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Unregulated gunfire draws lawmaker's attention
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Regulating firearm use on private rural property? -- Stop this legislation now. Contact your state representative. http://capwiz.com/gunowners
Unregulated gunfire draws lawmaker's attentionStatehouse newsWednesday, January 16, 2002BOB BEASLEYThisWeek Staff Writer Larry Wolpert
Statehouse briefsState launches security site In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the state of Ohio has launched a Web page devoted to homeland security. The site, which can be accessed through the state's page at www.state.oh.us, has up-to-date current information relating to health and environmental issues, answers frequently asked questions and links visitors directly to state and federal agencies coordinating emergency response and preparedness activities. Among other things, the site includes a training video on how to handle suspicious mail and a history of Ohio's anti-terrorism efforts, which date back to 1997. The state has also planned a series of anti-terrorism forums designed for business leaders. The forums will take place throughout the state this month, including a Jan. 23 meeting in Columbus from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ohio Department of Transportation Auditorium, 1980 W. Broad St. The forums are designed to increase awareness of security factors and safety needs for Ohio communities and businesses, identify resources available from a variety of sources and Coordinate efforts of law enforcement, government and business. As houses pop up on fields where corn and beans had sprouted for years, steady streams of traffic zip by on roads where it was once an event to see more than a few cars drive by in a day. Where the sound of gunfire in the distance was once normal, it's now a safety issue. Jackson Township resident Ellen Redding can see the new houses of the Alkire Lakes subdivision in Columbus just beyond the backyard of her home at 3342 Big Run Road South. She can also hear the gunshots ring out in a barn just a few lots away. It's a sound, she said, that's too close for comfort in the once-rural, now increasingly suburban, neighborhood. "If you were looking at buying a house adjacent to my yard and saw my husband and kids outside in my backyard yahooing it up with guns," Redding said, "would you move in?" Redding, who has lived in her home for 10 years, said she asked her nearby neighbors to at least inform her when they would be shooting because she wanted to be able to medicate her dog, who has seizures when she hears the shots. However, Redding said, the neighbors told her that they were there first and well within their rights to shoot guns on their property whenever they wanted. Indeed, there are no laws preventing residents of unincorporated parts of the state from discharging weapons on their land. And, in Ohio's rural areas, it's a common and accepted practice. Redding said she doesn't have a problem with people shooting guns outside on their own property when they're doing so in areas where children and household pets aren't at risk of being shot by a stray bullet. While her neighbors may have been there first, she said, the neighborhood has changed over time. And, it's not an isolated problem. "This issue is particularly relevant for a township like Jackson or any other township in Franklin County where unincorporated areas are at the fringe of growing and sprawling suburban and metropolitan areas," said Mike Lilly, Jackson Township zoning administrator. Redding first approached Lilly with her problem late last year only to be told that the township had no tools at its disposal to prevent the neighbors from shooting firearms. While a city can pass an ordinance against the practice, he said, townships can't. "The closest authority we have right now," Lilly said, "would be that it is a noise nuisance. Unfortunately, that becomes a difficult standard to apply." Lilly suggested Redding write a letter to state Rep. Larry Wolpert (R-Hilliard) requesting state legislation on the shooting issue, and she did. Wolpert said he received the letter and is considering introducing legislation that would address Redding's problem, while not taking away the shooting rights of people in rural areas. "The bill would designate zones where you can't discharge a firearm," Wolpert said. "You shouldn't have to worry about a stray bullet going through your living room." The person who answered the phone at the home near Redding where the shooting allegedly has occurred declined to comment on the issue. According to property records from Franklin County Auditor Joe Testa, the residence at 3460 Big Run South Road is owned by Herbert and Myrtle Akers. http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=common&story=thisweeknews/011602/common/News/011602-News-70506.html
Unregulated gunfire draws lawmaker's attentionStatehouse newsWednesday, January 16, 2002BOB BEASLEYThisWeek Staff Writer Larry Wolpert
Statehouse briefsState launches security site In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the state of Ohio has launched a Web page devoted to homeland security. The site, which can be accessed through the state's page at www.state.oh.us, has up-to-date current information relating to health and environmental issues, answers frequently asked questions and links visitors directly to state and federal agencies coordinating emergency response and preparedness activities. Among other things, the site includes a training video on how to handle suspicious mail and a history of Ohio's anti-terrorism efforts, which date back to 1997. The state has also planned a series of anti-terrorism forums designed for business leaders. The forums will take place throughout the state this month, including a Jan. 23 meeting in Columbus from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ohio Department of Transportation Auditorium, 1980 W. Broad St. The forums are designed to increase awareness of security factors and safety needs for Ohio communities and businesses, identify resources available from a variety of sources and Coordinate efforts of law enforcement, government and business. As houses pop up on fields where corn and beans had sprouted for years, steady streams of traffic zip by on roads where it was once an event to see more than a few cars drive by in a day. Where the sound of gunfire in the distance was once normal, it's now a safety issue. Jackson Township resident Ellen Redding can see the new houses of the Alkire Lakes subdivision in Columbus just beyond the backyard of her home at 3342 Big Run Road South. She can also hear the gunshots ring out in a barn just a few lots away. It's a sound, she said, that's too close for comfort in the once-rural, now increasingly suburban, neighborhood. "If you were looking at buying a house adjacent to my yard and saw my husband and kids outside in my backyard yahooing it up with guns," Redding said, "would you move in?" Redding, who has lived in her home for 10 years, said she asked her nearby neighbors to at least inform her when they would be shooting because she wanted to be able to medicate her dog, who has seizures when she hears the shots. However, Redding said, the neighbors told her that they were there first and well within their rights to shoot guns on their property whenever they wanted. Indeed, there are no laws preventing residents of unincorporated parts of the state from discharging weapons on their land. And, in Ohio's rural areas, it's a common and accepted practice. Redding said she doesn't have a problem with people shooting guns outside on their own property when they're doing so in areas where children and household pets aren't at risk of being shot by a stray bullet. While her neighbors may have been there first, she said, the neighborhood has changed over time. And, it's not an isolated problem. "This issue is particularly relevant for a township like Jackson or any other township in Franklin County where unincorporated areas are at the fringe of growing and sprawling suburban and metropolitan areas," said Mike Lilly, Jackson Township zoning administrator. Redding first approached Lilly with her problem late last year only to be told that the township had no tools at its disposal to prevent the neighbors from shooting firearms. While a city can pass an ordinance against the practice, he said, townships can't. "The closest authority we have right now," Lilly said, "would be that it is a noise nuisance. Unfortunately, that becomes a difficult standard to apply." Lilly suggested Redding write a letter to state Rep. Larry Wolpert (R-Hilliard) requesting state legislation on the shooting issue, and she did. Wolpert said he received the letter and is considering introducing legislation that would address Redding's problem, while not taking away the shooting rights of people in rural areas. "The bill would designate zones where you can't discharge a firearm," Wolpert said. "You shouldn't have to worry about a stray bullet going through your living room." The person who answered the phone at the home near Redding where the shooting allegedly has occurred declined to comment on the issue. According to property records from Franklin County Auditor Joe Testa, the residence at 3460 Big Run South Road is owned by Herbert and Myrtle Akers. http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=common&story=thisweeknews/011602/common/News/011602-News-70506.html