Pitt County commissioners schedule first reading of two gun-safety ordinances after hours of debate

Commissioner Tommy Manning proposed two ordinances aimed at reducing stray projectiles and nighttime shooting in populated neighborhoods and the board voted to place the measures on a future agenda for first reading.

Manning told the board he tailored one draft to prohibit firing a projectile across property lines and a second to bar discharge at night in “densely populated subdivisions, mobile home parks, campgrounds, and multifamily housing complexes.” He said the measures are intended to give the Sheriff’s Office an enforceable tool beyond the county’s existing noise ordinance and to protect neighbors’ safety.

The proposal prompted public comment from residents and gun-rights groups at the meeting. Gregory (identified in public comment as a Pitt County resident and member of Gun Owners of America) urged commissioners to vote no, saying a misdemeanor penalty is “a little too harsh.” Sean Sorrentino, vice president of operations for Grassroots North Carolina, urged the board to “get rid of this,” calling the draft an unnecessary criminalization of what he described as isolated conduct.

Commissioner White said the proposal responds to a practical enforcement gap: firearm sounds are fleeting and often cannot be captured with decibel readers used for other noise enforcement. White said the draft focuses on safety rather than imposing an onerous backstop requirement and noted that the ordinance is intended to prevent projectiles from crossing property lines rather than regulate lawful, safe target practice on private property.

Commissioner Brown and others raised questions about how investigators would prove a projectile crossed a property line in cases without visible damage. The county attorney answered that enforcement would depend on the facts of each case and similar investigative techniques used in other criminal matters; Manning emphasized that the measure is intended primarily as a deterrent.

Manning also referenced House Bill 9 pending in the North Carolina General Assembly and said its language closely mirrors elements of the draft ordinance about discharges on private property when permission is given and reasonable care is taken to prevent projectiles from leaving the property.

After discussion and brief amendments-in-committee work suggested by staff, the board voted to place both ordinances on a future agenda for formal first reading and directed staff and counsel to refine definitions (including the definition of “subdivision”) before that reading. Commissioner Manning said he preferred carrying the item forward to ensure the drafts are correct; commissioners who supported moving the drafts forward cited public safety concerns and repeated complaints from neighborhoods such as Holly Pines that prompted earlier hearings.

The board’s move does not adopt either ordinance; it schedules formal consideration at a later meeting and asks staff to return with revised text for a first reading.