Commission tables ordinance Columbus Co. gun owners feared would forbid target shooting on property

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Gun owners in Columbus County think a proposed ordinance could challenge their private property rights.

Columbus County Commissioners want to start things over with a proposed firing range ordinance.

Brandon Patrick says he shoots on his land in Columbus County and believes the ordinance could infringe on his rights.

“There ain’t nobody that’s going to come and tell me that I cannot shoot my gun on my property,” Patrick said.

For the last few days that’s been the rallying cry in Columbus County against the proposed gun range ordinance. Patrick owns a business and lives in Columbus County. He believes the proposal is not meant to tell people they cannot shoot on their land, but he thinks it needs more work. So does county Planning Director Gary Lanier, who made it clear at Tuesday’s county commission meeting neighbors do not need to fear this proposal.

“It has nothing to do with an individual going on their personal private property and target practice, plink, shoot skeet, do whatever they want to do,” Lanier said.

The worry came from the definitions. “Shooting range facility” included both public and private estates. However, Lanier pointed to the last sentence of that definition that clauses out general landowners who want to shoot in their back yard. That clause says that shooting range “does not include incidental target areas on private property.”

There does remain an issue with commercial ranges in the county according to neighbors.

“When the bullets came on top of my house I told him, ‘:ook that’s as far as I’m going.’ And I turned to y’all for help,” Anthony Buck said during the meeting.

“Let us practice common sense and consideration for our neighbors,” pleaded Revis Long.

Neighbors like Buck and Long have concerns of the proximity ranges are to their homes and the effects those ranges have had on them.

The board of commissioners wants to start the process over with county planners.
Patrick hopes planners will make sure it cannot be misread and he does not expect it to any way hurt landowners simply because of the backlash that would happen.

“The ordinance I can see where it could be a safety issue with people randomly setting up gun ranges or whatever but as far as for people just shooting on their property, I don’t see how they can enforce it,” Patrick said.