VERY dangerous piece of legislation!!!!!!

[G10mm]

Londonderry Township, Chester County, PA.


The township is seeking to pass an ordinance that will prohibit all shooting of any kind be it firearms, archery or air gun within the township other than legal organized hunting. You need to attend the meeting on Sept. 24th at 7:30pm and assure this ordinance does not pass.

Public Mtg. Notices

NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Supervisors of Londonderry Township will hold a hearing at a regular meeting to be held on September 24, 2012, commencing at 7:30 p.m., at the Township Building, 103 Daleville Road, Londonderry Township (Cochranville), Pennsylvania, to consider and enact an ordinance amending the Code of Londonderry Township by adopting a new Chapter 114 entitled Shooting, Outdoor, a summary of which follows. The complete text of the ordinance can be examined at the offices of the Daily Local News, 250 North Bradford Avenue, West Chester, Pennsylvania, the Chester County Law Library, 201 West Market Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania and the Township Building at the above address during regular business hours. Copies of the complete text may be examined without charge or obtained at a charge not greater than the cost thereof at the Township Building.

AN ORDINANCE OF LONDONDERRY TOWNSHIP, CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING THE CODE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF LONDONDERRY, AS AMENDED, BY ADDING NEW CHAPTER 114 REGARDING OUTDOOR SHOOTING. SECTION 1. Amends the Code of Londonderry Township to add new Chapter 114 entitled Shooting, Outdoor. Chapter 114 includes all of the following provisions: 1. Titles the Ordinance as the Outdoor Shooting Ordinance of Londonderry Township. 2. Provides definitions for the terms "hunt club," "shooting" and "weapon." 3. Prohibits outdoor shooting in the Township except: while lawfully hunting game in conformity with the Game Laws and other applicable laws of Pennsylvania; while lawfully hunting game with the written permission of the landowner upon a Township form, which permission must include certain terms and provisions set forth in the Ordinance. Requires the written permission form to be in the possession of the hunter at all times when hunting in Londonderry Township; or while in association with the activities of a hunt club. 4. Prohibits the careless, reckless or improper use of any weapon tending to imperil the safety of persons or engender disorderly practice. 5. Provides for fines and penalties for any violation of the Ordinance. 6. Requires the posting of legible signs giving public notice of the essential provisions of this Chapter at or near the public highways at the boundaries of Londonderry Township.

SECTION 2. Provides for the severability of unconstitutional or invalid provisions of the ordinance. SECTION 3. Repeals ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with any provisions of this ordinance. SECTION 4. Provides that the amendment shall be effective 5 days from the date of its final passage and adoption.

If you are a person with a disability wishing to attend the aforementioned meeting and require auxiliary aid, service or other accommodation to observe or participate in the proceedings, please contact the Township secretary to discuss how your needs may be best accommodated. LONDONDERRY TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Richard Brown, Chairman GAWTHROP GREENWOOD, P.C. Stacey L. Fuller, Solicitor

[Huntersunlimited]

I wrote my representatives and the NRA several months ago about this BECAUSE Warwick Township in Lancaster County already has the same law!
My friend has a hundred acre farm and the police came out because he was sighting in his rifle, he never knew about the law until they told him about it.
Idiot commissioners, he moved his range a few hundred yards to the next township, I would have put it right on the border.
How can 5 commissioners tell me I'm not allowed to shoot a firearm on my own property.
I warned everyone if one anti-gun township is allowed to pass this law more will follow!
So if the township that my cousins 300+ hundred acre farm is in does the same thing we wouldn't be able to go plinking on 300 acres of taxed land!
It's time to stop this before it escalates any further! The state should handle ALL of the gun laws.

[gummy jones]

i dont even understand how this is possible?

what are they trying to prevent? the millions of accidental gun range murders that dont happen?

[bigdawgbeav]

edit: nevermind... I should work on my reading comprehension.

[son of the revolution]

How is this not a blatant UFA violation?

[son of the revolution]

How is this not a blatant UFA violation?

[TaePo]

Wouldn't existing ranges be grandfathered in?

In any case, it needs to be fought to protect future endeavors.

This is why I periodically shoot on my property with a backstop. I don't want some city folks moving to the country and complaining about the noise or 'danger'. I have already established my 'range'.

[jerkin]

How is this not a blatant UFA violation?

What would it violate? UFA covers ownership, transfers and transportation, doesn't say squat about discharge. Plenty of townships have had no discharge ordinances on the books for decades. There was a lawsuit a few years back because some of these communities thought that gave them the power to outlaw hunting in their jurisdictions also but the courts found that the Game Commission laws override the no discharge laws. There's usually a thread on here every month or two asking if you can be charged if you fire your weapon in self defense in a town that has such a law.

edit to add: I found the court case, Northampton v Duff if anyone is interested. Basically they can prohibit shooting except hunting in accordance with Game Commission regs.

[son of the revolution]

What would it violate? UFA covers ownership, transfers and transportation, doesn't say squat about discharge. Plenty of townships have had no discharge ordinances on the books for decades. There was a lawsuit a few years back because some of these communities thought that gave them the power to outlaw hunting in their jurisdictions also but the courts found that the Game Commission laws override the no discharge laws. There's usually a thread on here every month or two asking if you can be charged if you fire your weapon in self defense in a town that has such a law.

edit to add: I found the court case, Northampton v Duff if anyone is interested. Basically they can prohibit shooting except hunting in accordance with Game Commission regs.

I certainly don't have the UFA memorized in its entirety, but as often as it comes up here; I could swear I had seen the word "use" and "possession " as additional phrases that govt entities other then the State were barred from creating laws about per the UFA pre-emption clause. I could easily be wrong, it certainly wouldn't be the first time. And I'm no rocket scientist either. But it seems to me that "using " a firearm is pretty firmly tied to actually shooting one. Unless of course your "using " it as a paperweight, boat anchor or for decorative purposes.

[Chazman321]

They can't pass a law on the buying, selling, transportation, or possession, but they certainly can say about it being fired. The PGC will fight it if it impacts hunting, but it usually doesn't. Some cities/towns have laws on the firing of a weapon that DOESN'T include personal defense of citizens, only police officers. Generally a person in a SD situation wouldn't be charged, but they're out there...


-Chaz