Bangor committee considers allowing pellet guns for cemetery gopher control, asks city to update firearms zone maps

Members of the Bangor City firearms advisory committee discussed whether to recommend changes to the city’s firearms-discharge ordinance after a request from Mount Hope Cemetery to use pellet guns to control gophers.

The committee meeting focused on three linked issues: whether pellet guns should remain listed as firearms in the city code, whether cemeteries should receive a site-specific exemption or a temporary permit process, and a separate recommendation that the city update the official zone 1/zone 2 maps used to interpret the ordinance.

The discussion began when a committee member read a request from Mount Hope Cemetery about an employee “struggling with gophers” and noted the city ordinance currently defines pellet-type weapons as firearms. The member said the ordinance’s current mapping and language appear to date from the early 1990s and can be ambiguous when applied to present property lines and roads. “There’s a simple request: what are our options?” the committee member said.

Committee members and police staff described several options the group could recommend to Bangor City Council: remove pellet guns from the municipal definition of firearms; create a narrow cemetery exemption; adjust zone boundaries so particular cemeteries fall in zone 2; or keep the zones and require a short, notify-and-permit process for cemetery employees. A member suggested a permit similar to a burn permit — limited in time, tied to specified daytime hours and with police notification — so patrols would be aware before work begins.

Bangor Police Department staff warned of enforcement complications if pellet guns were removed from the ordinance entirely, noting “the general public doesn’t know the difference between a pellet gun or .22” and that calls from concerned residents would likely increase. Police staff said they would respond to calls under whatever policy the city adopts but recommended a notification procedure so officers would not treat a lawful, permitted activity as a suspicious discharge.

Committee members highlighted existing restrictions that would still apply under state law and the city code. The committee member who read the ordinance pointed to language in the city code (chapter 113) that already permits “the firing or discharge of pellet guns, rifles, or pistols no greater than .22 caliber … for the sole purpose of providing for the protection of livestock or crops from predators or vermin,” provided such discharge is not within 300 feet of a dwelling or public way. The member suggested that language may already allow cemetery pest control, but that the ordinance and its map are ambiguous and should be clarified to reduce confusion.

On practical policy design, members discussed narrowing any new allowance (for example, a permit limited to cemetery employees, daytime hours, and specified safety criteria), asking cemeteries to notify the police department when they intend to carry out mitigation, and requiring reasonable safety measures (distance from dwellings, gate closures during work). Some members opposed a broad citywide removal of pellet guns from the firearms definition, citing juvenile misuse and enforcement concerns; others supported a targeted exemption or permit for Mount Hope Cemetery in recognition of its pest issues and the cemetery’s caretaker’s longstanding stewardship.

Members also asked the city’s GIS staff to modernize the official zone 1/zone 2 map. The committee noted the current official map is a photocopy of an older plan and that GIS staff had already overlaid that map on modern parcel and aerial data to show mismatches. The committee agreed an accurate, parcel‑aligned digital map would make enforcement clearer and would be a necessary step if the council is to consider boundary changes or site-specific exemptions.

The committee agreed that one member would draft proposed language reflecting the group’s discussion (examples discussed: a limited-cemetery exemption, time-limited permits with police notification, or clarified ordinance text emphasizing the existing vermin/predator exception) and circulate it to members for comment before referral to the Bangor City Council. Police staff said they welcome courtesy notifications of planned mitigation so patrols are informed.

The session also included a procedural item: a nominee was named and confirmed as the committee chair (see Actions). The committee did not adopt a final ordinance change at the meeting; members agreed to prepare a written proposal and return it for further discussion and public input before sending any recommendation to the council.

The committee’s next steps are to: circulate a draft proposal to members, request that city GIS produce a modern, parcel-based zone map for the council, and, if an exemption or permit approach is favored, specify permit criteria including hours, notification procedures, and safety requirements.