Residents of Perry Township will have a town hall meeting to discuss a proposed discharge of firearms bylaw.
However, that meeting won’t take place until early spring.
Between now and then, Perry Mayor Norm Hofstetter wants residents to think about the kind of language the revised bylaw should contain.
The goal of the revised bylaw is two-fold: Hofstetter said the town council wants to ensure residents in the built-up communities of Novar and Emsdale remain safe regarding the discharge of firearms “without disturbing the hunting society in town."
“Is that even possible?” Hofstetter asked the public at the Dec 4 council meeting.
The original gun bylaw was passed in 1960 and prohibits the discharge of firearms in the township from June 15 to Sept. 15.
After more than six decades, staff proposed an updated bylaw which was initially presented to the council on Aug. 21.
A major change in the proposed revised bylaw is the entire removal of the three-month June to September restriction.
Also, under the proposed changes, no person can discharge a firearm or bow within the town limits on any municipal-owned property unless the individual has written permission from the township.
Another proposed change prohibits Perry residents from discharging a firearm or bow on their property if the land is less than three acres in size.
In instances where the private land is three or more acres in size, individuals can discharge a firearm or bow for hunting and target shooting.
Exemptions include allowing people who are members of a provincially-regulated licensed gun or archery club or rifle range to discharge the gun or bow at an official range.
Also permissible is a person needing to discharge a firearm to protect livestock or themselves, or to dispose of an injured or diseased animal, bird, or reptile.
Another exemption allows people to fire blanks during a ceremonial event or a special event authorized by the municipality.
At the Dec. 4 meeting, council heard from Emsdale resident and former Armour Township mayor, Bob MacPhail.
MacPhail said the town council is “in an awkward position."
On one hand gun owners don’t want their guns taken from them and want to enjoy using them. Some don’t believe a gun bylaw is even necessary, he said.
“And then there are non-gun owners who want enjoyment on their property and want to be safe,” MacPhail said. “That’s their expectation."
MacPhail’s hope is that council creates a bylaw that addresses people’s rights to own and fire a weapon in a safe way in a rural part of the township, and that the bylaw also makes non-gun owners in the built-up area feel safe.
MacPhail doesn't own any guns but is not anti-gun. He spent 20 years in the army.
“I come from a world where firing weapons was accepted,” MacPhail said. “The one thing the military drives into your head is safety, safety, safety. Everyone on the range felt safe because safety was the most important thing."
The 71-year-old mentioned a claim made by others at a meeting over the summer that a gun bylaw isn’t necessary because everyone has common sense.
“Unfortunately, not everyone has common sense and I’ve seen lots of examples (of people) with weapons without common sense,” MacPhail said.
MacPhail recounted a story when he and his wife owned a resort on Little Doe Lake in Armour and they made the decision to never rent any cottages to a certain group. The reason, he told council, was the previous owner told them how on one occasion resort guests were drunk and shooting ducks on the lake from a cottage.
“There were cottages 300 metres on the other side of the lake,” he said, noting it was just one example of gun owners acting without common sense. MacPhail said it’s the one or two per cent of gun owners who lack that attribute that worries him.
“There will be people who believe there’s no problem firing a gun on a three-acre property with neighbours around them,” he said. “That’s not safe in the world I come from."
MacPhail made another reference to the summer meeting when someone said residents shouldn’t be worried about gunshots that are far away.
“I’m not afraid if I hear a gun that’s a kilometre or two away,” he said. “But I am afraid if I hear a gun that’s 100 metres away."
With the decision made to hold a spring public meeting, the council set some ground rules.
Couns. Joe Lumley and Margaret Ann MacPhail noted everyone should be able to give their opinion without fear of reprisals.
Council also intends to have an outside moderator run that town hall.
Hofstetter said some members of the community were not aware the township already has a discharge firearms bylaw.
Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
