County adopts $500 fine for recreational shooters whose stray bullets menace neighbors
After complaints of bullets flying through a Derby neighborhood, Sedgwick County has approved a crackdown on recreational shooting in unincorporated areas.
On a 4-1 vote, the County Commission approved a measure that will still allow shooters to shoot in their back yard target ranges, but sets a penalty of $500 if bullets stray off the shooters’ property.
The issue came to the commission after complaints from residents of the Northbrook Addition, a fairly new development that is part of the city of Derby, off Woodlawn south of 55th Street South.
Neighbors there said they’re scared of stray bullets that have been whizzing through their neighborhood from homes on nearby Joel Road, which lies just outside the city in the unincorporated county.
The Joel Road neighbors have a history of target shooting in their back yards that predates the Derby development.
Some of them have substantial backstops to contain the rounds they fire, while others shoot into piles of dirt and logs that allow misses and ricochets to fly off into the neighboring housing development.
Commissioner Jim Howell, a staunch gun-rights advocate who wrote several laws easing restrictions on gun carrying while he was a state legislator, proposed the new county regulations.
He said it’s a matter of public safety and responsible gun handling.
“This is not in any way trying to harm Second Amendment freedom,” Howell said. “But we do have to make sure when we shoot our firearms to do so responsibly and do it in a way that doesn’t threaten or harm other people or property.”
The sole opposition to the new law came from Commissioner Lacey Cruse, who said she doesn’t think the fines will deter shooters or pay for the cost of enforcement.
When the proposal first came to the commission on Oct. 21, Cruse asked for and got a two-week delay so she could consult with constituents in her district.
On Wednesday, she suggested that neighbors who have a problem with the shooters can take them to court.
“I believe in Sedgwick County we have responsible gun owners,” she said. “I think that this resolution is being passed . . . because of bad actors. And our current system allows for citizens to take civil action and as such, if neighbors cannot resolve issues on their front porch or in their back yards, then take civil recourse.”
Howell replied that whether or not the fine is an adequate deterrent, it’s the most the county can charge for violations under county policy. He said in the future he’ll propose that be changed to align with state law, which allows counties to levy fines of as much as $1,000.
“Whether or not we recoup the cost (of enforcement) isn’t the point,” he said. “I believe there needs to be opportunities for the sheriff to do his job.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 2:19 PM.
