(a) Except as provided in this section and § 505.11, no person shall discharge any air gun, or make use of any sling or arrow, within the corporate limits of the municipality.
(b) No person shall recklessly throw or shoot from a slingshot, B.B. gun, air gun, bow or other device a pellet, stone, arrow, missile or other similar substance at or toward a person, house, building, vehicle or other property which might be injured or damaged thereby, or to strike or wound a person or to strike property causing injury or damage to any such person or property by the act.
(c) This section does not extend to cases in which slings or arrows are used in self-defense, in the discharge of official duty or in justifiable homicide.
(d) This section shall not prohibit the firing of B.B. guns for the purpose of controlling certain species of birds when such shooting or firing is performed in accordance with the rules and regulations established by the City Manager, and when the person who is shooting is 18 years of age or older, has executed a hold harmless agreement, and has in his or her possession a properly executed permit issued by the Safety Director.
(1) Such B.B. gun shall be of the type in which a single action of the cocking mechanism readies the gun to operate. B.B. or pellet guns of the type which use a compressed gas propellant or in which a continued pumping action increases the force with which the gun operates shall not be used.
(e) This section shall not apply to competitive sporting events, or practice/training for such events, where, upon request of the event or practice/training organizers, the Safety Director or his or her designee has issued a permit confirming that the proposed site of the competitive event or practice/training for such event is set up in a manner that would prevent a person, house, building, vehicle, animal or other property from being injured or damaged.
(f) This section shall not prohibit the shooting of a bow and arrow when such shooting is performed in accordance with the rules and regulations established by the City Manger, and when the person who is shooting is 18 years of age or older, has executed a hold harmless agreement, and has in his or her possession a properly executed permit issued by the Safety Director.
(g) This section does not extend to cases in which BB guns and other air guns, or slings or arrows, are used in the confines of buildings, provided the use is under adult supervision.
(h) The Safety Director may revoke a permit issued under this section for any violation of rules and regulations established by the City Manager or any violation of this section.
(i) Any person denied a permit, or who has a permit revoked by the Safety Director pursuant to this section shall have the right to appeal said denial to City Council. Notice of such appeal shall be submitted in writing to the Safety Director. A hearing on such appeal shall be conducted at the next regularly scheduled Council meeting, or at a Council meeting agreed to by the appealing party.
(j) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(Ord. 66-1985, passed 9-9-1985; Ord. 2006-140, passed 11-27-2006; Ord. 2017-57, passed 4-10-2017; Ord. 2017-73, passed 5-15-2017)