Meeting Notes 072016 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

10 Officer Orr saidOrange County has the authority from the General Assembly to adopt a local ordinance against intoxicated hunting, but that the Board of County Commissioners has not adopted such an ordinance. Mr. Hunnellsaideveryone probably agrees that anyone discharging a firearmshould not be intoxicated. He asked how law enforcement would handle a situation like that. Chief Sykes said the Sheriff’s Office would use the tools it has to enforce the ordinance as it is written. Mr. Tesoro saidthe shooter could be given a breathalyzer, as is done with suspected intoxicated drivers. Mr. Tilley read a section from the Lenoir Ordinanceprohibiting shooting “carelessly or heedlessly in wanton disregard for the safety of others.” That covers it all, he said. It is very simple: if you are drinking then that is careless. Ms. Conti saidthe language of the ordinance is too vague. Officer Orr saidordinances should havespecific elements that tell whether someone is in violation. For instance, one law covering Orange County says that you have to have written permission to hunt on someone else’s property. That’s clear for me an enforcement officer because I can check if someone has written permission or not, he said. If you start putting vague terms into the ordinance then it becomes harder for law enforcement or the prosecution to know if a person has met the elements of the crime. Mr. Tilley saidhe is not hearing people in his circles expressing concern about firearms safety. People are talking to me about noise, for example, trying to take a nap on Sunday. Ms. Barksdale saidthe people she is talking with are expressing safety concerns, especially people living on Davis Road and New Hope Springs Drive. She saidone person described to her a situation where a neighbor has a shooting range that parallels a line of other homes with children and pets. And they are anxious. We just learned that we have seven thousand more homes coming into Orange County. We are living closer to each other and this increasing density is a factor in all of this. At this point, Ms. Conti asked the facilitator if it were acceptable for a member of the public to video record the Committee’s proceedingsand to post it on social media. The facilitator saidhe thought it was permitted, but that when County Attorney John Roberts arrived he could provide more definitive advice. Mr. Hunnellasked the facilitator if the person recording needed to acquire consent from each Committee member. The facilitator saidif anyone on the Committee was feeling uncomfortable then it was appropriate to express that discomfort, and that they had the option of moving to a seat where their back would be to the camera. Ms. Contisaidshe felt uncomfortable being video recorded. Mr. Roberts