com/news/20170803/borough-council-drafts-firearms-ordinance
