Subd. 1. Acts prohibited. It is unlawful for any person to:
A. Recklessly handle or use a gun or other dangerous weapon or explosive so as to endanger the safety of another;
B. Intentionally point a gun of any kind, capable of injuring or killing a human being and whether loaded or unloaded, at or toward another;
C. Manufacture or sell for any unlawful purpose any weapon known as a sling-shot or sand club;
D. Manufacture, transfer or possess metal knuckles or a switch blade knife opening automatically;
E. Possess any other dangerous article or substance for the purpose of being used unlawfully as a weapon against another;
F. Sell or have, in his or her possession, any device designed to silence or muffle the discharge of a firearm;
G. Permit, as a parent or guardian, any child under 14 years of age to handle or use, outside of the parent’s or guardian’s presence, a firearm or air gun of any kind or any ammunition or explosive;
H. Furnish a minor under 18 years of age with a firearm, air gun, ammunition or explosive without the written consent of his or her parent or guardian or of the Police Department; and
I. Possess, sell, transfer or have in possession for sale or transfer, any weapon commonly known as a throwing star or nun chuck. For the purposes of this subparagraph, a “throwing star” means a circular metallic device with any number of points projecting from the edge and a “nun chuck” means a pair of wood sticks or metallic rods separated by chain links attached to one end of each stick or rod.
(Ord. 118, Second Series, passed 6-18-86)
Subd. 2. Exception. Nothing in Subd. 1 of this section shall prohibit the possession of the articles therein mentioned if the purpose of the possession is for public exhibition by museums or collectors of art.
Subd. 3. Discharge of firearms and explosives. It is unlawful for any person to fire or discharge any cannon, gun, pistol or other firearm, firecracker, sky rocket or other fireworks, air gun, air rifle or other similar device commonly referred to as a B-B gun.
Subd. 4. Exception.
A. Nothing in Subd. 3 of this section shall apply to a display of fireworks by an organization or group of organizations authorized in writing by the Council, to a peace officer in the discharge of his or her duty or to a person in the lawful defense of his or her person or family.
B. This section shall not apply to the discharge of firearms in a range authorized in writing by the Council.
Subd. 5. Possession and sale of fireworks. It is unlawful for any person to sell, possess or have in possession for the purpose of sale, except as allowed in Subd. 4 of this section, any firecrackers, sky rockets or other fireworks.
Subd. 6. Exposure of unused container. It is unlawful for any person, being the owner or in possession or control thereof, to permit an unused refrigerator, ice box or other container, sufficiently large to retain any child and with doors which fasten automatically when closed, to expose the same accessible to children, without removing the doors, lids, hinges or latches.
Subd. 7. Use of bow and arrow. It is unlawful for any person to shoot a bow and arrow.
A. Except in the Physical Education Program in a school supervised by a member of its faculty, a community-wide supervised class or event specifically authorized by the City Council, or a bow and arrow range authorized by the Council.
B. Except when used from a boat in accordance with DNR fishing regulations regarding bow fishing with the following restrictions. Bow fishing from shore is not allowed. Bow fishing from a boat is only approved at Eastside Lake from I-90 to the spillway, the Mill Pond, and the navigable Cedar River north of the Mill Pond where it flows within the City of Austin’s borders. Bow fishing is not allowed within 100 feet of pedestrians and/or 150 feet of homes at any hour.
Subd. 8. Fireworks defined.
A. For the purposes of this section, the term FIREWORKS means any substance or combination of substances or article prepared for the purpose of producing a visible or an audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration, or detonation, and includes blank cartridges, toy cannons, and toy canes in which explosives are used, the type of balloons which require fire underneath to propel them, firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets, Roman candles, daygo bombs, sparklers other than those specified in Subpar. C, or other FIREWORKS of like construction, and any FIREWORKS containing any explosive or inflammable compound, or any tablets or other device containing any explosive substance and commonly used as FIREWORKS.
B. The term
FIREWORKS shall not include toy pistols, toy guns, in which paper caps containing 25/100 grains or less of explosive compound are used and toy pistol caps which contain less than 20/100 grains of explosive mixture.
C. The term also does not include wire or wood sparklers of not more than 100 grams of mixture per item, other sparkling items which are nonexplosive and nonaerial and contain 75 grams or less of chemical mixture per tube or a total of 200 grams or less for multiple tubes, snakes and glow worms, smoke devices, or trick noisemakers which include paper streamers, party poppers, string poppers, snappers, and drop pops, each consisting of not more than twenty-five hundredths grains of explosive mixture. The use of items in this paragraph is not permitted on public property. This paragraph does not authorize the purchase of items listed in it by persons younger than 18 years of age. The age of a purchaser of items listed in this paragraph must be verified by photographic identification.
(Ord. 480, Second Series, passed 6-3-02; Am. Ord. 691, passed 6-7-21)
(`80 Code, § 10.04) Penalty, see § 1.99