(A) Subject to division (B) below, no person may discharge any firearm within the town.
(B) Division (A) above shall not apply to persons acting in justifiable self-defense or pursuant to the lawful directions of a law-enforcement officer, nor to law-enforcement officers acting in a lawful performance of their duties. Division (A) above shall not apply to the discharge of firearms within fully enclosed and indoor shooting ranges, constructed and operating in compliance with the State Building Code, the town's Uniform Development Ordinance, the federal Occupational Health and Safety Act, as amended, and its regulations, the National Fire Protection Association Standards and State Fire Code, and other laws and regulations as may be established or exist which dictate the construction and operational standards which an indoor shooting range must meet. No indoor shooting range may exist within the town unless the owner of the indoor shooting range (hereinafter, "proprietor") has submitted to the Chief of Police operating rules concerning employee and invitee or licensee (patron) use of the indoor shooting range, and the Chief of Police has, in writing, issued an opinion that the rules adequately protect the safety of the public and those rules are fully implemented and enforced.
(C) No person may discharge or shoot within the town any air rifle, air pistol, B-B gun or similar weapon (hereinafter, collectively "air rifle") within 100 yards of any building or house or gathering of people, except in a fully enclosed and indoor facility, constructed and operating in compliance with the State Building Code, the town's Uniform Development Ordinance, the federal Occupational Health and Safety Act, as amended, and its regulations, the National Fire Protection Association Standards and State Fire Code, and other laws and regulations as may be established or exist which dictate the construction and operational standards which the indoor facilities must meet. No facility may exist within the town unless its proprietor has submitted to the Chief of Police operating rules concerning employee and invitee or licensee (patron) use of the indoor shooting range, the Chief of Police has, in writing, issued an opinion that the rules adequately protect the safety of the public, and those rules are fully implemented and enforced.
(D) No indoor shooting range or facility for the discharge of any air rifle may operate within the town where the proprietor is not also the owner of the real property upon which it is situated unless:
(1) The proprietor designates a person who is a resident of the county as a person who has full authority to act on behalf of the proprietor in responding to complaints concerning the operation of the shooting range or facility, and that person's name and contact information is posted at the shooting range or facility in plain view of the public so that it may be read without a person having to enter the shooting range or facility in order to do so; and
(2) The proprietor obtains and maintains liability insurance covering injuries and property damage to persons using the shooting range or facility in an amount no less than $2,000,000 per injury and claim and provides proof of the insurance to the town upon request.
(Ord. passed 12-16-2019)
Statutory Reference:
See also, G.S. 160A-189