Gun proposal draws fire

Aug. 6—GUILFORD COUNTY — Proposed changes to the Guilford County gun discharge and noise ordinance had dozens of speakers fired up during a heated public hearing at the Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday night.

Before the public hearing, Chairman Skip Alston explained to the audience that the board does not plan to make a decision until it learns more about the issue from opponents and proponents. The board plans to form another committee to study the issue in depth, he said.

"There is a lot of misunderstanding about what this ordinance entails," Alston said. "We're not going to pass any ordinance unless we sit down and talk about it. We want each side to be able to comfortable with it because it's all about safety."

The intent is not to limit gun ownership or gun owners' privilege to shoot on personal property, but to prevent bullets from causing harm to neighbors, their homes, children and pets.

County Attorney Mark Payne said the issue was raised in response to a number of complaints the county received about irresponsible gun use. The current ordinance, which dates to 1985, says no person shall shoot a gun within 150 yards of a dwelling or other structure designed to be occupied by people, livestock or other animals.

"The proposal that's in front of you basically says if you're shooting on your property, make sure the bullet stays on your property," Payne said.

The proposed ordinance does not affect hunting, which is regulated by a separate statute. It also does not impact existing private shooting ranges or commercial organizations, such as skeet shooting clubs, clay shooting or firing ranges because those are covered under state law, Payne said.

Capt. Jarad Corbett, who spoke on behalf of the Guilford County Sheriff's Office, said the county's population was about 325,000 in 1985, compared with more than 546,000 in 2020. As more people have moved into rural areas, they have become more urban, Corbett said.

The sheriff's department received more than double the number of complaints about shots being heard from 502 in 2005 to 1,049 in 2020, Corbett said. He noted stray bullets have damaged homes and one landed on top of a Sedgefield homeowner's head who was sitting poolside.

"We want to propose these changes for best and safe practices for the citizens of Guilford County, that includes the gun owners and also the peace of mind for the neighboring communities around," Corbett said. "Right now it is hard for our officers to investigate and determine different things in the current policy because it's so vague."

Jeff Lowdermilk, a retired Greensboro police officer, said the McLeansville community is much more populated now and people are living closer together than when he was growing up there. He recalled a neighbor had called him when they had returned from vacation and found a bullet had entered the house and lodged in the refrigerator door. Lowdermilk later found his own dog's leg injured by a bullet. In a third incident, he was on a tractor and heard gunfire whistling over his head.

"I was a city cop; if you fire in the city, we arrest you," Lowdermilk said.

Looking at the current county ordinance from a law enforcement perspective, Lowdermilk said he found its language vague and difficult to enforce.

Brooks Langley, a member of the McLeansville Wildlife Club, said the issue may have been presented as gun safety but he thought the agenda was gun control and unfair to responsible gun owners. He called for more education about gun use.

"We're all on the same page but don't try to put a blanket across everybody," Langley said. "You can't stop stupid. It boils down to common sense."

Mark Craig, a Gibsonville resident and current NC Wildlife commissioner, said he was against a rewrite of the ordinance two weeks ago, but now that all references to hunting have been removed he has become a huge proponent of adding backstops for target shooting. Craig recalled being outside with his wife when a bullet passed too close for comfort.

"We need more safe places for people to go and learn how to use their firearms," Craig said.

Billy Queen, a retired federal agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, urged the board not to create an ordinance that would make law-abiding gun owners afraid to shoot their guns.

Board member Justin Conrad, who voted last month in opposition to holding a public hearing, said the county "should have had public input from the very beginning" before the county attorney and sheriff's department attorney attempted to write a revised ordinance. What size and thickness of backstop would be needed depends on the kind of weapon being used on a specific property, he said. "It has to be based on what types of firearms you have, which quite frankly is nobody else's business," Conrad said.

Board member Alan Perdue described the issue as one of situational awareness.

"If nothing else, we need to realize that one size doesn't fit all," Perdue said. "Guilford County is a diverse community. We go from rural to a very urban and dense environment. Trying to craft a document that applies equally to everybody with one choice simply doesn't work."

Perdue said trying to regulate backstops vs. distance to neighboring property will exceed what needs to be done as far as safety. Instead he joined other speakers in calling for more hunter safety programs in Guilford County Schools.

Board member Kay Cashion said she had talked to a lot of people and received nearly 450 emails from people who said they were opposed.

"We've got to figure out a way to not infringe on people's rights," Cashion said. "The bottomline is they're all wanting the same thing and that's a safe environment."

cingram@hpenews.com — 336-888-3534 — @HPEcinde