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3 <br /> <br />Regarding restricting shooting to the time between sunrise and sunset, Mr. Tesoro said there is <br />nogood reason for a person to be shooting in the dark. He agreed with Dr. Arvik that a <br />commercial range might be a good place for after dark shooting, and with Mr. Hunnell that <br />coyote control after dark might be necessary, but he added that hunting is outside thepurview of <br />this Committee. <br />Ms. Conti said that the specific decibel limits in the Chatham County noise ordinance appear to <br />be based on the Orange County ordinance. However, the Orange County noise ordinance <br />exempts firearms. The easiest solution to the noise problem, she said, would be to lift the <br />exemptionfrom the noise ordinance; it is one simple line, she said. The Orange County noise <br />ordinance defines “unreasonably loud and disturbing “in a specific, enforceable way, she said. <br />The Chatham County noise ordinance has a few more specifics that might be useful to us, she <br />added. Mr. Hunnell asked for a copy of the Orange County noise ordinance. Ms. Conti <br />distributed copies to the Committee. <br />Mr. Tilley said he did not see where firearms are mentioned inthe Chatham County noise <br />ordinance, except in the exceptions. Ms.Conti said she would follow-up with him later. <br />Mr. Hunnell asked Ms. Conti what decibel levels she thinks she is getting from her neighbor’s <br />shooting, and where in any potential noise ordinances she thinks a level is defined that would be <br />reasonable. Ms. Conti said she did not know what the decibel level is from her neighbor’s <br />shooting. She pointed to the different residential decibel limits for different time periods in the <br />Orange County noise ordinance –from which firearms are exempt –as those she would support. <br />She added that “we are not here because there is a shooting range behind my house.” We are <br />here because citizens of Orange County –whether their concerns are perceptions or reality -- <br />would like to see the Board of Commissioners address firearms safety. The noise from my <br />neighbor is a problem for me, and the perceived danger from my neighbor’s shooting range is a <br />problem for me. I don’t know what they are firing back there and Ihave grandchildren and dogs <br />running around. If we agreed to lift the exemption on firearms from the Orange County noise <br />ordinance then I would be ecstatic, but I would still be left with the issue of firearms safety. The <br />broader perspective than just my situation is that there are people in our community who are not <br />responsible firearms users. Given that all the Committee members who are firearms users are <br />examples of the responsible ones, this Committee is the perfect group to address firearms safety <br />in a broader context than my neighbor’s shooting range. <br />In reply toa question from Dr. Arvik, Mr. Roberts said that the County’s noise ordinance applies <br />only to the unincorporated areas of Orange County, which is everything except for the <br />municipalities (Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill). The municipalities are authorized to <br />adopt their own noise restrictions, he added. Dr. Arvik said the municipalities are an additional <br />source of noise ordinances that the Committee could consider. <br />Mr. Kirkland said that he deals a lot with decibel levels in his career. Not too long ago we were <br />doing some environmental safety work at Ft. Bragg, he said, looking at what noise levels the <br />soldiers were being exposed to at the shooting ranges. Any type of firearm is going to be <br />between 140 –180 dB. The higher number in that range is going to be created by a 155mm <br />Howitzer; we are not going to get that in Orange County. The typical noise from firearms on